Ugh, more rowing

I have no recourse: the weather is totally shitty (too awful to consider even walking to nursery school, let alone running outdoors), and I have no access to a treadmill.

So, rowing it is. And a few other things.

Row: 10+ minutes (about 2 km)

Four rounds:
10 bench dips (feet on the ball)
9/arm bent-over rows, 30 lb
30 v-sit ball tosses, 3 kg ball

Row 5 minutes (about 1 km)

And I really did tweak my knee after a million rounds of Ring Around the Rosy last night. Nothing serious (twinges a little on the stairs, should be good by tomorrow), but I avoided squatty-type things today. With the extra weight and proportions, getting up off the floor a dozen times in a row counts as a set of Turkish get-ups.

As promised

I based today's workout on one I did at 19 weeks while pregnant with Tim. (Hard to be believe Tim was once a thought in my belly, just as it's hard to fathom that this belly will yield a real person like Tim!)

I'm surprised that my weights today were (mostly) more than last time.

Four rounds of:
12 deadlifts - 95#
10 presses - 20# db (40# total)
40 V-sit ball tosses - 3 kg
15 ham curls (reverse bridge on the ball)(awkward - baby doesn't like being upside-down!)

Finished with five intervals on the rower of 1 min fast/1 min easy (10 minutes), and more stretching than usual (which still wasn't enough, but there was laundry to do.)

Following along with my previous gestational program might be the way to go. Would make all those blog posts worthwhile! I think the biggest challenge will be finding the time to get in as many workouts...

Gettin while the gettin's good

First time in a while that I've managed a weekend workout. I drove again to the gym, to save some energy for housework and grocery shopping later in the day. Walking's fine and tires me out, but doesn't exactly get my heart rate up... So I opted for the more vigorous form of exercise.

Rowing - 2000 m / 10:12 min (2:33/500m pace)
Squats - 25 lb x 25, 25, 25 (not exactly bodyweight, but I just couldn't resist)
Inclined push-ups (hands on bench, feet on floor) - 15, 14, 13
Lat pulls - 82.5 lb x 12, 11, 10 (nice, slow eccentrics)

I cycled through the weight sets as I usually do, but did have to rest for a bit (30 - 60 s) between each exercise (not just each round!) because each set was really getting my heart rate up there! It all felt good, and I wasn't too tired after. (Though I did have a wee afternoon nap later.)

"Rest" day

I promised Ken I'd rest up today, so after spending a couple of extra hours in bed this morning, I did just a light workout before picking up some groceries.

3 rounds:
500 m row (about 2:30 min each)
40 squats
12 dips (feet on the ball)

And then a good stretch. It's a gorgeous day; it was a lovely walk, and I feel quite invigorated!

Facing another week

Still feeling great. (Although I have to admit that while trying to roll over in the middle of the night, I had to ask Ken for a push.) Still feeling up for working out. Starting to have flashes of "good lord, what if my water breaks while I'm at the gym?!" Would that count as winning the gym?

4 rounds:
500 m row (ave pace - 2:26 min)
12/leg split squats (with 12, 10, 8, 8 lb dbs)

Then some upper body/back:
Incline db flies - 20 lb dbs x 10, 8, 8
Good mornings - 40 x 15
RDLs - 50 x 15, 15

(Switched from GMs to RDLs because of a twinge in my neck/shoulder from holding the barbell behind my neck.)

I have a feeling that the split squats were not a good idea in terms of pelvic/back pain, but I have a chiro appointment tonight, so hopefully will be okay.

Going for a nap now... :-)

Closing out another week

With another not-too-intense but good-enough-for-full-term workout. Think I'll make it to the end of next week, too? Can't wait to see!

Rowing - 1000 m / 4:45 min (going for speed!)

Step-ups - 3 x 20/leg
Lat pulls - 70 lb x 15, 14, 14
Presses - 50 lb x 10, 8, 7
Calf raises - BW, 3 x 10/leg

Rowing - 1000 m / 5:20 min (taking it easy)

And after walking home, sitting for awhile, napping, and doing a little puttering, the back feels fine.

Weigh-in: 155. I guess we've seen the end of the weight gain. (Admits to breathing possibly-premature sigh of relief.) Though I do have a potluck shower AND wine club tomorrow...

Easy on the hips

After most workouts these days, my lower back (sacral area) and hips stiffen up and make it uncomfortable to walk for the rest of the day. I'm seeing a chiropractor twice a week (pre-emptive treatment to prep for labour), and it doesn't help. So, I'm going to experiment with adjusting weight and exercises to take the strain off my lower body, to see if it helps.

In today's workout, I opted for rowing instead of walking, bodyweight instead of barbells, and sitting instead of standing.

