Where was I?

Oh yeah, NOT working out. Life is a workout these days!

At last the move is done. After a week of constant motion -- packing, heaving boxes, unpacking, wrangling children, cleaning, worrying, oh and entertaining the company that descended on us two days after move day! -- I spent another few days fighting and finally succumbing to paralyzing fatigue. Not the "I don't have the energy for a workout" or "I don't feel like making supper" fatigue, but the "crying on the phone until Lilly swoops in, whisks Tim away for a few hours so I can lie prone on the bed, then make everyone supper and keep the kids overnight until I can string three sentences together without crying" fatigue.

Now, all is well.

Well enough to dare a little workout today. A VERY little workout. I'm actually afraid to do to much, because of the looming threat of the above-mentioned fatigue. S

So I just jogged around the block (550 m), then did

Raised-leg split squats - three sets of 12/leg
Dumbbell shoulder press - 20 lb dbs - 3 sets of 10.

And cooled down and off with some paddling around in the pool.

Tim's at nursery school today, so we might squeeze in some tennis afterward. Or a walk down to the river for some stone-throwing. :-)

Oh, and a weight-gain update: July 4 = 153 lbs, which is the same as I weighed in two weeks before. When I check back on the records from last pregnancy, this is exactly the same as I weighed at 31 weeks with Tim. So I've actually gained less weight this time (since I started heavier)... See how the body balances itself out?

Lowering expectations

I hit the wall on the weekend, and consequently lowered my expectations about how much energy I have available to spend each day.

Last Friday, I did the usual 2 km jog, 2 km walk + hour of tennis. However, between the drop-off and pick-up, I subbed sitting with my feet up for a workout. I got through the day, but on Saturday I slept in unti l0:30 am (thanks McPie!), and STILL had an hour and a half nap that afternoon.

So, as I head toward third trimester territory, I'm rationing my resourcing to prioritize basic living. That said, I've started the week with a couple of simple workouts, just to keep my muscles from atrophying.

Monday:

The usual jog 2 km/walk 2km + tennis.

Squat 45# x 20, 95# x 10, 10, 10
Press 45# x 10
Bent-over row 30#/arm (alternating) x 10, 10, 10
Squat 45# x 15
Press 45# x 10

Today:
The usual jog 2 km/walk to school.
Mile run: on a whim, I timed it. 10:35 minutes! And I had to run through a cramp! (The running kind, not the pregnant kind.)

Walk to the mall and back (2 km) to sign some mortgage-related papers. (Yay!)

Now off for the 2 km tennis walk!

Like yesterday, but different

Again, 2 km jog (to and from nursery school), then

5 rounds of
10 deadlifts - 95 lb
10 bench dips - feet on the ball

The deadlifts were not too tough, but I don't think I'd add weight because the mechanics felt perfect. Dips... well, I grunted a lot. See yesterday's note on the 15 extra pounds I'm hoisting!

And the now-usual: walk 2 km to and from nursery school, with an hour of preschool tennis in between kms.

Every trip to the tennis court shows progress. Tim is regularly returning the ball back to me over the net, and we have occasional multi-hit volleys. I was a little bit joking when I said I might have to take lessons to keep up with him... Now I feel that it may be no joking matter.

A new routine

After an "active lifestyle" weekend (vacuumed the house, mopped the floors, jogged and walked Tim both ways to school, mowed the lawn), I tried a real, albeit brief, workout today.

Jog 2+ km - to nursery school and back. Then

4 rounds of:
20 walking lunges
10 bench push-ups

Finished with 500 m easy jog.

(Walked another 2 km to and from school, with an hour of tennis in the middle. Which is an hour of walking, essentially.)

Next day - good solid case of DOMS. Clearly am not using my muscles enough lately! Also, those 15 extra pounds add up on the walking lunges.

Testing 1-2-3

Had to do a test today to see if my muscles still work. It had been so long since I used them.

