Fitness: Clean Deadlift to Knee + Knee Power Clean + Front Squat (or Full Clean)
Work up to a heavy weight on the complex and perform 3-5 reps there. 

Performance: Clean 5 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

Post loads to comments.
e2/6
_____________________ 

Every Minute on the Minute for 16 Minutes:
Even: 12 Wall Balls 20/14, 14/9
Odd: 20, 30, or 40 Double Unders

Post Rx and how it went to comments.

Bree with complete hip and knee extension at the top of her kettlebell swing. At this point in the swing, the kettlebell should feel “weightless,” as if it would float up if you let go of the handle. If this isn’t happening for you, ask a coach how to fix it!

News and Notes

• Happy birthday, Murat A.!
• Membership Policies: Please remember that your weekly class tally STARTS on Monday, so plan your schedule accordingly. So, if for instance you are on a 3x/week membership, you can’t come Monday/Wednesday/Friday and then attend Open Gym on Sunday night as part of the upcoming week. You would have to pay a drop-in fee for the additional class. Classes missed the previous week can be banked, but you cannot use up your weekly classes in advance of the designated week. Please review our Membership Policies for more information.

_____________________ 
The Placebo Effect Doesn’t Apply Just to Pills New York Times
Get Cozy Down There Catalyst Athletics
The Take a Nap Wheel
The 1970s Pamphlet Aimed At Keeping Tourists Out Of NYC Gothamist 

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to last week.

Performance: 5/3/1 3 week
70% x 3
80% x 3
90% x 3+

Percentages are based off your TRAINING MAX (90% of a recent 1RM). Aim to hit 6 plus on the rep out, but save 2 reps in the tank. 

Post loads to comments.
e2/6
_____________________ 

Fitness
10 Rounds for Time:
3 Deadlifts 225/155
3 Dumbbell Hang Cleans + Push Presses (Rx 45%xBW) 

Performance
5 Rounds for Time:
5 Power Snatches 135/95
3 Muscle Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Michael A. getting up on the box. Fight Gone Bad is 10 days away! Are you ready?

News and Notes

• The gym will be closed this weekend after the noon class on Friday, reopening Monday morning. Check out all the alternative offerings we’re hosting in the Events column to the right!
• Congrats again to all our FGB fundraisers! As of 11:46pm last night, we were 39% closer to our goal. How fast can we get to 50%?? (Also, team Wodtoberfest is back in first and Erik B. is holding onto his lead!)

Own the Weight: Moving Beyond PR-Dominated Thought

By Noah Abbott

A world-record mile. A half court shot to win a million bucks. A hit single that rules the airwaves for a month or two. Society has become more and more obsessed with the rare and extraordinary, celebrating and venerating the “once-in-a-lifetime” moment over the slow and steady grind of dogged hard work and incremental progress. Seen through this lens, greatness becomes a montage of single-frame snapshots instead of long form cinema verite. 

CrossFitters are not immune to this type of thinking. We celebrate PR’ed lifts and WODs, then cling to the numbers as though they are immutable testaments to our continued performance. This partially attributable to CrossFit’s complicated balance between training and sport.Singular numbers matter during competition, as they may be the difference between a win and a loss. They matter psychologically, as the tangible and obvious payoff from long hours of toil and sacrifice. However, confusing PRs with overall fitness, or becoming too reliant or attached to them, is folly. Consider this statement:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
—Aristotle

Aristotle was the philosopher’s equivalent of a CrossFit athlete, writing authoritatively on physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, and government. His generalist approach is echoed in that statement: true excellence is the sum total of constantly and consistently repeated action, not a one-time outlier. 

Let this inform your training and factor it into how you plan lifts and cycles and approach workouts. While a big snatch PR is certainly cause for celebration (doubly so and especially during competition) it is not the most important or descriptive indicator of your lifting prowess or overall fitness. What can you snatch reliably, every time? What can you snatch when you’re tired, sore, or haven’t eaten enough? What can you snatch after a 400m run, or before jumping on the bar for a set of pull-ups? What number would you guarantee you can snatch with your life savings on the line?