3 rounds:
500 m row (sub 2:30 min each)
40 squats (BW)

Weights:
Incline chest flies - 20 lb dbs x 12, 10, 9 (+3 chest press to finish each set)
Seated rows - 75 lb x 10, 9, 7

Extra-long stretch. I'm also now avoiding the toe-touch stretch (hanging from the hips), because that seems to cause an achy back too. And I'm not really getting any closer to touching my toes, even with the help of relaxin. Grr.

And what do you know?! My back hasn't been sore all afternoon/night. I shall continue with this strategy. It may also help my chiro adjustments hold. We'll see.

Lightening up -- a little

This week, I'm working on a) getting to the gym, and b) taking it sort of easy while I'm there. I don't think either goal will be too difficult -- trickier will be making sure I get in the post-workout nap I seem to need these days! The tired seems to strike any time, any place.

So, at the gym:

Row - 2000 m/10:15 min
Presses - 20 lb dbs x 8, 8, 7
Walking lunges - 25 lb x 16, 14, 14
Good-mornings - 45 lb x 15, 12, 12
Calf raises - BW x 12, 10, 10/leg
Row - 1000 m/5:15

Weigh-in - 156/57

Today felt great: I felt like I had plenty of energy and strength, and my back isn't sore at all. (Lately, it's been pretty sore walking home and for the rest of the day after a workout.) I think it's helped that I skipped a third trip to the gym last week, and stuck to resting and walking. Also, I didn't go to the grocery store, and therefore didn't have a load to carry home. Tomorrow is walk/grocery day.

Labour induction strategy

I've discovered a possible technique to induce/entice labour when the time comes: step-ups. I did a bunch today, and each set brought on a solid contraction. Nice. (The contractions were not uncomfortable or anything, so I assume they are a good thing. Working out the uterus and all.)

Anyway, come week 38 or 39 (just around the corner!), you'll find me on the stairs, or (if the weather holds) over at the park, walking up and down the hill that Ken and I normally use for sprint training.

Today's summary:

Rowing - 2000 m/10:20 min
Incline chest flies - 20 lb dbs x 12, 12, 12 (finished each set with 3 chest presses)
Squats - 35 lb x 20 (one set - killing time waiting for the step stool)
Step-ups - 4 sets of 20/leg (step bench with 5 risers - about 16")
Bench dips (feet on a ball) - 7, 10, 10 (ouch, my wrists!)

So, I tried flies today -- something I almost never do -- because 20 lb dumbells are a little light for chest presses, but 25 lbs are hard (ie: dangerous) to wrestle into place. Flies are a little harder... They felt pretty good. I'd hoped to alternate with step-ups, but a bunch of dudes were camped out on the step stool (as they took turns on the squat rack), so I just went up and built myself a step, and alternated stepping with dips. I'd abandoned dips because my wrists have become really sore. They'd been feeling better, so I tried them today. Probably a bad idea, and they'll be worse for a bit, but I was happy to discover that I'm still dippable.

All in all, it felt pretty good. I had plenty of energy, felt strong, don't feel too wiped out now. Though I've decide to decouple working out and grocery-getting -- that's getting to be a bit much all at once. I'll walk to the store for supplies on non-gym days, thereby ensuring I'm getting daily exercise.

Weigh-in: 156, of course.

Catching up

I didn't make it out last Friday because we went away for the weekend. A weekend during we which mostly just sat and ate. In a good way. Ah well. It felt good to move again today (though frankly, most workouts are followed by an afternoon of not being able to walk without staggering and groaning -- my sacro-iliac area really seizes up afterward. This has been the case for months now, after workouts specifically.)

Anyway, I'm still taking it easy-ish on the weights, mainly because I've begun thinking of the giant belly as holding an actual person who needs protection. So I'm being a bit more cautious.

So, today:

Walking - 2/3 mile, 3.2 mph @ 10% grade (10-11 minutes?)
DB presses - 17.5 dbs x 12; 20 dbs x 8, 7, 7
Presses - 45 x 10
Calf raises (BW, single-leg) - 10, 10, 10/leg
Squats - 55 x 12, 12, 12
RDLs - 65 x 13, 12, 12
Rowing - 1500 m/7:55 min

It all felt fine. No major contraction action. I would walk for longer -- I don't get too out of breath and my legs are okay on the grade -- but my hands get uncomfortably swollen from swinging, and my back begins to hurts early on, even though the grade actually feels like it make it easier on my back than flat walking would be. So mixing it up with rowing seems like the right thing to do. The feels like it works my lower posterior (calves through butt), and the rowing works the upper posterior. Just what I need.

Weigh-in: 156.

Apparently, I'm not likely to gain much more weight from now to the end. All my parts are in place, and though the baby will likely gain another 2 lbs or thereabouts, he'll be displacing amniotic fluid at the same time. And god forbid my hands take on any more water...

