Kickboxing during and after pregnancy

All kinds of people train at De Vechtclub, and everyone is welcome. But our biggest group right now: moms with elementary school kids. Young kids sometimes get even younger brothers or sisters, so we regularly get questions about the dos and don'ts during and after pregnancy. Remy and I aren't experts. But we know someone who is: Miriam Hockx, who also happens to be my own flesh and blood. So we roped her into writing an expert guest post, tailored to our bag work classes.

Hello, kickboxing Weesp. I haven't done much writing in recent years, but it's fun to pick up the pen again for this De Vechtclub guest post. I'm writing this from my vacation spot, and nobody likes too much reading, so let's get straight to the point.

Pregnant? Keep showing up

Pregnancy is the most miraculous injury of all: you can do much more than you think, and staying active pays off big time. Less back and pelvic pain, less stress, better sleep, a stronger labor, and a faster recovery. International guidelines recommend 150 minutes of exercise per week, spread across several days, plus strength training twice a week. Sounds like a class schedule.

I've trained with Kevin before, and kickboxing is a great combination of cardio, strength, and feeling better in your own skin. I'd keep doing it for as long as possible. How long is that?

Anyone familiar with my work knows I sum everything up with C's. For bag work, there are three: Chat, Control, and Continence. And there is no week X when thing Y suddenly becomes off limits: your body sends its own signals, and that's what those C's are all about.

Chat

The measure of all things is the talk test. On a scale where 0 is "Netflix" and 10 is "puking across the finish line," train at around a 7, just hard enough that you can still talk. Not while I'm explaining, Kev corrected me ;-)

Control

• Keep going: punches, push kicks, exhaling, squats, and lunges. Anything that feels good and still lets you talk.
• Adjust: as your belly grows, take it easier on the rotation in kicks and knees. Jumps (squat jumps, burpees) become no-jump versions. The same goes for switch steps. Turn them into 2 steps: right foot forward, left foot back, done. Not fast enough? Just do the odd-numbered reps. Sit-ups and planks are fine as long as your belly stays flat along the midline of your abs: go for it! If you see doming there, your abdominal wall is telling you the pressure is just a little too high right now. It's not dangerous, but it is a signal to scale back. First, try exhaling more effectively. That lowers abdominal pressure, and sometimes the same move suddenly works just fine. That's training: getting right up to the edge. If the doming keeps happening, do a squat or wall sit, or ask the trainer for an alternative.
• Skip: sparring, obviously. One stray punch or kick to your belly is one too many, and accidents happen, so be smarter than that. That's why this post is about (kick)boxing bag work: only the bag takes a beating. Other class formats: hard pass.

Continence

Urine leakage is the same kind of signal as doming, but from your pelvic floor. It's very common, and a pelvic floor physical therapist can almost always improve it significantly or fix it completely. It is never "just part of it." Slow down, adjust the exercise, and check out Floor's free tips. Belly tightening during exercise is usually harmless, but mention it to your midwife. Sudden pain, fluid loss, or dizziness: stop and call.

And tell your trainer. They usually love pushing you, so this lets them know why you're training at your own pace today and swapping out certain exercises. Good for both of you to know.

C*rap, now what?

What about after giving birth? Here's my favorite line: wimping out is the new going all out. After six weeks, you're officially "allowed" to do all kinds of things again. But six weeks only covers basic recovery. Your connective tissue takes well over a year to recover. Nine months on, nine months off is actually still too short. So no, you really don't need those crunches in month three yet. Here's how to build back up:

1. First: breathing, learning to feel your pelvic floor, walking, gentle strength work. Reconnect with your core.
2. Then: strength without pressure spikes in your abdomen: squats, lunges, and throwing some satisfying punches at the bag.
3. After that: planks, sit-ups, jumps, and burpees. The test is the same as during pregnancy: if the midline of your belly stays flat and there's no urine leakage, you're good to go. That's when you're what I call trampoline park proof.

Here's one thing I wish for everyone: get your abdominal wall and pelvic floor properly checked at least once before you go all out again. And forget "back in shape." You're moving forward as your 2.0, and we can turn that into a body that feels great.

Not sure what applies to you? Does something feel off? Tell the trainer. If they don't know, they'll ask Kev. And he'll just have to ask me ;-)

Have a fantastic time training at De Vechtclub, and an even better pregnancy. You're in very good hands.

Miriam is the mother of my 2 nephews and niece. She's a sports physical therapist specializing in the abdominal wall and pelvis, especially around pregnancy. The common thread throughout her career is her focus on how women may need different care during the different stages of their lives. She devours all the research, translates it into practical advice, and serves it up in bite-sized pieces, because real life is where it ultimately has to work. For years, she ran Mom's Planet, her own physical therapy practice helping women stay fit throughout pregnancy, and later became a practice owner at Fysiotherapie van den Berg, a large clinic in Alphen aan den Rijn where she leads Mevrouw van den Berg, its women's physical therapy & training division. Through the Women's Health Academy, she also trains physical therapists in this exact field. She co-founded DiastaseNetwerk Nederland to boost awareness and knowledge of the subject among women and doctors, and together with fellow physical therapist Ellen Aalpoel, she's the founding mom of Floor, a pregnancy program offered through physical therapists, and Door, which does the same for women going through menopause.

I was already proud of my sister, but after writing out that list, I'm feeling just a little extra proud.