CrossFit Open 23.1
It’s that time of year…CrossFit Open time! It’s always exciting to see people achieve PRs, first pull-ups, toes to bar or muscle ups. Our gym runs an intramural Open which breeds some friendly competition as well!
I love this workout - I did it in 2014 and will probably do some sort of modified version this weekend (3 months postpartum here!). Chipper style workouts are my personal favorite. The key to them is pacing, which is one of my areas of strength. Good luck on 23.1!
These are my recommendations as a physical therapist specializing in CrossFitters and pelvic floor, as well as a CrossFit Level 2 trainer. Interested in working with me? I provide in-person sessions as well as virtual. Contact us to learn more!
Injured Athletes
As a physical therapist, my professional recommendation is if something hurts, don’t do it.
Shoulder/Arm Injury:
Row: If rowing is bothersome, focus on pushing more with your legs. Or pick another cardio machine (bike).
Toes to Bar:
Consider minimizing the amount of kipping.
Scale to hanging knee raises.
If hanging from the bar is painful, consider modifying to sit ups or supine leg raises.
Wallballs: Wallballs may or may not be an issue.
Scale the weight.
Wallball squats with a slightly heavier ball.
Power Cleans: Consider modifying the weight as needed.
Muscle Ups: If kipping/hanging from the rings 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.
Leg/Hip/Knee/Ankle Injury:
Row: Use more upper body with rowing if it is painful and/or limit the amount of knee and hip flexion on the return.
Toes to Bar: These shouldn’t be much of an issue- however if you do have pain, modify the range as needed (knees to chest/hanging leg raises, etc).
Wallballs: If you cannot squat without pain, I recommend you modify the workout, and perform the wallballs to a depth that is pain-free.
Scale the weight.
Other options may include air squats, bike or lunges, and then add a set of presses afterwards.
If weight-bearing is an issue, consider scaling the wallballs to the bike to maintain the cardio demand. I would recommend going for a certain amount of time per set, based on the amount of time it would take to complete that number of wallballs.
Power Cleans: Decrease the weight.
Muscle Ups: If you have the strength these shouldn’t be much of an issue, just be careful with jumping up/down from the rings.
Back Injury:
Row: Be careful not to overextend while rowing if that's something that bothers you- instead try to get good pushes with your legs and pull with your arms.
Toes to Bar: Consider minimizing the amount of kipping- especially if the arch position bothers you.
Scale to hanging knee raises.
Wallballs: Scale the weight down and/or the movement to a pain-free range if necessary (can use another wallball or box as a target).
Focus on form, proper bracing and breathing through the movement.
Power Cleans: Try to engage your core- use a belt IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE PROPERLY (biofeedback).
Decrease weight as needed.
Pull from blocks/elevated surface.
Perform in singles.
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.
Pregnant Athletes
Focus on moving at a consistent pace through 23.1 - no need to go balls to the wall! Don’t get hung up on the weights or the movements, scale it appropriately & just move! For 23.1, now’s not the time to be trying to be doing muscle ups in your third trimester, but risk vs. reward when it comes to your abs & vag!
Coning: 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. Coning isn’t necessarily bad.
Row: Have a coach or friend watch you for coning on the pull with the rower. The bike is usually a safe alternative.
The thing with coning is that you may not feel it- I never did. So you may need to watch for it. Have a coach or friend watch your belly!
If rowing, exhale on the pull.
Choose a speed that can be performed with no symptoms.
Consider decreasing the amount of calories.
Toes to Bar: I would not recommend pregnant athletes perform T2B past the first trimester. This is my personal opinion- I don’t feel the risk is worth the reward. Lots of options here though!
Leg Supported Single Leg Raises: If you don’t have a baby bar, you can put a bar up on a squat station, or a box under the pull-up bar! Great for getting some lat engagement with hip flexors, but leg supported = less demand on your core!
Marching Lat Pull Downs: Great for 3rd trimester!
Marching S/A Front Rack Hold: Also great for 3rd trimester, just make sure you switch which side the weight is on halfway!
Eccentric Sit Ups: I used these to keep training that motion throughout my 3rd pregnancy. You can easily adjust how close you are to the wall if you start to notice some coning.
You can also try banded sit ups - hook a band to an upright & use it to help pull you up/forward in the sit up. This one is good for 2nd trimester.
Focus on breathing strategy- make sure there is no coning!
