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Project Fit Pregnancy: Week 29

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Image shows a pregnant woman holding her belly

Week 29, woohoo! At this point, I think I’m excited about every week that goes by. It feels like the home stretch – even though birth-day is still about 3 months away.

I must confess that last week, I cut my workouts down to two exercises instead of three. It seemed that no matter how few or what kind of deadlifts I performed, I always ended up with a sore back. Not surprising, really. My back is a little touchy under normal circumstances, add loose ligaments and a distended abdomen to that, and it gets downright finicky.

The other exercise was bet over rows. I just wasn’t “feeling” them. I kept trying to get my form right, but it just never felt right, so last week, I just decided to drop them in favor of something else… not sure what, though!

Here’s last week’s workout:

Monday
Squats: 115lbs 1×5, 95lbs 4×5
Overhead press: 50 lbs 5×5

Wednesday:
Squats: 100lbs 5×5
Bench press 60lbs 5×5

Friday:
Squats: 105lbs 5×5
Overhead press 50lbs 5×5

As I mentioned last week, I peaked on the squat at 115 pounds and then dropped back down. That sure made 95 pounds seem easy. Now I’m working my way back up, but I imagine that from here on, my progress will look something like a seesaw. Up and down, up and down.

Why I choose to lift over cardio

  • I know from previous experience that cardio and I don’t get along very well during pregnancy. As I mentioned, my back is pretty finicky. Walking, as much as I hate to admit it, hurts. It’s not that I don’t walk ever, but long walks, especially the kind where you walk fast enough to get your heart rate up, don’t happen.
  •  I can lift. As long as the weight is centered evenly on both feet. No walking with the weight – ouch! So no lunges, single-leg deadlifts, or anything like that.
  • Weights build muscle. Not that cardio doesn’t build any muscle, but it doesn’t build much muscle. The number one way to ward off fat is to build muscle.
  • Lifting weights burns a massive amount of calories to build and sustain that muscle. I eat like a horse y’all! It’s kind of embarrassing. Not that eating a mountain of food is the goal, or being skinny, but for so many, it’s really hard to gain “too much” weight while pregnant, and even harder to get rid of it post-pregnancy. With that in mind…
  • By this time in my last pregnancy, I’d gained a lot more weight than I have with this pregnancy – almost twice as much. The only difference is that I’m lifting weights. I don’t diet. Ever.
  • Lifting has enabled me to be more active since I’m in better shape (Believe it or not, lifting correctly helps with the aches and pains rather than exacerbating them), and so I’m sure that has helped keep the weight from packing on, but I credit most of my non-weight gain to lifting itself.
  • No, lifting won’t turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe someday, I’ll look in the mirror and not like where this is going, and then I’ll back off. But I’ve been lifting for the better part of a year, and don’t see it happening any time soon.

The bottom line? This morning, I went out to do some chores on the farm that included lifting a goat-travel cage over a fence. I had no help, only Garrett to cheer me on, and I’m six months pregnant.

So yeah, I’m pretty happy with lifting.

*Disclaimer: I am not a fitness or healthcare expert. Please seek the advice of your healthcare provider before beginning any new form of exercise or following the advice of someone such as myself.

Linked with: My Joy Filled Life

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