Pregnancy is not my favorite chapter in life. Being able to continue to Crossfit through that time was something I needed badly for my mental health even if that meant modifying basically everything.

My 3rd pregnancy, while super difficult from an emotional and sickness perspective, was the best pregnancy yet from a fitness perspective. This time around I let go of the idea that I needed to keep up with anyone else in the gym, be a “badass” or prove anything to anyone.

That was refreshing.

Instead, this time around I changed my entire strategy towards Crossfit and fitness in general during pregnancy. Instead of showing up each day and modifying the workouts as necessary I entered the gym with the mindset that my body was different during this temporary chapter and I needed to train it differently. I actually wrote all about it in THIS post.

If you’re reading that and you’re like yeah Heather that sounds great, but can you just tell me exactly what to do?

Why yes dear friend…. Yes I can

My friend and colleague, Brianna Battles, and I have spent the last several months putting our education and experience into a completely free resource for you.

That resource is called: How to Adjust Exercise in Pregnancy. You can grab your copy HERE.

I get so many questions each day from women looking to adjust their training in pregnancy. My DM’s generally look a lot like this:

• I’m pregnant…What can I do instead of sit ups during a workout?
• Is it ok if keep doing pull ups in my 2nd trimester? My friend did.
• I’ve noticed my abdomen is popping out all weird when I workout, is that normal?
• Sooooo I peed a little during my workout today. What should I do about that?

These are the questions women are asking everyday and to be honest, they deserve way better answers than the standard “Just listen to your body” or “Do what you’ve always done!”

That’s where the guide comes in. Its filled with individual exercise modifications (what to do instead of running or toes to bar) as well as some guidance on how to adjust your fitness strategy during this temporary, but super important chapter of your life.

Grab your copy for FREE here.

In addition to the guide above I wanted to give you 3 more tips to help you figure out how to scale your workouts appropriately. Whether you consider yourself an athlete, a Crossfit lover or just a mom who likes to workout, this information (both the guide and below) applies to you.

3 Tips to Help You Modify Your Crossfit Workouts In Pregnancy

1. Recognize this Chapter is Temporary

40 weeks doesn’t feel super temporary when you’re in the middle of it does it?

As someone who was sick and feeling generally miserable for the majority of my last pregnancy, I completely get that.

But it is very temporary. You will be able to get back to the type of exercise you love. You’ll lift heavy weights again (if that’s your goal) hang from the pull up bar, or run that race you love.

During pregnancy it’s important to remember that you want to keep exercising pain free for the next 30, 40, 50 plus years and how you approach exercise during this chapter will matter long-term.

If you’re having a day where you’re feeling a little stompy or grouchy about the fact that it feels like nothing is the same and everything is hard, know that I’ve been there too. Feel your feelings, stomp your feet, and then move forward. You’re making a baby mama, that is some pretty exciting and important stuff right there.

2. Worry Less About Individual Movement Modifications

When it comes to modifying CrossFit in pregnancy (and all workouts really) the first things mom want to know is how to modify individual exercises like sit ups or running.

Questions like this are a great start, you’re trying to take care of your body, your head is in the right place.

I want to really impress upon you though that you don’t have to sub one core exercise for a different “Safer” core exercise. You can substitute a core exercise with a glute exercise or a back exercise, both of which are muscle groups that are really important to keep strong in your pregnancy.

I get more in depth on this in the free download which you can get HERE.

3. Adjust Your Strategy In Each Trimester

In pregnancy your body is literally changing every single day. You may need to modify very little in your first trimester, but by the 3rd it may feel like nearly every single thing you do is modified,

That’s normal.

As your pregnancy progresses you won’t be modifying just exercise selection, you’ll also want to modify things like:

• How you’re breathing
• How heavy you’re lifting
• How deep you’re squatting
• How many reps you’re doing
• How much rest you’re giving yourself

When I talk about changing your entire strategy these are the elements of that strategy that will need to be modified and adjusted as you get closer and closer to due date.

So many more details can be found in the free download. Grab your copy HERE.

I know it may seem like that baby is never coming, but I promise you he/she is and it will be absolutely magical when that does happen.

In the meantime, take care of your body and check your ego at the door which will help set you up for a safe return to exercise postpartum, not set you back.