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The Amazing Bobbie Jo Hackenbruck

Bobbie Jo, you are a mom of two adorable kinds. I also know you are athlete. Give the readers a little insight into your athletic background.

When I was young my goals was always to be better than the boys, I was wild so sports helped me filter my energy into good things.  I grew up play all sports, but did well in soccer.  I played soccer through college at the University of UT.  I was more focused on being the fittest and hardest worker than actually loving soccer, so finding CrossFit was a perfect find for me.  After college I dabbled around in a lot of things but was bored!  I ran a lot, mountain biked, tried yoga, lifted but I was not truly in love with any of it, it was fun it gave me an outlet but not like CrossFit.


Tell us about your two little ones (name, age, etc).


I have two amazing angels.  Boden is 4 yo, he has the kindest heart and best jumps I have ever seen come from a kid his age.  Both great qualities!  Boden has all the potential to be a great leader and athlete, so my job is throwing in things to make sure he is balanced.  Cooking, reading, learning about the solar system.  My husband Tommy wanted to name him “Geranaomo” that might have been a better fit name for him.  He is an amazing big brother and surprises me everyday with how kind he really is.

 

My little girl is 3 years old, yes “boom-bam” that is how we did it!  Penelope is the spice in our family.  She keeps us on our toes every moment.  Her spirit is very strong and independent.  I think she might be the one sticking up for her older brother as they grow up instead of the other way around.  She is very funny.  Her humor keeps us in the clouds daily.  She loves helping people and is a do it herself.  My kids are completely different personalities, they even each other out perfectly.  My kids have 5x the “wildness” of any other kids, that’s my reasoning for being addicted to coffee, I love them and they will do amazing things for themselves and others as they grow.  


Did you train during your first and second pregnancy? If so, what did you do?


I trained during both pregnancies.  But differently, they were night and day different!!

With my son Boden, I was recovering from a disc injury.  So I mainly swam/hiked and did traditional strength training.  I had a lot of back pain with him, but that was due to a lingering disc herniation I had had previous to getting pregnant, it got much worse as pregnancy progressed. I also ate lots of breads, and pastas and low-fat foods at that time.  I was just starting to learn what food does to a body as far as inflammation and pain etc. With Boden I gained about 35-lbs, had a lot of back pain and it took me about 8 months to feel “back” to my normal figure and moving abilities. I had a C-section with Boden.  The month of recovery after my C-section forced me to take it easy…. and my back started feeling better…then I found CrossFit, perfect timing.  I progressed into it very slow and my back got better.


My pregnancy with Penelope was as easy and smooth as it could have been.  I did CrossFit workouts and scaled as I needed to, I trained about 4 days/week and then was just always moving because I was coaching a lot and had another baby to care for.  I ate Zone/Paleo with Penelope, but if I woke during the night with my son, I would always afford myself a chocolate muffin during the night as a reward! I had zero pain with her, I gained 22lbs, despite the fact I was mounding on food and it took me 2 weeks to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight…I was shocked and told my mom to tell no one I was.  I felt freaky and thought others would think I was obsessed with losing my baby weight…but it just went away.  I also had a C-section with Penelope, but this time around it was planned, so I was moving around the week after doing my best not to push it because I felt so good.

I made my self not train for 8 weeks, then I was back at it…working into CrossFit and running slowly but I felt amazing.


Compare training during pregnancy to training while not.


I had two pregnancies to judge how hard I knew I could push it.  My first pregnancy I took it very easy and hardly ever pushed intensity or I would not lift very heavy…my second pregnancy I followed the CrossFit mom sight and learned that I could push it.  When I was not pregnant, I am on bored with going to that spot and pushing it to the red line.  When I was pregnant with my second baby, I pushed my intensity but I would never push it to the point where I was not comfortable…I held back quite a bit but still pushed the intensity some.  My body would tell my right away if I was pushing it too much.  And overall I knew the intensity was not what I was training to push while I was pregnant, my intention for training while pregnant was to move my body in all the primal movement patterns, and to stay strong so I could stay put together to grow a baby and then take care of it without pain after pregnancy.

So I would say if I were to compare training with being pregnant and not it would be, I cut down my intensity a lot and the loads I was lifting.  But I was still pushing it and still using loads when working out.


As someone with functional training during at least one pregnancy, what advice would you give to other women training throughout their pregnancy?


