Previously, I discussed how to know when to scale a workout. In short, it all came down to intent, figuring out the intended stimulus of the workout, and scaling down to appropriately match that intention. Today, we’re looking at the flip side of the coin, which is how to know when to Rx a WOD. Although the discussion about intent remains, there are some additional things to consider whenever attempting to Rx any WOD.
How to Know When to Rx a WOD
Safety First
The first thing you need to ask yourself — or a coach — is, “Can I perform this workout safely?” This needs to be priority number one, always. There is nothing inherently wrong with using heavier loading or choosing a more difficult gymnastic movement as long as you are moving well. Sacrificing form, in order to throw up an “Rx” next to your name on the whiteboard, is a fool’s errand and is extremely detrimental to long-term training.
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It’s not just about loading when it comes to safety; volume also needs to be considered. I’ve had athletes get their first kipping pull-up one day only to turn around the next day and attempt 100 reps in a workout. I know that you may be excited about that first pull-up and the potential to finally Rx your first pull-up workout, but volume needs to be increased over time to ensure that the body can handle it. There’s nothing wrong with scaling volume or repetitions until your body is capable of handling the demand.
Graduation Day
Every year, there is a big local competition around our gym, and also every year, the MC makes the same joke when calling up the scaled winners to the podium, “Let us clap it up for these guys. It’s the last time that they’ll ever do a scaled competition.” The competition has been going on for about six years now and it’s still funny every time.
But really, if you are an athlete who scales workouts and are consistently finishing workouts first, ahead of the best athletes in the gym doing the workout as prescribed, it may be time to start Rx-ing your workouts. The goal of scaling is to finish the workout but not to finish first. So if you are doing the most difficult scale-down variations and still crushing it, it might be time to move on.
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The reason people tend to be hesitant to make the jump usually lies somewhere between ego and fear — ego that now they are going to struggle, their scores will suffer, and they will have to break more often, and fear that the heavier loading might be too dangerous.
Again, if this is you, consult your coach.
CrossFit is hard. It is quite literally designed to be hard. Too often, people who “overscale” do it because they are comfortable. They still work hard, they still sweat, but they never really leave their comfort zone. This is a big problem. Outside your comfort zone is where all the magic happens — the adaptation, the growth. The recipe for growth is to expand the limits of our comfort zone, and the only way to do that is to be willing to go there.
For the Sake of Competition
Building off my last point, sometimes competition provides that little extra push to finally get you to step out of your comfort zone. Whether it is the Open, a local throwdown, or a benchmark workout, the beauty of competition is that it provides us with an opportunity to test our limits. Obviously, this is not some end-all-be-all statement — Rx every competition/test no matter the cost! It all has to be done within reason, but more often than not I find that athletes tend to be pleasantly surprised with themselves when they are forced to step up in the heat of competition.
