I hate skipping
At the gym where I work, the signature class is called Train Wild. In every Train Wild warm-up, there's a mix of cardio, mobility, and resistance training.
In the Train Wild class I took the other day, that cardio component was skipping…something I never choose to do unless someone puts the rope in my hands and says “timer starts now…go!”.
Ugh.
I hate skipping.
I watch the clock count down through the longest 60 seconds known to man. I do my best to breathe calmly and find a sustainable rhythm. But each time another skipping interval comes along, every cell in my body moans and looks for the emergency exit.
I came home after class and asked Nick, “Why is skipping SO hard?!”.
He smiled at me and let out a little laugh. “If you hate skipping so much, why don’t you choose something else? There are other cardio machines you could use instead, like the rower.”
He had a point. I had options. So why do I choose the thing I hate the most?
Because I can.
If someone had put a jump rope in my hand a year ago I would have tossed it out the window. The idea of jumping up and down for 60 whole seconds, a few months after my son was born, felt like a cruel joke. Pregnancy, followed by cesarean birth, followed by months of breastfeeding in a reclined (tail tucked) position, left my pelvic floor feeling like a mess of wound-up rubber bands. I had tailbone pain and an impossibly sore lower back. The constipation was so bad I’d be on the bathroom floor in tears, wondering if I’d ever again experience an effortless trip to the ‘loo. Despite knowing all I did about movement and physiology, the body I was living in looked, felt, and moved nothing like the one I knew prior to becoming pregnant.
It was a slow, uphill climb but I eventually felt those rubber bands relax a little. I prioritized diaphragmatic breathing and hip mobility. I started experimenting with loaded squats and deadlifts. Every training I’d done—from FRC to somatraining and ELDOA—came in handy as I rebuilt strength and mobility from the ground up.
The first time I went back to a Train Wild class postpartum, my expectations were pretty low. I glanced at the board to see the day’s program and noticed “Skipping or cardio 60 sec” in the warm-up. Rather than coil into a ball, something in me said “Let’s give it a go.”
And despite my heart nearly exploding out of my chest by the end of that minute, no other body part objected. My back didn’t hurt. My feet (and pelvic floor!) felt springy. The droplets on the floor were only sweat.
Every time since then, I’ve picked up that skipping rope because it reminds me how resilient our bodies are. We can do hard things—even exercises we hate. We can turn pain into proficiency. We can take ownership of our bodies, even when they feel foreign to us.
If you, or those you teach, experience pain or discomfort in and around the pelvis—whether that’s in the pelvic floor, hips, or lower back—don’t miss tomorrow’s workshop. I’ll talk you through the exact things that got me off the bathroom floor and moving like myself again.
Here’s the link to join in. If you can’t make it live, no stress…you’ll get lifetime access to the recording.
Hope to see you soon,
Cecily
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