Returning to CrossFit Postpartum- When and How to Navigate your Return to the Box

Having a baby is kind of a big deal, despite how the whole shebang is often treated. Over the course of 9 (really 10) long months, your body makes a ton of changes- it shifts and molds to meet the needs of a growing human. This can also come with some natural and often challenging shifts to one’s exercise routine.

When that baby comes out of your body, you may be wanting to jump back into a sport like CrossFit with all your might. It may be very challenging to find that balance when returning to classes or you may even be wondering when it is safe or appropriate to start challenging yourself in that way again. 

While there is no one-size-fits-all answer (is there ever?) to when you can return to things like CrossFit safely, there are some things you can do to prepare your body for your return to classes in the early months postpartum and ways to adjust programming in the WOD to suit where your body is in your postpartum journey. 

Pelvic Floor and Core Recovery

By far the most important step in returning to any exercise routine postpartum is the core and pelvic floor recovery part. I can’t really tell you how long it’ll take you, but I can tell you that skipping this step could very well mean a slower return to the activities you love. 

During pregnancy, so many changes happened to your body. Your body changed in some incredible ways- including your posture, your core muscles, and your pelvic floor muscles. These are all things that need a little love after birth- no matter how the baby came out of you. Focusing on rehabbing the core pressure system is so important for both core and pelvic floor strength in the future. And better core and pelvic floor strength and coordination is a huge advantage when returning to CrossFit classes. 

How do you recover the core and pelvic floor? Reconnect to the core pressure system with breathing exercises, learn to manage pressure in everyday life and exercise, give your body time and space to heal after birth, and lay a foundation of strength before adding in intensity. 

Rebuild Strength with Foundational Movements

You know the saying “you’ve gotta learn to walk before you run?” The same is true for working out postpartum. You’ve got to train and rebuild strength in foundational movement patterns before layering in complexity and intensity. 

Yes, even in movements like the dead lift and the squat. Even if you exercised up until the day you had the baby, your body still went through a tremendous amount of change. You adjusted to new movement and breathing patterns. Your body had an entire baby in it, and now it doesn’t. You literally just ran a marathon and even the best marathon runners take some down time to rebuild strength and train for the next go-around, right?

Starting with foundational movements and rebuilding strength in them is essential to getting back to the things you love quicker and can help you manage any symptoms, like coning or doming of the abdomen or incontinence, along the way. 

Start with Modified WOD’s and Lighter Weights

I definitely don’t want to keep you from something you love and generally want people returning to their desired activity fairly quickly, if possible. The good thing about exercise is that there’s ALWAYS a way to modify and change the movement to suit where you are or what you’re experiencing. 

The best way to train for an activity is to actually do that activity. One of my biggest pet peeves is people assigning rules to exercises without a clear timeline or guidance on how to actually get back to doing said exercise. Like the standard “don’t do crunches or sit ups if you have an abdominal separation.” So when is it appropriate to start trying them again? How do you know if crunches and sit-ups are still off the table? If you desire to be doing that exercise how do you go from never doing a crunch or sit-up to doing them in a class? There’s so much missing here. 

Same applies for CrossFit. How do you actually start getting back into it? By actually doing it, but modifying the exercises and weights to suit where you are in your postpartum journey. How? Well, that brings me to my next point. 

Hire a Postpartum-Specific Coach

Let’s face it, CrossFit is competitive. It’s really hard to walk into a WOD and stray from the RX into a more modified workout. It’s hard to dial back intensity and weight. It’s hard to listen to the voice in your head that tells you to slow down when the adrenaline is pumping and everyone is cheering you on. 

I get it. 

Which is why hiring a postpartum-specific coach to help you navigate getting back to the box can be so very helpful. Rather than you having to think of modifications, we can help you with them. We can help you learn what to look for during class and give you guidelines on what intensity may be right for you at the time. We can help you work through any symptoms you may be having and return to more intense exercises quicker. 

It may seem silly to pay a coach on top of paying for CrossFit, but if you have the means to do so hiring a coach or having a consultation with one can set you up for success when returning to the box. 

P.S.- the same applies for navigating CrossFit throughout pregnancy and/or if you’re wanting to return to CF when you’ve experienced pelvic floor issues or significant diastasis. Coaches make these things possible. 

Adjust your Expectations

This is one of the hardest things to do for many of us. For me adjusting my expectations of myself and what I can feasibly do, especially in the early postpartum period, is very challenging. The same rings true for returning to exercise. 

It isn’t bad or wrong to start from the ground up. In fact, it’ll serve you really well in the future. You don’t need to prove yourself or your worth as an athlete by completing a super hard WOD right out of the gate. It’s okay, normal, and expected to take it slow. 

Another reason a coach can be helpful to you is to help you manage your expectations during this chapter. They can set you up for a realistic return to the box and give you a more specific timeline of when certain movements, weights, and intensities can be re-introduced. 

If you take things slow at first, you’re looking at a long term return to the things you love. Rushing back into things too quickly could set you up for having to take a big step back to go back to square one later. Adjust your expectations during this time to actually allow yourself to BE postpartum. It’s not an excuse, it’s the phase of life you’re in and it often ain’t an easy one. 

So the bottom line is that there is no easy answer on when returning to CrossFit is right for you. Some may be fine going back with modified exercises at 8 weeks postpartum and some may need to wait a bit longer. No matter what camp you’re in, I hope these tips help you navigate your return to the box with more ease! 

For more guidance on pelvic floor and core recovery and rebuilding strength postpartum, check out my program Fourth Trimester Recover and Rebuild, for moms at any point in the first year postpartum who want to recover from birth and rebuild core, pelvic floor, and overall strength for a more intentional return to fitness after baby.