CrossFit Open 22.3

We all knew the advanced gymnastics and jump rope were coming…not the most pregnant or postpartum friendly workout, but that’s ok. There’s lots of options for modifications!

Injured Athletes

As a physical therapist, my professional recommendation is if something hurts, don’t do it!

Shoulder/Arm Injury:

• Pull-Ups/Chest to Bar Pull-ups:

  • Be mindful that the bigger kip may cause more shoulder pain.

  • Consider scaling to traditional pull-ups, banded pull-ups, leg/toe assisted pull-ups, banded pull-down, etc.

  • Make sure your upper back is warmed up & primed.

• Muscle Ups: If kipping/hanging from a bar bothers you, I would highly recommend modifying this movement to either a lower level gymnastic movement, adding a band or isolating into a pull & press.

• Double Unders: Hopefully not much of an issue, remember to keep your shoulders relaxed! If painful, modify to another monostructural movement for 45/35/30 seconds.

• Thrusters: Definitely make sure you’re lifting with good technique. Consider the following if the thruster is painful:

  • Scale the weight.

  • Consider using DBs, this can help with overhead pressing pain.

  • Scale to a front squat.

  • Modify to a front squat & landmine press.

Hip/Knee/Leg/Ankle/Foot Injury:

• Pull-Ups/Chest to Bar Pull-ups: Probably the hardest thing is getting on/off the bar- use a box & be careful!

• Muscle Ups: If you have the strength, just be careful with jumping up/down from the bar.

• Double Unders:

  • Scale to singles if able.

  • Jump on just one leg - what’s your coordination like? :)

  • Use another monostructural movement such as the bike or the rower, for 45/35/30 seconds.

• Thrusters: Definitely make sure you’re lifting with good technique. Consider the following if the thruster is painful:

  • Scale the weight.

  • Use a box or similar target to decrease the range.

  • If you’re unable to squat, consider substituting the bike and/or presses.

Back Injury:

• Pull-Ups/Chest to Bar Pull-ups:

  • Be mindful that the bigger kip may cause more back pain.

  • Consider scaling to banded pull-ups, strict pull-ups, leg/toe assisted pull-ups, banded pull downs, etc.

• Muscle Ups:

  • If you require a big kip to do a MU, the big positions may cause symptoms.

  • Consider modifying to a lower level gymnastic skill, strict movements, adding a band or isolated pull/press movements.

• Double Unders: Hopefully not much of an issue, remember to keep your shoulders relaxed & jumping smooth! If painful, modify to another monostructural movement for 45/35/30 seconds.

• Thrusters: Definitely make sure you’re lifting with good technique. Consider the following if the thruster is painful:

  • Scale the weight.

  • Use a box or similar target to decrease the range.

  • Keep your core active (ribs pulled down) as you press the bar overhead- don’t let your back over-arch & those ribs flare up!

Pregnant Athletes

Focus on moving at a consistent pace. Don’t get hung up on the weights or the movements, scale it appropriately & just move! You may want to consider scaling the reps to 21-15-9 instead to keep moving.

• Pull-Ups/Chest to Bar Pull-Ups: I recommend stopping kipping around the beginning/middle of the 2nd trimester, due to the stretch and stress it puts on the abdominals.   

  • Some scaling options:

    • Strict pull-ups with a band (be careful getting in & out of the band).

    • Leg/toe assisted pull-ups

    • Banded pull downs with or without a PVC

    • If you see coning occurring - can you change it and make it go away? If yes, great, continue! If it’s hard to control the coning it’s a good idea to modify.

  • Inhale on the pull, exhale down.

  • Consider scaling the reps as needed. 

• Muscle Ups: I would not recommend any pregnant athlete to do muscle-ups past the middle of the 2nd trimester. The associated risks are not worth it IMO.

  • Modifications: You could pair one of the “pulling” movements with a “pressing” movement to mimic more of the MU. Your choice.

    • Leg/toe assisted pull-ups

    • Seated MU transitions: Rings on bands- hang rings from rig with bands, athlete sits on ground and goes through the “pull”, “transition” & “dip”. Could also do this with a PVC pipe & band.

    • Seated or standing straight arm pull-downs (lat). With band alone or band & PVC.

    • Box dips

    • Seated or standing tricep extension with band.

  • I don’t think the position that many MU transitions put the body in are a “reward” at this point.

  • Focus on exhaling throughout the movement.

• Double Unders: I do not recommend that pregnant athletes jump rope beyond the 2nd trimester- I personally don’t feel the risk is worth the reward. Generally I recommend to my clients that we sub out jumping rope for something else around midway through the 2nd trimester.

  • Optional movements would be other monostructural movements (bike, row, etc.).

    • Perform the movement for an amount of time that is consistent with how long it would take to perform the DU - 45/35/30 seconds.

• Thrusters: Focusing on breath is important here, exhale with coming out of the bottom of the squat, inhale back down.

  • Squat to a depth that is comfortable to you. Use a bench or box if necessary.

  • Use a weight that is not super heavy - the goal is to keep moving! Consider staying at the same weight for the duration of the workout.