Squeezing it in

Squeezed it in between editing, grocery shopping, cleaning the house and entertaining guests:

Cleans - 65 x 4 sets of 8
Bench dips - 3 sets of 10
"L-sits"* - 10, 10, 8
Ham curls on the ball - 15

* These were repeats of lifting legs to parallel, pausing very briefly, then lowering. Note that I can't form a true L-seat because my hammies are too tight to get my legs straight when they are perpendicular to my trunk. I can barely even do this while sitting on the ground.

Row - 3000m total - 12 minutes of one minute fast/slow interval (averaged 2:30 min/500m), eased up for the last few minutes so I didn't DIE.

Weigh-in: 141.

Note on weight - I'm tracking out of curiousity. Expected healthy weight gain in pregnancy is 25-35 lbs. I expect to be somewhere in the middle (higher because I'm not a small person, lower because I exercise and eat normally). At this point, I should be gaining about 1 lb per week (sort of seems like it). If that happens, I will have gained about 30 lbs by the end of this, which is just about right.

Growing muscle in my sleep

Here's a fun tidbit of pregnancy physiology: A typical non-pregnant uterus weighs about 60 g, and is made up primarily of muscle tissue. During pregnancy, the uterus grows 16 times this size to become 1 kg. Of pure muscle.

It's a body-builders dream, putting on 2 pounds of muscle in your sleep.

Anyway, at the gym today:

Deadlifts - 65 x 12, 12, 12*
Presses - 40 x 10, 8, 7, 7
V-sit ball tosses (4 kg) - 30, 30, 40
Ham curls (reverse bridge on the ball - 3 sets of 12

* These are getting a bit awkward -- I have to place my feet a little wider (and therefore my hands) to accommdate the growing belly.

Rowing - 3250 m/17 minutes (250 m intervals of slow/fast)

I was aiming for 20 minutes of rowing, but I was really tired (squinching my eyes closed and gritting my teeth to get through the fast intervals), and according to everything I've read, pregnant ladies are supposed to surrender to the tired, rather than fight through it. Which is counter-intuitive to me, but I guess I'll save it for labour.

Weigh-in: 140. I knew this would happen sooner or later. But 2 pounds of it is uterus!

Three days straight might be too much

I'm not sure that trying to cram my workouts into the beginning of the week is such a good idea. After running on Sunday and trying a crossfit-type circuit yesterday, I tried another regular gym workout today, the last free day before vacation.

I was tired before I went, and the exercises were harder today than usual.

Rowing: 4500m in 22:35 (Daddy-o, you'd better get rowing!)

Alternating sets of:
Squats - 65 lb x 8, 8, 8 (I usually do 10's more easily than today)
Calf presses - 240ish x 8, 8, 8

Finisher squats - 45 x 15

Alternating sets of:
Back extensions - 10, 10, 10 (I usually do 12's, but I couldn't squeeze out any more today)
Bench dips - 10, 10, 8

Weigh-in: Still hovering at 138.

I had a little nap before my workout today, and now I feel like I need another one. Yikes. When I start trying to get in 4x starting next week, I'm going to be more careful to spread things out over the week!

Back to work!

Well, back to working out, anyway.

We returned last night from our maritime vacation, and I hit the gym this afternoon. (The morning was given over to our first appointment with the midwife.)

Treadmill: 10 mins; 0.9 miles (warm-up). Worked up to 7.5 mph which felt fine, though tiring. Heartrate when I slowed to walk: 130 bpm (but I'd jogged at a slower pace before walking).

Squats: 65x 10, 10, 10, 10 alternating with
Presses: 40 x 10, 8, 6, 5

RDLs: 75 x 12, 70 15, 15, 15 (dropped the weight and slowed the pace because of a slight twingy feeling in my left lower ab)

Inclined chest press: 45 x 12, 8, 8, 8 alternating with
Crunches (on the ball): 20, 15, 15

Rowing: 2000 m, 10 mins (1 min easy/hard intervals/103 watts average)

Weigh-in: 137

So energized

Sixteen weeks! Apparently, the wee parasite is now as large as an avocado. Looks WAY bigger from the outside. :-) And it's supposed to double in size in the next three weeks or so. Eep!

I really enjoyed the gym today. A late night, fitful sleep, sleepy morning... but the gym was great, and it revved me up.

Here's what I did:

Alternating sets of squats and calves
Squats - 65 lb x 10, 10, 10, 10 (that's 14 more squats than last time, but I didn't feel like I was overdoing it)
Calves (standing presses with DB; total 165 lb): 8, 8, 10 each leg

Alternating sets of RDLs and presses
RDLs - 75 lb x 15, 15, 15
Presses - 40 lb x 10, 8, 7 + 3 push presses

Alternating sets of back extensions, crunches, dips:
extensions: 3 sets of 12
crunches (single leg on the ball): 3 sets of 22
dips: 10, 10, 8

Rowing machine:
21 minutes (1 minute easy/hard intervals); average 85 watts; 4300 metres (or maybe 4600?)

Weigh-in: 134 lbs (phewf - I really was unusually bloated last week!)