This thinking applies to Benchmark WODs as well. I know I’m personally guilty of clinging to certain WOD PRs that I haven’t retested in over a year, even bragging (or worse,humblebragging) about them a bit. While this behavior is somewhat natural and human, it also kind of sucks. What good is my “Fran” time from a year ago, under perfect conditions, with a friend supplying motivation and helping me stick to a strategy? Shouldn’t I be as proud of a “Fran” done 30 seconds slower, alone, with no music? 

I submit that we should focus less on our PRs, and more on numbers we “own.” To operationally define “own,” I mean a weight, time, or score that we can hit 9 times out of 10. I know a CFSBK member who has recorded the exact same “Annie” time three times in a row (and it’s a good one!). He can confidently say that he owns his “Annie” time. Likewise, if you’ve squatted your PR multiple times over a fairly broad time spectrum, you own that weight. Let’s focus on what we consistently own, not what we grasp for a fleeting moment. This is especially important when we use 1RM numbers as the basis for planning a cycle of lifts—don’t use your squat 1RM from when you were a college linebacker if you’re currently a 45-year-old computer programmer. 

This type of thinking is psychologically helpful in two ways. First, it is directly relatable to the way we should be training—valuing steady, long-term, and (relatively) permanent progress over quickly achieved and discarded goals. Second, it allows us to simultaneously take it easy on ourselves (for not always PRing) AND understand that consistency in training is the goal. 

Recently I did a training cycle on my own that had one day each week labeled “SNATCH/CLEAN AND JERK 1RM.” While initially exciting, I quickly began to dread 1RM day, feeling that any day I didn’t PR was a disappointment and indicative that my training wasn’t working. I was explaining this feeling to a veteran Olympic lifter, who told me to take it easy on myself.  “As long as you can consistently hit 90% of your 1RM, you’re fine,” he said. I did the math, and realized my 90% number was eminently achievable. In fact, I owned it. I’d hit it a million times. The rest of the cycle went smoothly—I didn’t PR, and didn’t care, because I got better overall. (The Olympic lifter recently qualified for the American Open, so it seems like it’s working for him too.) 

In sum, try and recommit to enjoying not only the successes and bright moments during your training career, but the training itself. Savor the small sacrifices, the little breakthroughs, and the slow build towards mastery and consistency. PRs are the zenith of a pyramid, built on the wide and strong base of training data that is consistent (and trending upward) over time and circumstance. 

Go forth and own it.

_____________________ 
The Benefits to Foam Rolling CrossFit Invictus
Why You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice Slate
IT band cont | Feat. Kelly Starrett MobilityWOD
Your CrossFit Friends CollegeHumor

CFSBK Pilates Maven KH shows perfect extension at the top of her deadlift. Note the vertical line between her ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. Check out her Pilates class tonight at 7:30pm!

News and Notes 

• HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, NOAH!
• Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Update: CONGRATS! You guys solidly hit $15,000 yesterday, which means Brooklyn Community Foundation will begin matching any and all donations. Congrats to team Wall Ball Me, Maybe who pulled into first, and to Erik B. who continues to crush it on the individual side (though Peter M. is hot on his tail…). FGB IS 11 DAYS AWAY. Keep it up!
• Schedule Changes: Remember the GYM WILL BE CLOSED from Friday evening through Sunday evening this weekend. Below are a few more options to add to the roster of fun things you can do instead…

Coach Noah’s Kipping Pull-up Workshop on Saturday and Sunday

Coach Noah’s Kipping Pull-up Workshop is back with a vengeance and some added wrinkles! This weekend, he will be holding two BEGINNER kipping workshops:

Saturday (10/11) at 11 a.m.
Sunday (10/12) at 11 a.m.
Register here!

This is for folks who have yet to accomplish their first kipping pull-up or need significant work organizing the movement and linking them together. Buy-in for the class is 3 CHIN-UPS for both men and women. By the end of the hour, everyone will have gotten their chin over the bar, will likely have strung a few together, and will definitely have a plan for practice and perfection of their kip. 