I would say it is absolutely necessary for many reasons.  Motherhood is far more than just physically making a child and then caring for it.  It is so complex…you have to be strong physically, mentally and emotionally.  Training allows for all of that to fall into place.  It is like eating healthy to grow a baby, you need to and it is imperative for your growing child…so is training.


My advice would be to, if you are currently following some type of routine…continue with it and cut back as needed for your pregnancy.  Get advice from other mothers who have experienced it, know that you are different than all others so take the advice but make it work with what you have going on.  Once you are pregnant and progressing through it, in my mind I think it is time to maintain and to continue to be strong…you are not going to get more fit or have big breakthroughs while pregnant, but the goal is to do training that will support your special job of growing a baby, and also get as ready as ever to be a strong mommy once your baby arrives…and physically, it is not easy to lift heavy car seats, strollers and hold babies in awkward positions without injuring yourself.  So the work you do while pregnant will keep you strong when your baby asks it of you.  And mentally and emotionally, CrossFit as we all know makes you work on those tasks as well, you need that to be sorted and sound when you are a parent, raising a little person.


What did your diet look like during each pregnancy?


Pregnancy 1, I was eating a lot of processed carbs and low fat foods as I thought were okay then.  Pregnancy 2 I was zone/paleo food.  My goals were to regulate insulin and to not have any inflammation in my body.


Were you more ‘strict’ during those 9 months or was it more difficult to eat clean during pregnancy?


There are days where you WANT to eat something of the map of Paleo/Zone foods, but I found just as when I am not pregnant…if I am steering clear of bad foods, I don’t ever want them.  When I had them…then I wanted them more…i.e. “cravings”.

 

All though if I did want something off the map, I would make sure it was quality, not junk…except my chocolate muffins…haha.

 

Did you utilize anyone for body work and/or alternative therapies during either pregnancy (chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc.)?


YES!  In Oregon during my first pregnancy, I was in a Chiro/Massage therapist atleast once a month, my back needed help.  She was wonderful, and avid rock climber and mother of two, what ever she told me to do I did…Jeanne Young, she is amazing and I wish I had her in UT still.


My second pregnancy I was pretty much pain free, but I think bodywork is key.  So I would go in for occasional massage work on my hips and neck as I still do.


What style of movement or working out did you like while pregnant? Or, were each one unique?


Pregnancy 1: Paul Check, corrective exercise.  Swimming and hiking.


Pregnancy 2: CrossFit scaled for pregnancy.  Running until I got too heavy.

 

Much of functional training involves a lifestyle both in and out of the gym. How much would you say a lifestyle that supports vigorous exercise, strong community ties, and a priority in nutrition played a role in the success of either of your pregnancies?


I say it is the prime motive.  I own a gym; my husband is my business partner. We both love CrossFit for the workouts and the community.  Without even attempting to do so but just by the entire positive we have gotten out of it, our lifestyle is based more around fitness and healthy daily living.  It is our full time work.  


It seems like that which helps athlete’s in a workout, for example, would also help a woman in pregnancy. From focusing on the task at hand, to trusting the process and fighting through to the end. In what ways, if any, was giving birth like the mental game that plays out in a workout?


It is really basic…if you train your mind and body to do a specific task or if you train it to think a certain way, it will do that when you ask it to.  So that could be a really bad thing or it could be an amazing thing.  When you are doing a “simple” workout that is hard and you are suffering and you are able to build your character a little more everyday because you don’t quit then you become stronger.  So with a simple workout and the ups and downs you demand your body and mind to go through, what not a better training system to prep you for something as real and demanding as it gets, giving birth.


Describe your pregnancy and birth.


Pregnancy 1:  Pretty easy pregnancy, a very healthy baby.  I attempted to have a natural birthing.  I was 10 days late and my son was 10lbs!!!  I tried…I was induced and my little guy would not come out!  I didn’t want to have big complications.  I was in labor about 8 hours then opted for an epidural…at one moments my sons heart rate dropped badly, so my doctor and myself quickly agreed to have a cesarean (birth).


Pregnancy 2:  A very easy, pain free pregnancy.  I opted for a planned C-section.  I wanted to have control and have an easy recovery so I could get back to taking care of baby #1.  I also did not want to risk any thing for the fact that I had a previous C-section.  At the time my doctor strongly suggested I plan a C-section.

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