The CrossFit Games season officially begins today with the announcement of 19.1 – the first workout of 5 for the CrossFit Open. Who is this blog for? You are in the right place if you are pregnant, postpartum, have any pelvic floor considerations (leaking urine at anytime including jumping and lifting, diastasis recti which is a separation of the abdominal muscles, pelvic organ prolapse), or if you are a coach.
Some background on me if it’s your first time here! Hi! My name is Kerri Grace. I am a Level 2 CrossFit Coach, Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach, Certified Pre-Postnatal Coach, and Level 1 USAW Coach. I have focused my coaching on the pregnant and postpartum populations after my own experience feeling lost and confused during pregnancy and postpartum, and through diastasis recti and an umbilical hernia. If you’d like to read more about my story you can do so here and here <3
Onto the workout! 19.1 has been announced and here is what’s on the whiteboard:
15-minute AMRAP
19 Wall Ball Shots (20/14)
19 Calories on the Rower
Notes on mindset and overall considerations. 15 minutes is a LONG time to spend going between only two movements, two metabolically challenging movements at that. Pace is going to be key! Start out at a very reasonable pace, you don’t want to start out too fast and burn out quickly. Try to stick to a pace that you can easily maintain for the 15 minutes.
This brings me to breathing strategy. Breathing through the movements is going to be very important. Try to exhale on the exertion or the difficult part of the movement. For this workout, that would mean exhaling on the squat in the wall ball, and inhaling as the ball is in the air/as you catch. For rowing, exhale on drive back and pull, inhale on the way back in.
Pregnant Athletes:
I would recommend a very reasonable pace throughout this workout, especially if you are in your second or third trimester. You should be working at a pace at which you can still talk through. If you can’t get out a sentence, you’re working too hard.
Wall Balls – Depending on how far along you are, and how much you are showing, you may want to consider not using a med ball. This is a risk vs. reward issue. There is a chance the ball could slip or fall onto
The wall ball is broken down into three parts: the squat, the press, and the weight.
The squat – If you are experiencing any symptoms of pain or leaking in the squat, modify the depth and consider squatting to a box.
The press – If you are finding that the press is either too taxing, winding you too much, or causing pain, consider taking the press out of it and only do the squat.
Weight – Choose a weight that you are extremely comfortable moving for large sets. This is not the workout to do Rx if you are only able to do sets of 10 or less at that weight. This is not to say you can’t break the reps down into sets, just that you should be capable of large sets at the weight that you choose.
Rowing – The consideration with rowing is making sure that you are not coning during the row. If you do not know what coning is, or want to learn more about it, check out my previous post on all things coning.
The thing with coning, especially while you are working out, is that it can be very hard to notice when you are doing it. Explain to your judge or a friend what to look for and to let you know if it is happening. A couple of ways to avid coning while rowing is 1) not leaning as far back in the pull and 2) making sure that you are exhaling on the way back and inhaling on the way back in.
Postpartum Athletes:
Important considerations for my postpartum athletes is going to be monitoring symptoms. Do you have diastasis recti, prolapse, incontinence? If you experience any pain (pelvic pain, c-section scar pain, abdominal pain, or any other pain) stop. If you start leaking or feeling like something is falling out, stop. Take the time to reconsider the movement so that you can do so symptom-free. If the symptoms persist, I recommend stopping the workout.
As I mentioned above breathing through the movements is going to be very important. Try to exhale on the exertion or the difficult part of the movement. For this workout, that would mean exhaling on the squat in the wall ball, and inhaling as the ball is in the air/as you catch. For rowing, exhale on the drive back and pull, inhale on the way back in.
Wall balls – The wall ball is broken down into three parts: the squat, the press, and the weight.
The squat – If you are experiencing any symptoms of pain or leaking in the squat, modify the depth and/or consider squatting to a box.
The press – If you are finding that the press is causing pain, consider taking the press out of it and only do the squat.
Weight – Choose a weight that you are extremely comfortable moving for large sets. This is not the workout to do Rx if you are only able to do sets of 10 or less at that weight. This is not to say you can’t break the reps down into sets, just that you should be capable of large sets at the weight that you choose.
Rowing – The consideration with rowing is making sure that you are not coning during the row. If you do not know what coning is, or want to learn more about it, check out my previous post on all things coning.
The thing with coning, especially while you are working out, is that it can be very hard to notice when you are doing it. Explain to your judge or a friend what to look for and to let you know if it is happening. A couple of ways to avid coning while rowing is 1) not leaning as far back in the pull and 2) making sure that you are exhaling on the way back and inhaling on the way back in.
Good luck everyone, I would love to hear how you do in the comments!
[Please do not participate in the work out if you do not have clearance from your Doctor, and follow any restrictions they may have in place for you]
I hope this helps! Comment your questions below or contact me directly. I will do my best to help you, but please keep in mind that an in-person assessment is the best way to give recommendations. If you are interested in meeting in person, please contact me. You can reach me on Facebook, Instagram, or email me at kerri@gracefitnessandnutrition.com. I am here to do my best for you.
I am available to work with you in person in Rhode Island and parts of Massachusetts, and also can work with you remotely online. For more information about me and how I can help you through this chapter, please schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation here, contact me directly at kerri@gracefitnessandnutrition or visit Grace Fitness and Nutrition.]]
Stay strong, stay beautiful!
Coach Kerri
www.gracefitnessandnutrition.com
kerri@gracefitnessandnutrition.com
401-680-0330
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