Noah will also host two intermediate pull-up workshops: 

Saturday (10/11) at 12 p.m.
Sunday (10/12) at 12 p.m.
Register here! 

This is intended for folks with solid kipping pull-ups who want to refine their technique and learn advanced skills. The class will cover the gymnastics kip and smoothing/optimizing the kip swing, chest-t0-bar pull-ups, and butterfly pull-ups. Buy-in for the class is 10 UNBROKEN KIPPING PULL-UPS. 

Each class will cost $20 and run one hour. Meet in the annex. Email Noah [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have questions about which class to select. If there is significant interest, another class may be added on the same day or the following week.

Endurance Coach Michael O.’s Running Clinic on Saturday

ALSO: The next cycle of CFSBK’s Endurance Program with Coach Mike begins on October 20. Check out the event page for more info. 

____________________
A 75-Year Old CrossFitter vs. Ezekiel Emanuel The Russells
Research Provides New Insights Into Preventing Shoulder Impingement Breaking Muscle
Everything Dies, Right? But Does Everything Have To Die? Here’s A Surprise Radiolab
Thug Kitchen Cookbook Trailer

Fitness: Push Press 5 x 3 Linear Progression
Start light enough to leave room to go up, about 80% of what you did for a single last week. 

Performance: Rack Jerk 5 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

Post loads to comments.
e2/6
____________________

AMRAP 20 minutes:
400m Run
20 Burpees 

Post rounds to comments.

Dave shows Samir how to use the Crossover Symmetry system.

• There’s a fun new post over on Inside the Affiliate, spotlighting CrossFit Oahu in Hawaii. Learn tons from owner Bryant Powers about how they run their five facilities. At the very least, your eyes will thank you for all their colorful photographs. Or maybe you’ll decide to move to Hawaii.  

Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Update from Brooklyn Community Foundation

Congrats everyone! We’re almost at $13,000—which is 31% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. Erik B. and Peter M. are crushing it! 

The best part? Brooklyn Community Foundation is thrilled to announce that they will match the funds you’re raising! Once overall fundraising hits $15,000, the Board will match contribution dollar-for-dollar. You or your friend puts in $10? Our Board puts in $10, doubling your impact on Brooklyn’s communities. We’re so close! There will be another surprise when we hit $35,000, so KEEP IT UP!!

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise! Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 2pm Sunday 10/5):

Top Five Teams:

1. Wodtoberfest
2. ¿DÓNDE ESTÁN MIS PANTALONES?
3. Swoldiersoffortune
4. Menace to Swolbriety
5. Wall Ball Me, Maybe

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Erik B.
2. Peter M.
3. Scott M.
4. Asta F.
5. Michael A.

Another Brooklyn Boulders Session Added for Next Weekend!

Cruise Director Mare L. was able to get another climbing session for us at Brooklyn Boulders next weekend. The Saturday class is sold out, but there is now a class on Sunday at 4pm.

The session is a special one-hour course that teaches climbing techniques. You’ll use your gymnastics-heavy, explosive-lifting skills on dynamic cave-esque walls like The Beast, and get to connect with the climbing community at BKB! The course has been specially designed for CrossFit South Brooklyners AND discounted (their 30-minute Learn-to-Boulder class is normally $45).

When: Sunday, October 12, 4pm
How Much: $30, includes day pass and gear rental for the day of the class (a $36 value)
Sign up here! 

The class is capped at 10 people, but if you find this 4pm class is sold out, please email Mare at mare [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com. 

____________________
High-Fives, Not High Reps: CrossFit Programs for Preschoolers Focus on Fun New York Times
21 Mouthwatering Taco Recipes You Need To Try Buzzfeed
4 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Honey Huffington Post
51 Paleo Snacks Anyone Can Love Greatist

What kind of pre-class movement prep do you do?

