Many physical conditions require you to adjust your martial arts: Injury; illness; aging; and of course pregnancy. In illness, you don't have much energy, endurance or strength. Stay home and rest, and when you return to the dojo, take it easy until you get your strength. When you are hurt, rest for awhile and let it heal, brace it and use a different technique (punch instead of kick), or for more permanent injuries, adapt your stance/technique/etc. to accommodate. It doesn't have to be a limitation; it just means you have to figure out new ways to do things. Aging can either mean going from your prime into older years, when joints and muscles stiffen up and lose strength, or it can mean going through puberty, as your body grows by leaps and bounds, and your center of gravity, strength, flexibility go through catastrophic changes.
At 5 months pregnant, pregnancy seems to me a combination of the above. It is similar to injury in that there are techniques I cannot do, and I have to come up with creative ways around them. It is similar to illness in that my energy level got nuked. It is very similar to going through puberty in that my center of gravity is off, I've gained weight, and I sometimes have trouble controlling my extremities! It is also similar to puberty in that hormones have wreaked havoc with my emotional and mental control, and it takes a great deal of effort at times to keep my "black belt face" on.
That's all quite general. What about particulars? When I first discovered I was pregnant, I looked up everything I could find on doing martial arts while pregnant. This didn't take long, there isn't much out there. What I did find was extremely general and did not discuss some of the specific things I was encountering. So while I will reiterate that every woman and every pregnancy are different, I'll discuss a few things I've had to adjust for, as I go through this bizarre and wonderful process.
1) Strength. Your strength and endurance decrease dramatically. I was expecting it during the last trimester, but was totally unprepared for the exhaustion of the first three months. A normal person can pull up inner reserves and "push through" exhaustion. This is not true for the pregnant woman. Overexertion can and will harm you and the child.
The adjustment: Monitor your energy level and respect it. It doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't work out; in fact, keeping fit is great for you physically and mentally throughout pregnancy. It will make carrying the child easier, and they say it makes birth and recovery easier. But don't think you can still train at your "normal" level, and if you're not up for training, don't go. Only do as much as you have the strength for, and get over feeling like a wuss about it.
2) Peak performance. If you are having a complication-free pregnancy, there are very few restrictions on your activity. One big change, however, is how hard you should push while you work out. Don't shoot for your peak. You do NOT want to "feel the burn"!
The adjustment: I was told to keep my heart rate in the "moderate" zone, no more than 140 bpm. Also, you want to keep your body temperature down, as the growing child inside you can't adjust, and if you get too hot, then it can damage them. So you don't work up a good sweat! A guideline I was given is that if you normally train at an intensity level of 5 - 7 then knock it down to 3 - 5. If you start feeling winded or hot, stop and check your pulse, and if need be, slow down. Drink water before, during and after training. During the first trimester this was very easy. As I've felt better, it has sometimes been difficult. My mind has to take over now and override the body's habits.
3) Relaxin. This is a pregnancy hormone whose job is to loosen up joints and muscles. Many pregnant women I know think it's great. Me? I've been spaghetti-noodle limber my whole life, and I find it a bloody nuisance. Thanks to relaxin, my joints now go way too far unless I am extremely careful. My knees hyperextend just by stretching, I've dislocated my shoulder twice, and we won't even get into the things my back has been doing.
The adjustment: Move carefully. Ironically, relaxin has helped ensure that I don't push too hard, or get sloppy in technique, because when I do, I hyperextend or dislocate something. So while I have roundly cursed relaxin, it's probably doing wonderful things for my karate! Slow down, make sure that your line of movement is proper, and make darn sure that your stances are dead-on. And enjoy the flexibility if it's new to you, it's not a permanent condition any more than pregnancy is!
4) Adjust technique, part I: Body changes. Relaxin aside, pregnancy changes your body drastically. Waist, chest, rear end and thighs will grow. Depending on your original body shape, your adjustments might be minor at first, but as the pregnancy progresses you will certainly notice some differences. I was relatively smallish to begin with, not too large anywhere, and I've had "issues". Apologies in advance to anyone who embarrasses easily, but I must give a mention here to what happens to your chest when you get pregnant! I grew a full bra size in two days. That alone would be enough to screw up some karate techniques, but I must add that this is painful and that pain lasts for several weeks. Compression, jiggling, or heaven forbid something whacking me were all torture. Then there's the growing belly. Not only is it bigger, but it really, really doesn't want anything pressing on it. And you can't risk getting hit, by other people or by yourself.
The adjustment: First of all, you need new underwear. Sorry if that doesn't sound martial arts related, but it makes continued martial arts possible so it's very relevant. A supportive jog bra is essential, as are loose, comfortable panties. Then slow your punches down and be very careful, so nothing vibrates or gets knocked. As my tummy started growing, my center of gravity shifted. Transitions from one stance to another become more difficult because your balance is off; you have to be sure that you transfer your weight properly, that your knees are properly positioned over your toes, and you need to make darn sure that you are keeping your abs tight, or you'll lose your balance. Kicks of course need major modifications! Side and roundhouse kicks I can still do more or less normally, but my front kicks are a whole different story. I cannot raise my knee to my chest; right now it's hitting about belly button and will go further south as time progresses. My jodan kicks are now chudan.
5) Adjust technique, part II: Preventing miscarriage. As I mentioned above, there are very few restrictions in a pregnancy that does not have complications. However, certain types of movement can cause problems. You want to avoid anything that risks falling, getting hit, or otherwise taking traumatic injuries. You also need to avoid exercises that mimic the feeling of giving birth, of "pushing".
The adjustment: In martial arts, this is a no-brainer: no more sparring. I still do sparring drills (one-step and combinations), I've just adjusted my distance so there's no chance of contact. Outside of the dojo, I'm careful not to do squats or leg thrusts of any kind. Regular karate stances are fine, just keep your abs nice and tight. Regular karate techniques are also fine. In fact, the only real dojo thing I've had to modify is the "butterfly stretch". I'm starting to have to adjust some other stretches to accommodate the belly though, and find that my best bet is to arrive early and stretch carefully ahead of time, so I can more or less skip any stretches in class that my body can't handle right now.
Good site
Posted by: Michael | August 23, 2007 at 03:29 AM