There is a common misconception that the holy grail of CrossFit is to Rx all the workouts. This is where many athletes make a mistake and not only lose sight of their goals but could even begin regressing in skills and work capacity. The athlete willing to scale appropriately to their level or slightly above is key to consistent physical and mental gains.
"How can that be? Working harder, heavier, longer is better for me, right?”
Wrong! Lets dig into the reasons why.
DON'T SKIP THIS PART IT'S VERY IMPORTANT! (sorry in advance for the mathlete in me kicking in)
Example #1
Workout of the day (WOD)
12 min AMRAP
7 Deadlift 155/105
7 Hang Clean & Jerk 155/105
7 Lateral Bar Burpees
Athlete 1 completes 5 rounds + 3 reps Rx
Athlete 2 completes 7 rounds + 9 reps scaled down to 115# and does 5 Burpees per round
Who had a better workout? The whiteboard will show Athlete 1 did because they hit the Rx button. The reality is much different!
Athlete 1 (male) Deadlifted a total of 5890lbs/38 reps, Clean & Jerked a total of 5425lbs/35 reps and completed 35 Burpees
Athlete 2 (male) Deadlifted a total of 6440lbs/54 reps, Clean & Jerked a total of 5865lbs/51 reps and completed 35 Burpees.
The scaled athlete showed a much higher work capacity (relative intensity), moved more weight, completed more reps and did the same amount of burpees. This athlete will increase weights slow and steady in workouts showing consistent improvement which over time will result in their ability to hit a similar workout just as hard at Rx when the time is right.
Example #2
Workout of the day (WOD)
5 Rounds for time
25 Wall Balls 20/14
15 S2OH 135/95
400m Run
[30 min time cap]
Athlete 1 (female) completes 4 rounds and 5 reps inside the time cap Rx
Athlete 2 (female) completes the workout in 25:21 with 12lb Wall Ball and 75lb S2OH
Who had the better workout? Who is moving with more intensity? The whiteboard again will reward the athlete with the Rx but the Scaled athlete made the best choice.
Athlete 1 completed 105 wall balls/1470lbs, 45 S2OH/4275lbs and completed four 400m runs in 30:00 minutes of work.
Athlete 2 completed 125 wall balls/1500lbs, 60 S2OH/4500lbs and completed five 400m runs in a faster 25:21 minutes of work.
The athletes chose very different paths, which is their choice, but the athlete who scaled clearly has a much higher work capacity at high intensity. He squatted more, lifted more, and ran more than the athlete that did Rx in the end and kept their heart rate elevated because they took less breaks as evidence in the volume they completed. The only problem is the whiteboard doesn’t reflect it and that can become mentally defeating. The simple answer is with both workouts choosing Rx is a choice you have the right to make but it will not make you stronger or faster or consistently better a large majority of the time especially if it makes you take breaks and move slowly. We preach it every day at CFO “you work to get stronger in the skill portion of the day, not the WOD”. The WOD is for intensity, cardio, and movement that challenges the level of YOUR strength and skill. If your ultimate goal is to "Rx the workouts" that is fine, but if your goal is to continue improving and getting the best workout consider all the options any given day.
One of the next blog posts will focus solely on scaling but for the next few weeks if you are consistently choosing Rx or heavier scaling options forcing you to move slower and with less intensity, I challenge you to try a little less weight or some scaled movements and try to move with very high intensity. Hit the skill/oly work hard to improve technique and build strength and use the Metcon as conditioning to make those lungs burn...it builds character, embrace it you will thank me later!
Coach Joe
#CrossFitOswego #Community #HUGETIGHTBOX
"Be impressed with intensity, not volume.” ~ Coach Glassman
"Come to me with tales of a 900 pound back squat, and I know already of some very serious limitations to your fitness. Come to me with a 4:15 mile - I am suspicious of your total capacities. But, if you tell me you've got a 650 pound back squat, and with a twinkle in your eye, about a 4:50 mile - I know we've got a monster.” ~ Coach Glassman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meH9roHylwE ~ CrossFit HQ
Chief Editor: GMM
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