Fitness: 3 x 3 Linear Progression
Start a bit heavier than your heavy 8 from last week, light enough to add weight for the next 6 weeks. 

Performance: 5 – 5 – 5
Work up to a top set of 5 reps. No failing. 

Post loads to comments.
e1/6
_____________________ 

AMRAP 10 minutes:
10 Push Presses 95/65
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 95/65
10 Box Jumps 24/20 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Rob U. pulls 275 during the Deadlift Burpee WOD

News and Notes 

• SCHEDULE CHANGES TODAY: Yoga for Athletes and Active Recovery are canceled.
• Come check out Coach Frankie Murray’s Olympic Lifting crew crush their mock Olympic lifting meet tomorrow at 3pm!

Learn More About the Park Slope Babysitting Coop TOMORROW

CFSBK parents, are you looking for affordable and convenient babysitting? A way to get to to know other CFSBK/Park Slope families? The Park Slope Babysitting Coop—currently headed by CFSBK’s own Coach Nick (president) and Erica N. (secretary)—allows parents to trade babysitting shifts with each other, and is currently recruiting! The fall meeting will be held at CFSBK on October 5th at 3:30pm-5:30pm. If you are interested in joining or just want to learn more, please plan on attending! 

About the Park Slope Babysitting Coop 
The Park Slope Babysitting Coop is a convenient way to trade babysitting time with your neighbors! Babysit others’ children to earn points, and trade those points in when you need a night off. You have complete control over who you sit for and who sits for you. Scheduling and point management are handled though an easy-to-use website.

Best of all, trading babysitting is affordable. Annual coop dues ($10) pay for managing the website, and there are no additional costs for trading babysitting hours.

The Park Slope Babysitting Coop meets quarterly to ensure that all participants have a chance to get to know their potential sitters and children. Attendance at a meeting prior to joining is mandatory. If you are interested in joining, please plan to attend the summer meeting at CFSBK, October 5th, 3:30pm-5:30pm! RSVPing is appreciated, but not required.

Contact Erica N. with any questions and to RSVP: erica.nofi [at] gmail.com

_____________________
Your Paper Brain and Your Kindle Brain Aren’t the Same Thing PRI
Find Your Beach Zadie Smith, for The New York Review of Books

Resident Gymnastics coach Ken H. demonstrating a Back Lever (chest down) and Front Lever (chest up) during his gymnastics class.

Upcoming Scheduling Changes

Saturday 10/4: 11am/12pm Active Recovery CANCELED
Saturday 10/4: 10am Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whit CANCELED
Saturday 10/11: 11am/12pm Active Recovery CANCELED 
Saturday 10/11: 10am Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whit CANCELED 
Sunday 10/12: 11am Active Recovery CANCELED 

The gym will be closed next weekend from Friday evening through Sunday evening. There will be a few options for you to hang with CFSBKers that weekend and stay active, including a running clinic with Endurance Coach Mike O. on Saturday, October 11 (more details soon!) and roller-skating on Sunday, October 12 from 2-4pm. 

Fight Gone Bad Updates

Congrats everyone! We raised $5,000 in three days, putting us at around $10,000—which is 24% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. We posted some great fundraising tips last week, and a sample email template if you haven’t started fundraising yet.

Take a moment to learn more about The Brooklyn Community Foundation and all the great work they’ve done. They support a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs helping people of all ages. No doubt there are several programs they’ve helped that you identify with. Here is a quick list of ALL their grants.

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise! Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 6pm Thursday 10/2):

Top Five Teams:

1. Wodtoberfest
2. ¿DÓNDE ESTÁN MIS PANTALONES?
3. Menace to Swolbriety
4. Swoldiersoffortune
5. Gatto Vattos

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Erik B.
2. Peter M.
3. Scott M.
4. Asta F.
5. Richard G.

_____________________ 
Official Prancercise® Fitness with Passion
The Top 5 Stupidest Fitness Ideas in the History of the Universe Breaking Muscle
How to Avoid Sucking When You Get Older Catalyst Athletics
‘Cattoo’: The Rise of the Cat Tattoo The Atlantic 

Fitness: Clean Deadlift + Hang Power Clean
Work up to a heavy weight on the complex and perform 3-5 reps there. 

