CrossFit Open 23.3
Whew buddy. 23.3 is quite the workout. Making it outside of 9 minutes will be impressive I think, lots of upper body strength is needed for this workout.
I’m going to bold this next part because it’s very important. IT IS NOT NORMAL TO PEE OR LEAK DURING JUMP ROPING OR ANY ACTIVITY FOR THAT MATTER! IT IS COMMON, BUT THIS MEANS THERE IS DYSFUNCTION OF THE PELVIC FLOOR!!!!! Ok, please read that again. If you do experience leaking with any activity, please go see a pelvic floor physical therapist- it doesn’t have to be that way!!!
Symptoms for injured athletes: Pain, numbness, tingling, etc.
Symptoms for pregnant and postpartum athletes: Coning, leaking, pain, pelvic discomfort, pressure (in stomach/belly, pelvis or “down there”).
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:
Wall Walks: Perform the scaled version or consider doing bear crawl.
Incline march : Hands elevated on a higher surface, alternating bringing knees up to chest.
Box: Feet/knees on box, starting out in plank position, walk back as far as you can without increasing symptoms or until vertical.
DU: Hopefully not much of an issue, remember to keep your shoulders relaxed! If painful, modify to another monostructural movement for about 45 seconds.
Snatches: Going overhead into a snatch may or may not be painful for you. With the increasing weights each round, it gets heavy, especially outside of the first 6 minutes. Consider the following if the snatch is painful:
Scale the weight.
Scale to DB snatch, using different weights as need and/or use the non-injured side only.
If going overhead is painful, consider scaling to power cleans & consider a slightly heavier weight.
HSPU:
Consider scaling to HRPU- when I’ve had shoulder problems, I’ve personally found these to be more tolerant than regular push ups.
Keeping an engaged core will help stabilize in this position.
Another option for modifications would be dumbbell press/push press as a modification.
Leg/Hip/Knee/Ankle Injury:
Wall Walks: Depending on your upper body strength may want to scale.
Bear crawl
Incline march: Hands elevated on a higher surface, alternating bringing knees up to chest.
Box: Feet/knees on box, starting out in plank position, walk back as far as you can without increasing symptoms or until vertical.
DU:
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 seconds.
Snatch: Weights are going to be getting heavy, especially once you get past the first 6 mintues. Consider the following if the snatch is painful:
Scale the weight.
Scale to a hang if it’s painful to pull from the floor or pull from blocks.
Scale to seated alternating DB snatch if unable to do much with your lower body.
HSPU: No real concerns here- just be careful kicking up & coming back down.
Back Injury:
Wall Walks: This is a tough one on the core- be sure to try to maintain core tension during the movement.
Avoid overextending during the movement (think more hollow position).
Bear crawl (
Incline march: Hands elevated on a higher surface, alternating bringing knees up to chest.
Box: Feet/knees on box, starting out in plank position, walk back as far as you can without increasing symptoms or until vertical.
DU: Hopefully not much of an issue, remember to keep your shoulders relaxed & jumping smooth! If painful, modify to another monostructural movement for 45 seconds.
Snatch: Definitely make sure you’re lifting with good technique, keep hinging & don’t just bend over. The weights are getting heavy, especially outside of the first 6 minutes. Consider the following if snatches are painful:
Go for quick singles, so you’re not having to bring the bar back down each time.
Scale the weight.
Scale to hang snatch if pulling from the floor is problematic, use blocks if needed.
Scale to DB snatch (can do from the hang as well).
HSPU: Be mindful of your posture/positioning in the bottom & top positions of the movement here. Avoid excessive arching at the top (keep those abs engaged!).
Pregnant Athletes
For 23.3, I’d suggest choosing movement options that allow you to move through the first 6 minutes and get to at least the next set of work. Don’t get hung up on the movements, scale it appropriately (mid-WOD if needed) and just move! Remember, this is just one chapter of your pregnancy 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.
Wall Walks: Once past the first trimester, I would recommend considering scaling this movement. As your bump starts to pop, it changes your center of gravity, which can make going upside a bit weird/risky. IMO it’s not worth the risk of falling.
Consider some of the following options- it may depend on how big your bump is!
Don’t hold your breath!
Bear crawl
Incline march: Hands elevated on a higher surface, alternating bringing knees up to chest. You could use a band for resistance.
Plank walk: Start in a plank position, with feet touching wall. Step one foot up onto wall & then bring the other up. Then bring one foot down, then the other.