Wallballs: Choose a weight you can perform with no symptoms and good alignment.
Modify the depth of the squat if necessary to eliminate/decrease symptoms &/or if the belly does not allow for a full range squat.
Scale to squats if going overhead causes symptoms.
Exhale up (throw), inhale down (catch).
Consider decreasing the amount of reps, especially if you’re not signed up for the workouts. Find a set of reps that you can perform unbroken with no symptoms.
Power Cleans: Choose weights that are manageable to do reps of - I wouldn’t recommend doing singles here unless it’s because of your grip!
Depending on the size of your bump, consider modifying to a high hang power clean or DBs.
Obviously you don’t want to hit the bump, but also you don’t want to get in the habit of a new barbell path around a bump & then having to break that habit/retrain it in postpartum!
I would not recommend doing weights that make you feel the need to hold your breath/brace.
Exhale on the pull & catch. Inhale back down.
Muscle Ups: I would not recommend any pregnant athlete to do muscle-ups past the 1st trimester. The associated risks are not worth it IMO. You could pair a “pulling” movement with a “pressing” movement to mimic more of the MU. Your choice.
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.
Seated Banded Ring MU: Great to work the transition piece and can still get some resistance with the band.
Ring Thing Assisted MU: I wouldn’t recommend once you’re starting to get a belly - not going to feel good!
Other options: Ring rows, seated pull downs, box dips, banded tricep extensions.
Postpartum Athletes
Focus on moving at a consistent pace through 23.1 - no need to go balls to the wall! Don’t get hung up on the weights or the movements, scale it appropriately & just move! Depending on where you’re at postpartum, there’s some advanced gymnastic movements that may be too demanding for your abs & vag right now. It’s ok, this is just one chapter of your postpartum journey!
Coning: 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. Coning isn’t necessarily bad.
Pelvic Floor: If you haven’t been to see a pelvic floor physical therapist yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you have no symptoms, they can be valuable on guiding you on your return to fitness!
Row: Have a coach or friend watch you for coning on the pull with the rower. The bike is usually a safe alternative.
The thing with coning is that you may not feel it- I never did. So you may need to watch for it. Have a coach or friend watch your belly!
If rowing, exhale on the pull.
Choose a speed that can be performed with no symptoms.
Consider decreasing the amount of calories.
Toes to Bar: Postpartum athletes should be able to hang, arch/hollow swing without coning.
If you can hang from the bar without coning, I would do the most appropriate variation of toes to bar for your current postpartum body: Alternating knee raises > Knee raises > Leg raises > Toes to bar
Small sets if you’re working on the bar.
Similar options as pregnancy if hanging from the bar is hard to manage pressure:
Marching Lat Pull Downs: Great for early postpartum!
Marching S/A Front Rack Hold: Make sure you switch which side the weight is on halfway!
Eccentric Sit Ups: Another good one for early postpartum!
Banded sit ups
Wallballs: Choose a weight you can perform with no symptoms and good alignment.
Modify the depth of the squat if necessary to eliminate/decrease symptoms &/or if the belly does not allow for a full range squat.
Scale to squats if going overhead causes symptoms.
Exhale up (throw), inhale down (catch).
Consider decreasing the amount of reps, especially if you’re not signed up for the workouts. Find a set of reps that you can perform unbroken with no symptoms.
Power Cleans: You can choose to test the waters out here - it’s going to be towards the end of the workout, so you may or may not make it to the power cleans. Singles are definitely ok - focus on quality!
Before choosing a heavy weight that makes you want to hold your breath and/or wear your belt, how’s your pelvic floor? Any leaking? Have you done the foundational work to rebuild pelvic floor & core strength and endurance, progressing up to breath holding and/or belt?
Exhale through the pull & catch. Inhale back down.
Muscle Ups: Before attempting MU, I would certainly hope you’ve been playing around with pull-ups & chest to bar pull-ups. Having a solid foundation is important, however if you make it to the MU, probably not much time left (unless you’re not a mere mortal like the rest of us!), so you could give it a go if you have the strength in your upper body & core.
Seated Banded Ring MU: Great for early postpartum.
Ring Thing Assisted MU: Good if you’re getting close strength-wise!
No MU yet? I’d recommend scaling to whatever pulling movement is most appropriate for your body at this time. You can always add in a press piece as well if you want.
Press options: Box Dips, assisted dips, banded tricep extensions
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.