Performance: Clean 5 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

Post loads to comments.
e1/6
_____________________ 

Spend 15 minutes working one of the following options:

A) Strict Muscle Ups. Use a manual assist as necessary.

B) Muscle Up Progression:
-5×3 Box Humps (use a false grip, reset after each rep as necessary)
-5×3 Band Assisted Transitions (finish the dip as able)
Perform all reps of one then the other.

C) Upper Body Strength Work
-1a) 5×3 Strict Chin Ups, as difficult as possible
-1b) 5×3 Matador Dips, or Close Grip Push Ups
Alternate between exercise A and B.

Post what you worked on to comments. 

CFSBK Public Service Announcement: Please don’t store your phone or keys on the cinderblock ledge. Though there might be a happy ending if you’re Coach JB and have fishing line, a hook, and a talented significant other…

News and Notes

• ATTENTION FIGHT GONE BAD TEAM CAPTAINS! All team shirts will be ordered on Friday, and you must get your info to Jess by 5pm Thursday. Any team that doesn’t provide this info will all get large t-shirts and the color of her choosing! Also, if your team has not heard from their team captain, contact Jess ASAP. Info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.
• We’re at $8,662 as of 10:30pm last night! Nice job, FGB fundraisers! Special shout-out to Peter M. who pulled in first yesterday and Erik B. who continues to crush it! Team Wodtoberfest is in 1st Place!
• Happy birthday, Emily V.! 

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds 

• Pigeon is selling his iPad Mini retina 64gb, and is asking a great price for it!
• Mrav is selling a road bike!
• Mare has a furnished 1-bedroom condo in Crown Heights available for short-term stays, discounted to $95/night. Fully-equipped kitchen, washer, and dryer in the unit and private terrace, along with access to the shared roof. 

_____________________ 
Photographing the Extreme Transformation of the Meatpacking District Citylab
Swedish Scientists Square Off Over Who Can Sneak In Most Dylan Lyrics NPR
Mattias Adolfsson’s Manically Detailed Sketches and Doodles Colossal
Missing Lifts in Training Catalyst Athletics 

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Start a few pounds lighter than where you ended the previous cycle. 10 pounds off is enough if you were still moving well, up to 20 if you were really grinding through reps. 

Performance: 5/3/1 5 week
65% x 5
75% x 5
85% x 5+
Percentages are based off your TRAINING MAX (90% of a recent 1RM). Aim to hit 10 plus on the rep out, but save 2 reps in the tank. 

Post loads to comments.
e1/6
_____________________ 

Fitness
For Time:
1000m Row
50 Goblet Reverse Lunges 53/35 (25 each, alternating legs)
30 Ring Rows 

Performance
For Time:
800m Row
40 Overhead Squats 115/75
20 Chest to Bar Pull-ups 

Post time and Rx to comments.

It’s CSA bonanza day from 6-8:30pm—meat/fish/veg/eggs! If you want to pick up your goodies before then, please be SURE to leave your name (and what you took) with the Front Desk. Eggs will also be for sale for $6/dozen. Bring small billz!

• ATTENTION FIGHT GONE BAD TEAM CAPTAINS! FGB t-shirt information is due on Thursday (10/2) by 5pm. If you didn’t receive an email from Jess, email Info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com ASAP.

Need Help with Emails for FGB Fundraising?

Guys, we’re at around $5,000—which is only 12% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. We posted some great fundraising tips last week, and below we’ve included a sample email template for you! Make it your own, and then send it off TODAY! 

Take a moment to learn more about The Brooklyn Community Foundation and all the great work they’ve done. They support a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs helping people of all ages. No doubt there are several programs they’ve helped that you identify with. Here is a quick list of ALL their grants.

