A guide to mountain biking during pregnancy

The opposite is true: we are all born. This article discusses the changing evidence for fitness during pregnancy and the postpartum period. If you are not planning a pregnancy that is fine, this article is still for you: support your partner, family and friends in their pregnancy journey with more information, especially if they enjoy cycling.

Because pregnancy lasts forever (most of the year), it is divided into three 'trimesters' each with different characteristics, so we will discuss the important aspects of each and how to best manage all the activities during pregnancy. Please note, although exercise appears to be safe and effective for athletes who become pregnant, there is a specific group pf pregnant women who will be restricted from exercise (ie: placental abruption, uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, vasa previa, cardiorespiratory disease). Always discuss training and fitness for pregnancy with your health care provider.

The benefits of being active during pregnancy include prevention of obesity, reduced rates of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and better mental health outcomes, as well as a better birth experience.

Trimester 1: Weeks 0-13

Congratulations to both lines, what an exciting time! Without a lot of people it's like really absorbing. The first trimester is a time of rapid cell division, foreign fatigue, hormonal fluctuations and mood swings, and is often the time when 'morning' (or all day, let's be honest) sickness will be more common. It's also the time when you look the least pregnant and have the highest miscarriage rates, so people will usually hold off on public announcements until the second trimester.

Although you may not show it at this time, the basic parts of the baby are being formed: the lungs, the heart, the brain are all developing; and critical infrastructure—the neural tube. The reason this is important is that the neural tube has a limited time to grow, which is helped by the absorption of folic acid (so quickly enter the prenatal vitamin!) But also because overheating it can lead to an increased risk of fetal heart problems and neural tube defects during this period.

For those pregnant cyclists who get a break between cleanings and can't get off the couch, mountain biking is a safe option as the baby is comfortable on the hip.

Changes in hormones may also mean that our normal response mechanisms may be less effective during pregnancy and this may start early: for example a rise in progesterone can increase respiration rate to 48% higher than your pre-pregnant level! Therefore using the ventilatory threshold to measure effort becomes difficult. In my experience, using respiratory effort and RPE to try and predict intensity was useless in pregnancy, which felt like the threshold was actually tempo in terms of water response and heart rate.

Instead, check your heart rate to gauge your body's response to exercise. Understanding my HR areas has allowed me to safely train in an environment where I won't overheat.

Bike Repair: it is unlikely that you will need a change of bike at this stage, although in the next pregnancy you may start to 'show' earlier, maybe even in the first trimester.

Exercise Modification: Avoid long efforts in the heat, but you don't have to just train inside: the dangerous body temperature is >39.5 degrees, which seems to be very difficult to reach if you are aware of the effort, keeping the intensity 'moderate' as well. to avoid major work. Rely on a variety of metrics to check your body's response to workload: if in doubt train indoors with a fan or air conditioner.

Key takeaways: X-rays and pregnancy do not mix, so while it is safe time to ride a risk assessment is important. You might feel like crap, you're not getting any rewards because you're pregnant so take the load off if you need to cut back on exercise this trimester. However, this is the safest time to enter the lanes of an insecure rider (because of the baby on the hip) you may feel like you are sleeping on the couch.

Trimester 2: Weeks 14-27

For some people this is the glorious second trimester. Many pregnancy websites advertise that all morning sickness will disappear, you will feel amazing and full of beans as your uterus and baby begin to grow and come out of the pelvis.

It is important to know that this is not for everyone: some people get the end of the pineapple and feel sick for ten months, and the onset of pregnancy-related pain or complications can occur at any stage. That said, a study of pregnant athletes found that for those who continued to train, the second trimester received the highest training of pregnancy.

Staying out of the heat and controlling the flow of water remains important in this trimester, a time of intense physical growth for both the baby and the mother. You'll probably be looking at other clothing options in the third quarter as the pants start to feel tighter and the increased belly and breast size may give away any race-ready kits currently packed. Since the uterus grows above the pelvic symphysis, many exercise guidelines warn against any exercise with touching or falling. For some, this will mean getting inside a trainer, but most mountain bike moms will continue to ride trails with more risk assessment in place.

Many pregnant athletes will notice that the uterus 'tightens' or Braxton hicks contractions from the second trimester onwards, and can be aggravated by too much activity or dehydration, so keeping up the pressure and drinking levels is important. The flip side? Your bladder takes up real estate that's dwindling fast and all this hydration means that if you plan to keep riding outside, you're likely to get used to wild weeds.

Bike Repair and Kit: this would be a good time to flip your trunk up and raise your handlebars, but most passengers can be in standard cockpits until later in pregnancy. The aggressive stance of my road bike meant that to minimize Braxton-hicks and bladder discomfort in the second trimester, I needed a more upright pedaling position.

Exercise Modification: Many pregnant women find that they can increase the duration and strength in this trimester, but this may be offset by increased size. Although beating VO2 efforts and maximum heart rate has not been recommended by most studies, additional time below threshold (or up to 80% of maximum heart rate) has been well tolerated by most pregnant women. As always, keep the RPE checked and reduce the intensity or stop if you experience any concerning symptoms.

Key takeaways: Keep reassessing your balance and comfort on the trails when you're out on the trails, and cultivate a good ear when it comes to listening to your body.

Trimester 3: 28-40 (or 41 … or 42 weeks)

This is it, the final countdown. The time when sleep becomes difficult, the ankles swell and just go down and the bed causes moaning. But if you still have a follow-up with your care provider you can continue to exercise, and in the case of many other moms I know, until the day you give birth.

As you get older, the increased pressure on your ribs means that your breathing rate, which is already affected by hormones, can slow down even more. As you increase in size your center of gravity shifts and you may experience pelvic girdle pain or back pain to accompany this. It is possible to increase Braxton-hicks contractions regardless of exercise: but too much activity can increase their intensity, so rest is as important as movement.

For those who continued to exercise under the supervision of their providers, there was no increased risk of adverse events during pregnancy, no increased risk of low birth weight, reduced risk of prematurity, and increased maternal fat mass compared to controls (Bentham, KS). ). If you are still free on the roads: go yourself! Most of the female Rad riders I spoke to were easily able to lower their ride and ride within their perceived limits and adjust their ride based on feel. Another important downside is that the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is between 11-16kg (for a 'normal' BMI), so expect a significant and rapid drop in w/kg when you gain weight.

If you prefer to stay active but not actively travel, indoor riding, walking and aerobics can be more 'controlled' forms of exercise. Being kind to yourself and letting go of training volume, TSS, CTL and power numbers is important: if you're still training right now you're a great person! If you need to fix things, do it. The best part? Although it is an uncomfortable, hot, difficult and sometimes painful part of pregnancy, it also marks the last stages before you meet your next generation shredder.

Bike Repair and Kit: All types: in this category the stem is turned, high paired with a more supportive saddle (accounting for the vertical position), increased spring rate of your suspension, and light gearing if possible. At this stage, you wear whatever fits, so that meant lots of 'active wear' t-shirts for my partner and my bibshorts (which are stretchy for all 9 months).

Exercise Modification: Getting out is a win, and the hills were so hard and slow that I avoided overly hilly trails. I cut back on downhill routes and cut back on our local cross-country trails, using riding and cycling.

Key takeaways: Your body is running a marathon, so listen to it. If you need to rest, rest. If you have the ability to ride, great! You need more calories to support the pregnancy at this stage, so make sure you're fueling well even if your rides are shorter and lighter than pre-pregnancy.