Warm-up: 2 km jog (with a break between the kms to drop Tim at school)

Squats: 45# x 10; 65# x 10; 95# x 10 + 10 + 10; 45# x 20
Push-ups (knees): 4 sets of 10
Bent-over rows: 30# db x 4 sets of 9/arm

Okay, they work. But are a bit shaky.

Cool-down: Latté with my sweetie, mango/banana/pineapple/coconut smoothie, then a 2 km walk. (With a break between kms to play tennis with Tim for 45 minutes. Tennis on the actual court, with real racquets. Dude is serious about his tennis. I might have to actually learn how to play to keep up with him. Not much running, but a lot of walking around retrieving the ball. Bending over 50+ times is no triviality with this belly.)

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.

Squats and more squats

Once again, inspired by a workout from last time... But what was up with 65 lb squats? I upped that a little today:

1000 m row

Alternating sets of:
95# squats - 10, 10, 10
@170# calf raises (single leg, holding a 30# db) - 8/leg x 3

Alternating sets of:
30#/arm bent-over rows - 10, 8, 8 (per arm, per set)
V-sit lateral ball touches - 20, 20, 20 (couldn't improv back extensions thanks to fetal bulge!)

And, since I don't have a treadmill, I added alternating sets of:
45# squats - 20, 20, 20
45# presses - 10, 10, 9

Finished with 1000m row.

I won't be able to get in a workout next Monday, as it's Ultrasound Day!

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...

Hi! Still here.

Tomorrow is D-Day. Now I'm just trying to jostle the baby loose:

Walking - 3/4 mile at 3.2-3.5 mph/10% grade (13:45 min)
Squats - 25 lb x 20, 20, 20, 20
Incline chest press - 20 lb dbs x 20, 15, 12 (wow those dropped off fast!)
Seated rows - 75 x 10
Bent-over rows - 20 lb dbs x 18, 18 (per arm)
Bench dips (feet on floor) - 15

I had to sub in the bent-over rows for the seated ones because the gym was so damn busy. Either because it was a rainy day or because the recent spring-like weather has made folks start thinking about their beach bodies...

Also - lots of energy today! Must be the daily hour-long naps I've been enjoying. I was able to walk further and faster on the treadmill than I have in a long, long time. When Paradise City come on the shuffle, I quelled the urge to start jogging, barely resisted indulging in some air guitar and settled for upping the speed to 3.5 mph, which I was able to maintain for the whole song. No cramping or excessive contractions. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, in terms of coaxing the baby out.

Weigh-in - Still just this side of 160.

A little more than going through the motions

In the interest of efficiency (and energy conservation, as I had a hair appointment in the afternoon and wouldn't get a nap), I decided to skip the cardio portion of my workout today. Instead, I walked as briskly as possible on the way to the gym and back. I kinda got out of breath.

So, just weight-type stuff:

Presses (modified*) - 35 x 14, 14, 14
Presses - 50 x 9 (Just one set, to make sure I still can. :-)
Step-ups - 20/leg x 3 sets
Lat pulls (chin-up grip, slow) - 85 x 9, 9, 9
Calf raises (single leg) - 10, 10, 10

* Wide grip on the bar, very slow up and down, alternatively lowering the bar behind my head and in front.

It was a small-ish workout as these things go, but I tried to make the most of it by doing the reps really slow and deliberately. I found the step-ups to be pretty hard - cardio-wise, a full set of 40 felt something like running a 400 m. (Ok, maybe a 400 m at 80%.)

Kind of a small workout, but enough for today. It's late in the afternoon, and I SO need a nap!

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.)

Seriously? Another workout?

It's starting to look like I'll be posting into week 39... Sigh.

My workout today was lighter than it appears -- I drove to the gym, instead of walking like I usually do. I happen to have a car to today, and I have some shopping to do this afternoon, so I figured I'd save some energy for that.

At the gym:

Walking - 1/2 mile, 3 mph/10% grade (10 min)

Shoulder press - 20 lb DBs x 12, 10, 10
Bent-over rows (per arm) - 17.5 x 18; 20 x 15, 15
Step-ups - 20/leg x 4 sets (4" lower step than usual; gym equipment issue)

Press finishers - 40 lb barbell x 16

The weight I used for the rows felt pretty light -- as indicated by the high reps -- but I didn't want to go higher because of the strain it would put on my abs, which are currently on vacation. As it was, the weight I used felt good: the position was comfortable and I didn't have to strain at all, and I got a decent-enough burn from the reps.