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise… But who’s ready to knock them off? Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 6pm Tuesday 9/30):

Top Five Teams:

1. ¿DÓNDE ESTÁN MIS PANTALONES?
2. Menace to Swolbriety
3. In WOD We Trust
4. Gatto Vattos
5. Swoldiersoffortune

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Asta F.
2. Scott M.
3. Erik B.
4. Matty C.
5. Kate R.

Sample Fundraising Email for FGB

It’s almost like a Mad Lib. Select, replace, or delete adjectives as you feel led…

Dear/Salutations/Greetings/Hola/Aloha/Beloved [insert name], 

As you probably know, I’m really into CrossFit. It’s helped me/I love it because _______. Every year at my gym, CrossFit South Brooklyn, we have an event called Fight Gone Bad, where we do this crazy/hard/weird/incredible/soul-crushing/soul-enhancing workout (which you can see here). 

What makes the event even more cool/inspiring/sweet/meaningful is that it’s not just a competition for highest reps, but also a competition to raise money for a local organization called Brooklyn Community Foundation. BCF supports a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs in Brooklyn, helping people of all ages. 

So, why am I telling you all of this? Because I need your help! [Insert any crazy story or incentives for hitting certain fundraising markers, i.e., If you donate $XX, I will do X, Y, and/or Z.] Donate here [insert link to your page]! 

I will be sure to let you know how the event goes, and probably send along a sweaty/hot/sexy/revolting photo of myself post-workout.

Sincerely/With love/Gratefully/Be well/Shalom,
[Your name]

AND REMEMBER TO SAY THANK YOU WHEN PEOPLE DONATE! It’s the right thing to do. 

Get motivated, and get weird!

_____________________ 
Whole9′s Budget Guide to the Grocery Store
Before Blindness Sets In, Boy Sees Northern Lights NBC News
The Man Who Made Jogging a Thing The Atlantic
The Thing You Do Everyday That’s Setting You Up For Shoulder Injuries Breaking Muscle

Throwback to TFBA Charlotte, the original CFSBK mom

CrossFitting While Pregnant: An Interview with Four Women and a Coach, Part 3

By Kate Reece

In case you missed it last week, we continued our three-part series about training CrossFit while pregnant. In Part 1, we introduced you to four CFSBK women who became pregnant in the midst of their training, and also spoke with Coach Fox. The women answered our questions about their reaction to finding out they were pregnant and the best kinds of advice they received. Last week in Part 2, we heard from them about whether they continued to CrossFit after becoming pregnant and how that decision affected their experience. We also asked them to share any advice they might have for other women. Coach Fox weighed in with his advice for women who become pregnant and want to continue training. (He also wrote a helpful document called Guidelines for Training While Pregnant at CFSBK, which we wrote about on Inside the Affiliate.)

This week, we’re concluding our series by addressing the postpartum experience of getting back into the gym. 

CFSBK: Talk to us about getting back into the game after giving birth. How did it go for you? Did you have a plan going into it? Did your body interrupt those plans? What advice would you give to other postpartum women? 

Bethany E.: After Alex was born, I waited for my requisite midwife clearance and came back to the gym around six weeks postpartum. I think I did some very gentle mobility-type work at home on my own around four weeks but mostly just kept it to walks while I recovered. At my six-week checkup, my midwife diagnosed me with diastasis recti, but said it’d probably close up on its own, so I just came back to group class. I did a small amount of research and knew not to do sit-ups but other than that, I just hoped it’d heal on its own. 

I think it was about six months postpartum with Alex before I started feeling remotely like myself training-wise again, I remember doing a 215-pound deadlift and feeling like I was coming back. However my core weakness was really still an issue and I knew it and could feel it—I still couldn’t do a hollow-hold, for example, and my squat weights weren’t really going anywhere. I found a fellow mom who’d just completed Pilates training and was looking for students and started doing once-a-week sessions with her, which helped. We did super-modified Pilates and yoga in my home once a week and my diastasis closed around the time Alex turned one. I vowed for any subsequent pregnancies to address any diastasis and core weakness first before hitting the weights hard. Right about the time I was starting to feel strong again, I got pregnant with Oscar.

