Crazy World: Pregnant kick boxer still training just weeks before birth

Fighting fit: Kickboxer Crystal Green is expecting her first baby next month

Expectant mothers are no stranger to kicks – but Crystal Green is the one doing the kicking.

The martial arts champion is keeping fighting fit until her baby’s birth next month with Muay Thai sessions.

The 31-year-old said it was ‘a happy accident’ when she found out she was expecting in March while in training for a bikini contest.

She stopped entering combat competitions, but she has continued with her ‘Foxy & Fierce’ classes.

Bodybuilder Lea-Ann Ellison caused an outcry on social media sites when she posted pictures of her lifting weights two weeks before her due date.

But Ms Green, also from Los Angeles, said: ‘Aside from gaining more weight than I wanted to, it has been a really good experience. My doctor is a big advocate for fitness during pregnancy. He feels the more you can do, the better.

‘I had to step back from my extreme core class because it’s a lot of abdominal exercises and I developed a slight strain.

‘I stopped teaching that class and the pain went away.’ The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said recreational exercise can be beneficial during pregnancy but advised against one-to-one combat sports.

Adapted from The Metro