When the coach asks you to scale the workout, reduce the weight, adjust your approach, try a different technique, move better... Its because they aren't happy that you are:
- Moving unsafe
- Moving inefficiently
- Not going to progress with that habit
Scaling is a critical component of all life:
- When we learn to surf, we start with paddling technique, catching white water and learning to stand up. If we go out deep before we can paddle we take unnecessary risks that lead to having a more bad experiences than good and progressing slowly or not at all.
- When we introduce young kids to swimming, they first get exposed to putting their heads underwater. They might get dunked by their instructor a few times and told to hold their breath. They may even hold a kick board and work on getting a feel for kicking before they swim.
As adults, we let our EGOs get in the way and want to do what she is doing or what he is doing. We often delete, distort and devalue the possibility that this person has been lifting weights with a coach for 12 months or 6 years. We don't take into account that before CrossFit they were the number 1 kickboxer in Australia and Asia. We don't consider the fact that this fellow 55 year old was a gymnast for 10 years from 5-15 years old and their body awareness and balance is still with them. We don't consider, but we do as coaches.
As coaches we know to look out for you, and scaling is one way that we keep you healthy today and developing good habits for tomorrow.
TYPICAL SCALING CHOICES:
Toes to bar:
Swap for knees to hips if kipping rhythm isn't quite on time
Swap for Lying leg raises if shoulder is inflammed
Pull ups:
Swap for Banded pull ups if volume is the issue, like the workout has 50 reps and you just got your first pull up 3 days ago.
Swap for Ring Rows if you cant do band pull ups
Snatch:
Swap for Hang Snatch if you are struggling with the pull from the floor
Swap for Overhead Squats or Snatch grip Push press if you need to develop strength and control through the range of motion.
These are just some of the ways we get our athletes through the same workout. Some athletes are made to work harder, faster and heavier that's true. Most athletes are advised to scale, adapt and adjust to maximise their workout and prioritise their health and progress.
Strength/Skill
In CrossFit systems are the devil. Wherever our program is systemised, there in lies a clue to where we are weak. However, we do practice strength and skills in cycles and we vary the cycles and the plan changes depending on where our community is at on the whole.
General guide:
Jan - March we have a very conditioning focused training program where the skills and drills are largely focused around the main CrossFit movements you will see in the open. We do more touch and go weightlifting, the weights are lighter and the cycles are gone because we need prowess in all lifts.
April - June we run our first strength cycle (typically slow strength, dead, squat, bench) and bring back some of the fun skills which have gone missing ie rope climbs, pistols, Deficit Handstand Push ups and Farmers Carries. Most of our community needs to get stronger and after the open is a good time. Everyone has done oodles of cardio and cant wait to just engage and lift heavy shit. Gymnastics you will often see the weighted pull ups and weighted dips and GHD stuff making an appearance, even the deadfalls comes out to play for variety in winter.
July to September we run our second strength cycle (typically or speed strength lifts Clean, Jerk, push press and front squat). After our first strength cycle we bring in our more technical lifts in a bigger way. We still do them all year round, but you'll notice they have become more of a focus in these months. You will also see benchmark wods all year round to assess where our athletes are at as their strength will be up, how are we doing at maintaining their conditioning post the open? This 3 month block is always about filling gaps, where are the gaps in our training, what do our members need? Its a question for all year round, but its also a great time to ask this question now as we sit poised in the middle of the year.
October - December is a plan for more weightlifting Snatch and Clean and Jerk cycles, however this year with Covid through everything out. Many members had no weights at home, lots of people weren't training, so we began a Deadlift cycle in November with the one goal of bringing strength up. Thats just one example of the way we adjust when we need to. The plan is there for a reason, plans can be followed or plans can be re-jigged. In Gymnastics we do lots with the Toes to Bar, Chest to bar, Ring and bar muscle ups, reminding people that its going to be coming up in the open we want to address any issues with these skills and provide opportunity for them to be addressed.
Workouts:
Workouts are always different and always high intensity.
Whether its 3 minutes or 35 minutes, there's always a requirement to give your best and you always want to be going full send for the final 60 -90 seconds so that you know you gave everything you had.
Intensity is what separates the good from the great.
So don't choose weights that are super heavy just cause your buddy is, because if it means you are going to be starring at it panting frantically and getting time capped (another way of say DID NOT FINISH), then it was a waste, choose weights that allow you to go hard. We have strength pieces to make you strong, we have workouts to make you go hard and maximise your output. You can blend strength with workouts and you should. As you get stronger, the amount you can lift in a workout can increase, but not to the detriment of intensity. Intensity is high output, hard working, blood pumping, sweat dripping fitness.
Thats what we want from you at CrossFit 3018.
Hit us up and enjoy the evolution of you with 12 months at CrossFit 3018. We will build you a conditioning base, make you strong, put it all together and have a hell of a time doing it.
Tristan
CrossFit 3018
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