My postpartum experience with Oscar was very different. Because I’d worked out the entire 39 weeks of my pregnancy, and because it was my second baby, my recovery was much easier. I felt energetic and healthy and also very, very anxious to get back into the gym (hello, crazy post-partum hormones!). I don’t know why I let myself do this, but I came back to group class around three or four weeks postpartum which was too soon. I had diastasis recti again, my entire core was mush, and I had additionally been diagnosed by my midwife with pelvic floor prolapse, which I was slightly in denial about. I started physical therapy and was lucky to get a therapist who does CrossFit and who advised me that it probably wasn’t the best idea to be back. After my own additional research, I realized she was right and decided to back off of CrossFit for a bit and put all my efforts towards dealing with the diastasis and prolapse.

I’ve been doing the MuTu Focus program every day for the past 10 weeks and my diastasis is nearly closed up, which is fantastic. I’ve returned to group classes occasionally when I can modify the movements to be safe for me (no heavy lifting, no heavy kettlebell swings, etc.), and am in general just trying to feel out what works and what doesn’t. Anything that creates too much intra-abdominal pressure is out, which is a lot at CrossFit. I’ve also been going to KH’s Tuesday night Pilates class when I can, and was just careful to modify any movements there that were too advanced for my recovering core or unsafe for diastasis. I’ve been seeing Debbie Parsons [link] once a month to help me with my alignment and breathing. So, on the positive side, even though I’ve been absent from any regular lifting and training at CFSBK, my body at five months post-partum feels healthy and my core feels stronger than it ever did after having Alex.

Advice I would give any postpartum women: first and foremost, the weeks after having a baby should be about healing and restoring your body while enjoying your baby, not about training or “getting back in shape” or losing weight. Be kind to yourself! Your body and internal organs have been rearranged dramatically, you have to give yourself and, specifically, your pelvic floor some time to heal. There is nothing heroic or bad-ass about coming back to group class too soon. Be on the look-out for crazy postpartum hormones that are telling you otherwise. Wait for your medical clearance, make sure you’ve been tested for diastasis and if you have it, work on closing it first before coming back to group class. If your doctor or midwife doesn’t test you, Google it—the test is very simple. If anything feels “off” down there (i.e. leaking, heaviness or bulging feelings), do not chalk it up to “Oh, I just had a baby.” You need to get it get it diagnosed and deal with it first before putting any stress or weight on it. 

I highly recommend the MuTu System Focus program as your first postpartum exercise. You can start it as early as two weeks postpartum. I wish I’d had it after I had Alex! I’d even recommend it to anyone who hasn’t had a baby, but is dealing with leaking during double-unders. Katy Bowman’s “Katy Says” blog is also an amazing resource for alignment, pregnancy, postpartum, and pelvic floor health.

When you do return to the gym, focus on the basics. Start light and work up from there. Even if you did get to work out the entire pregnancy, you’re going to need to re-learn how to do those movements without a huge belly in front. Make sure your whole-body alignment is good before you start putting any weight on your back. 

I will admit though that after both pregnancies, tears were shed after group classes because I was so humbled at how far my body needed to come fitness-wise to even be at the point it was WHILE I was pregnant! Nobody really tells you that the postpartum period is really hard even if you work out right until the end of your pregnancy. Just know you have the whole rest of your life to be the super-fit mom you want to be. Pat yourself on the back for even making it to the gym, and enjoy your “me time” without getting too hung up on numbers and times.

Noor A.: Because my daughter ended up being breach, I had to have a c-section, and so my required recovery time was about six weeks. But through whatever miracle of surgery my ob/gyn did, I felt ready to come back much, much sooner than that. I think I finally did go back to the gym about a week earlier. I could tell that I had lost some abdominal muscles, I could barely jump up on the small box, hollow rocks were looking more like just plain rocks, but after a few weeks things seem to be getting better. Plus, since I was on unpaid leave for about five months, and Samir was on sabbatical, the gym became our main social space. We hung out there for three hours almost each day, taking turns holding our sweet little sleeping princess in the carrier. Oh, the days when she would just sleep like that, it was amazing!