This one will depend on how well you can manage core tension in this position. You can watch by putting your phone underneath you and either video or just watch the camera.
DU: I do not recommend that pregnant athletes jump rope, because I personally don’t feel the risk is worth the reward. However that is my personal opinion.
Jumping causes increased pressure on pelvic floor muscles, as does pregnancy. Put them together and it’s basically doubling your chances of leaking.
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 - roughly 45 seconds.
Snatches: These weights are going to get heavy quickly, especially outside of the first 6 minutes. Consider modifying the weights, so you’re not tempted to hold your breath (and increase intra-abdominal pressure!).
Choose appropriate weights that cause no symptoms.
Exhale on pull and during the catch.
I also recommend athletes who are further along consider going from the high hang position, to avoid contact with the belly.
If the athlete is uncomfortable using a barbell or has bumped their “bump”, scale to dumbbells instead. In this scenario, I would have the athlete do alternating DB snatches.
If the weight feels heavy enough that you want to put a belt on, let’s pick another weight.
HSPU: Risk vs reward.
I personally would not recommend HSPU beyond the 1st trimester, too many risks IMO.
There's a lot of risk with kicking up into the handstand, performing the movement and coming down.
With the strength this the movement requires, being strict, there is a good chance there could be coning.
The movement itself may feel ok, but coming down one leg at a time may be painful- common with the changes the pelvis is undergoing.
Being pregnant changes our weight distribution.
Scaling options:
Dumbbell strict press
Barbell strict press
Push up (wall, incline, floor)
Exhale as your press!
HRPU might not be comfortable, nor would I recommend once the belly really starts to show. Consider one of the modifications listed above or a dumbbell floor press (basically a bench press with dumbbells on the floor or bench).
Postpartum Athletes
For 23.3, I’d suggest choosing movement options that allow you to move through the first 6 minutes and get to at least the next set of work. Don’t get hung up on the movements, scale it appropriately (mid-WOD if needed) and just move! Remember, 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!
Wall Walks: The scaling options are ordered in what I would recommend for early postpartum (6 weeks & on- you should be cleared by your OB first & ideally a pelvic floor physical therapist as well), progressing as the athlete is further into the postpartum period and asymptomatic!
Don’t hold your breath!
Incline march: Hands elevated on a higher surface, alternating bringing knees up to chest
Bear crawl
Plank walk: Start in a plank position, with feet touching wall. Step one foot up onto wall & then bring the other up. Then bring one foot down, then the other.
This one will depend on how well you can manage core tension in this position. You can watch by putting your phone underneath you and either video or just watch the camera.
Modified wall walk: Walk up as high as you can maintain core tension/tight midline, then return to start position.
DU: I do not recommend that early postpartum athletes jump rope, because the pelvic floor is still recovering & likely weak. However that is my personal opinion.
I recommend getting cleared by a pelvic floor physical therapist first, then begin with 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 .
If jumping rope causes any leaking or symptoms, I would recommend modifying to other monostructural movements (bike, row, etc.) for 45 seconds.
Perform the movement for an amount of time that is consistent with how long it would take to perform the DU- 45 seconds.
Snatch: These weights are going to get heavy quickly, especially outside of the first 6 minutes. Consider modifying the weights, depending on where you’re at in your postpartum journey.
Choose appropriate weights that cause no symptoms.
Exhale on pull and during the catch.
If the athlete has symptoms going overhead, consider modifying to a clean.
This workout already contains DU which are notorious for causing pelvic floor symptoms. This may lead to your pelvic floor being more fatigued once you get to the heavier barbell. Keep that in mind with the weights you choose.
I personally like to see athletes build their foundation back up postpartum:
Learning to brace without holding their breath + no symptoms
Bracing with holding breath + no symptoms
Bracing with holding breath while wearing belt + no symptoms
HSPU: Risk vs reward. Strict HSPU require a lot of upper body and core strength. If attempting HSPU, I would recommend to break these into small sets - once they’re gone, they usually don’t come back easily.
Scaling options:
HRPU
DB floor press
HSPU off box/bar
Barbell Strict Press
Dumbbell strict press (seated or standing)
Push Up (Wall, incline, floor)
Postpartum athletes may want to scale the number of reps if going up on the wall.
Can you go upside down without coning? Ask your coach to watch you!
Focus on keeping good alignment with whatever position: head over shoulders, shoulders over ribs, ribs over pelvis.
Exhale with the push, inhale down.
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.