  • Watch your alignment with going overhead. Have a coach or friend take a look at you- are you coning? How does it feel going overhead- sometimes going overhead also pulls on the belly.

  • If going overhead is not comfortable, scale to front squats. If you have access to a landmine, you could do landmine thrusters as well.

  • Consider scaling the reps as needed.

Postpartum Athletes

Focus on moving at a consistent pace. Don’t get hung up on the weights or the movements, scale it appropriately & just move! You may want to consider scaling the reps to 21-15-9 instead to keep moving.

• Pull-Ups/Chest to Bar Pull-Ups: I do not recommend chest to bar pull-ups until chin over bar pull-ups are solid.  I’m also personally a big fan of strict before kipping.   

  • Some scaling options:

    • Chin over bar pull-ups- if you can do them without coning. Try to pull yourself as high as possible around the bar.

    • Jumping chest to bar pull-ups.

    • Strict pull-ups with a band- could also make these chest to bar.

    • Banded kipping pull-ups - chin over bar or chest to bar.

    • Leg/toe assisted pull-ups.

    • Banded pull downs with or without a PVC

    • If you see coning occurring - can you change it and make it go away? If yes, great, continue! If it’s hard to control the coning it’s a good idea to modify in the early postpartum period. Coning isn’t necessarily bad.

  • Inhale on the pull, exhale down.

  • Consider scaling the reps as needed. 

  • Focus on staying in hollow position during pull-ups.

• Muscle Ups: Postpartum athletes, I would not recommend attempting a MU until pull-ups & CTB pull-ups are solid, with no symptoms.

  • Modifications: You could pair one of the “pulling” movements with a “pressing” movement to mimic more of the MU. Your choice.

    • Whatever pull-up movement you can perform with no symptoms (ring rows, chin over bar, chest to bar, etc).

    • Seated MU transitions: Rings on bands- hang rings from rig        with bands, athlete sits on ground and goes through the “pull”,        “transition” & “dip”. Could also do this with a PVC pipe & band.

    • Seated or standing straight arm pull-downs (lat). With band alone or band & PVC.

    • Box dips

    • Seated or standing tricep extension with band.

    • Traditional MU transitions - as long as there are no symptoms.

  • Focus on exhaling throughout the movement.

• Double Unders: I do not recommend that early postpartum athletes jump rope, because the pelvic floor is still recovering & likely weak. I recommend getting cleared by a pelvic floor physical therapist first, then begin with plate hops/line hops, single singles, and slowly build from there.

  • Remember, no symptoms!

  • Rather than go for reps, I would recommend the athlete perform the movement for a certain period of time, in this workout I would say 45/35/30 seconds.

  • If jumping rope causes any leaking or symptoms, I would recommend modifying to other monostructural movements (bike, row, etc.) for 45/35/30 seconds.

    • You could also do a mix, if you’re starting to introduce the jump rope, do that for 10-15 seconds, then the remainder of the time on the bike/rower, etc.

• Thrusters: Focusing on breath is important here, exhale with coming out of the bottom of the squat, inhale back down.

  • Squat to a depth that is comfortable to you. Use a bench or box if necessary.

  • Use a weight that is not super heavy- I’d coach my clients to stay at a moderate weight for the workout, considering either staying the same weight or very small increases in weight.

  • Watch your alignment with going overhead. Have a coach or friend take a look at you- are you coning? How does it feel going overhead- sometimes going overhead also pulls on the belly.

  • If going overhead is not comfortable, scale to front squats or landmine thrusters.

  • Consider scaling the reps as needed.

Coaches - 

When considering scaling an athlete, try to keep in the mind what functional movement is being performed. Is it a variation of the squat, hinge, pull, push, etc.? Try to maintain the integrity of the functional movement, while modifying it a level that is appropriate for your individual athletes. If you would like to learn more about coaching pregnant and postpartum athletes, please look into Brianna Battles' coaching courses here. For questions regarding scaling/modifications for the injured athlete, please feel free to contact me and/or work directly with the athlete's healthcare provider.

***All pregnant and postpartum women should have their physician's approval to workout. If you don't, please do not workout. If you have any physician restrictions, to ignore them is placing you and your baby's health in jeopardy.

***I recommend all postpartum women get assessed by a pelvic floor physical therapist. Find one by you here. I also highly recommend finding a Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism coach by you to go over strategy with specific exercises, programming and recommendations. Find one here.

***At any sight of coning with any movement, stop. Stop if you begin experiencing "leaking", sensation of something "falling out" and/or anything that doesn't feel right. Take more breaks as needed, if it's due to fatigue. Focus on your breathing and movement strategy. If you continue to have symptoms, scale the movement more or stop the workout. If you haven't consulted with a healthcare provider and/or postpartum fitness specialist regarding your symptoms, please do.

If you have specific questions regarding this post, please comment below or contact via social media or email. I'm happy to help- but remember my advice is not accompanied with a hands-on assessment, which is the best way to make recommendations. If you are interested in meeting with me, please contact me. If you're interested in finding an appropriate healthcare provider/coach, please contact me and I will do my best to help you find one.