Courtney S.: This was the part that surprised me the most. Since I had such an easy pregnancy, and trained often during it, I really expected to go back into the gym after my six-week medical clearance and be in the same place that I was before I got pregnant. Not the case. I was completely shocked when the empty barbell (which hadn’t felt heavy at 40-weeks pregnant) felt like it weighed 100 pounds and I could barely lift my toes to the bar. I also really had not accounted for the physical and mental toll that sleep deprivation and breast-feeding a newborn would play in my recovery. 

Having these unrealistic expectations was tough, because I pretty much knew after five minutes in the gym that I was going to have a long road back and I hadn’t expected that. After a few disappointing gym sessions, I decided to take some time off from CrossFit and spent the next few months outside of the gym, re-building some endurance by running and walking. After five months, the baby was sleeping better, I felt less mushy, generally had more energy and was finally eager to get back in the swing of CrossFit-type things. Even four months back into CrossFit, however, it is still not easy and I still oftentimes feel myself getting frustrated with the fact that I am not at the point I was pre-pregnancy.  

In the end, I really wish that people would discuss postpartum recovery more. There is tons of information out there on CrossFit while pregnant, but very little about what to expect what the baby is born, how best to get back into the swing of things, how to deal with breast-feeding while exercising, etc. Which leads me to my biggest piece of advice for postpartum women (and something that I would like to remind myself next time around): be patient with yourself, mama. 

CFSBK: What advice would you give mothers for their game plan after giving birth? Do you have any recommendations for easing back into their training? 

Coach Fox: As some of the women note in this article, they’re often shocked by how hard it is to come back in and train postpartum. When they still have the baby in there, the abdominal wall is stretched out, pelvic floor muscles are stretched too, but you’re still able to brace. Once the baby’s not in there, and you’ve got 30 pounds missing plus some wrecked muscles, you have no idea how to use your abs. The main thing we’re concerned with postpartum is that you’re going to worsen any diastasis recti, or cause more trauma to your pelvic floor. 

So take your time. Don’t come right back. Minimally, we like six weeks, maybe four if someone has had a check-up sooner. It takes time for the muscles in your abdomen and pelvic floor to come back into their normal shape. Furthermore, when you do come back in, look at it as if you’re starting over. It’s not going to take you three years to get you back to where you were—but it might take you a year. Bethany mentioned “crazy postpartum hormones,” and how they can affect your experience in the gym. It’s almost like manic-depression. If you feeling depressive and frustrated with your body, you don’t want to get up and go to the gym. Manic is like, “I’m going to PR my squat today.” That could be dangerous. You could wind up prolapsing, you could wind up peeing your pants. Just really be patient coming back in, and as everyone has said, the most important thing is to really listen to your body.

Some parting tips from Bethany E.:

• Find a good medical team that is on-board with you continuing your pre-pregnancy exercise program.
• Resist the urge to be a badass at the gym. The fact that you are growing another human being already makes you one!
• Learn about pelvic floor health and how to reconnect with yours after the baby comes and don’t ignore little signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, like leaking during double-unders.
• Don’t attempt to train on zero sleep if your baby isn’t sleeping. Take a long walk with your baby instead.
• Reach out to your fellow CrossFitting moms, as they are an amazing resource. I’m always happy to share birth stories with any interested CFSBK parents-to-be. You can email Coach Fox at Chris [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to get my email address.

Useful Links
CrossFit Mom
Be Fit Mom
Habit-it Pelvic Floor 

A huge thank you to all our CFSBK moms who participated in this article series, and to Coach Fox! 

_____________________
Race, Trust, and Split-Second Judgments Pacific Standard
The Bro Hug: Embracing a Change in Custom New York Times
An Analysis of the Hormonal Response to CrossFit Breaking Muscle
Blown Away in Canton WanderWOD