I considered finishing up with a session of rowing, but kind of didn't feel like it. And maybe I'm at a point where it's just okay to not feel like pushing it. Right?

Weigh-in: 159! Maybe I'll hit 160 in my final week. (Please let it be my final week.) Or maybe I'll be back to 155 by Monday. It's all very mysterious.

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.

Last week of required gestation

Hi. I can't believe I made it this far. It doesn't feel different than last week, but this week is the last week my body is officially required to house it's current resident. Next week, we'll be considered "full term" and ready to go at any time.

In the spirit of celebration, I of course, did some squats. :-) Actually, I went to the gym late in the day and it was packed, so I didn't have much of a choice. Although I'd planned on doing a circuit involving rowing and bodyweight stuff, the squat rack was the only quiet place in the gym, so I camped out there for while, alternating between squats and shoulder presses.

Weight - Squat rep/Press rep:

45 - 15/15
50 - 15/10
55 - 12/7
60 - 12/5
65 - 10/3

Lat pulls (chin-up grip) - 100 x 6, 85 x 8, then some chick took the machine while I snuck in some calf raises, even though my towel was hanging right on it. She even changed the bar.

Calf raises (per leg, BW) - 10, 12
Push-ups (knees) - 15
Walking - 1/2 mile, 3 mph, 8% grade. Couldn't go higher than this without contracting.

The heavy "chin-ups" were really hard on my abs, as were the push-ups. My abdominal muscles no longer meet in (or near) the middle, and they just don't function efficiently any longer. Future lat pulls will be with lower weight, and I've seen the end of push-ups for the time being. Another one bites the dust.

It felt like a short workout, but I did have the 2 km round-trip walk to the gym, toting groceries the second half. That ain't nothing any more.

Weigh-in: 156. Sort of hanging out here, huh? The 159 last week must've been water, or lingering puff pastry.

Just enough to hit all the key points

When I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be a stay-in-bed day. I'd had a crappy sleep and had to get up at the crack of dawn for a chiropractor appointment. But Chiro Kelly set me straight, and I was able to brave the elements to get to the gym. That was the highlight... My workout was tough, and the walk home from the grocery store even tougher.

I started with a walk:

Walking - 2/3 mile - 3.2 mph/10% grade/12:40 min

I'd meant to go 3/4 mile, but had an everlasting contraction and my back was seriously aching so I called it quits. I had to take a 2-3 minute break sitting down to let the midsection to unwind.

I took it easy thereafter, rotating through the following sets:

Squats - 45 x 12, 12, 12
Presses - 45 x 14, 10, 9
Seated row - 75 x 10, 8, 7

And that's it. I did an extra long stretch and then headed to the grocery store. And by the time I was headed home from there I was tired. And my back hurt. And it took forever to walk home. But I made it. And will live long enough to make supper, including brownies. :-)

Weigh-in - 159!

Chatting at the gym

French gym dude: 'Ow many weeks?
H: 35 weeks.
FGD: [calculating in his head]...
H: In two or three weeks, I'll be ready to go!
FGD: [looks pregnant lady up and down, raises eyebrows] You do vay-ray well!
H: [sheepish] Well, I'm trying...

Here is what I was doing:

1000 m row/5:18

21-15-12 reps:

"Kettlebell" (db) deadlift - 40 lb*
Incline chest press - 20 lb dbs
Step ups - Did reps per leg
Lat pulls - 70 (reality: 21-10-10)

* Using a db instead of kb meant I didn't have to bend very low for these, but the height was pretty much perfect for what I could handle. It's a good alternative to the RDLs I've been relying on lately.

Back extensions - 8, 8, 8 (This was risky because my back is already under a lot of strain, but I stopped each rep before it began to hurt.)

1000 m row/5:22