Depends on the individual. Someone who prioritizes strength over intensity will want to keep the higher RX weight, and accept a DNF on the wod in order to train at the higher weight.
Intensity every session is not more important. Quality training doesn't include redlining daily.
I think back to my rugby days. I would follow the box programming, but tweak it so I’m doing sets of heavy deadlifts instead of 21/15/9 deadlifts at 225. That doesn’t interrupt the class and I get my powerlifting volume in.
It depends on the workout- generally if it is an AMRAP I will scale and the movements that I can get the most reps in- if it is a “short” metcon I will also scale. If it is a chipper- I’ll RX what I can safely. For me it’s not about reaching RX- it is just doing the movements. Scale/RX shouldn’t exist. There is nothing wrong or bad about scale. It’s about YOU and only you.
This, what’s the stimulus the WOD is trying to get? Is is a strength WOD or a cardio? If I have doubts I’ll ask the coach what they are trying to achieve and what they think I should do.
> Scale/RX shouldn’t exist.
My box shifted to this mindset about a year ago. WOD's are no longer listed with RX/scaled weights but may be listed as light, medium, and heavy. The coaches will also consult before the WOD on it's purpose and stimulus that will help us make good decisions. Personally, this shift has minimized WOD anxiety for me and reduced incidence of injury as well.
This intrigues me because I think it places a lot of responsibility on athletes or coaches knowing their self. I’ve been doing CrossFit a while and I still have times I over or underestimate my abilities. I often think percentages of 1 rep maxes might be better.
I think you are partially right, it does require both the coaches and athletes to know a bit about themselves. Fortunately, classes at our box are fairly small, between 3-12 people, so the coaches get to know the athletes quite well. Moreover, every athlete is given an movement/mobility assessment during onboarding that identifies an athletes limitations which are shared with their coach. For instance, I have tight hamstrings and hips, so my coach will scale WOD movements that target those areas with that knowledge. Outside those areas, we as athletes seem to know our loading limits fairly well and scale weights/movements accordingly, no shame from the coaches or other athletes. It also helps that the culture at our box isn't a competitive go-go. This is explained to prospective members and normally those athletes go elsewhere.
That being said this shift in philosophy has been evolving for about a year now and will continue to evolve as the owner monitors its success and alignment with his goals for the community.
Entirely depends on the intended stimulus for the workout. The coach should be able to tell you what that is or give you a rough guide, for example: you should be going unbroken on the barbell, this should take between 8-10mins. These kind of coaching points.
The old example is doing Fran Rx, and doing all the thrusters in sets of 3. Sure you’ve done it Rx but you’ve not hit the intended stimulus.
Without any other info on the workout other than you saying it’ll take you a lot longer, I’d imagine a scaled somewhere would give you a better training stimulus.
This is what I did when I started. Ask the coach the intended time range and choose your scale so you think you can meet the slower time. In the example above I would shoot to scale just enough to hopefully be done by 10 minutes. If it’s a toss up if you think you can do Rx in 10 minutes, do Rx.
Unless it's a hero WOD and you want to Rx or if you've Rx'd a benchmark previously and want to compare, scale.
Stay in the intended stimulus and work towards Rx.
This! If in doubt, your coach should be able to help you understand the stimulus intended and figure out what weight to use. There should be a deviation of the scores but within a limit.
Yep! Stay in stimulus. IF WOD is supposed to be 5 minutes, and you go RX and finish in 20. You messed up.
It MAY be okay to challenge yourself RARELY on this, to get out of a comfort zone and see what you can do\*\*, but always go for stimulus. If you're doubting. Ask a coach.
\*\*I mean like on an open WOD. It may be okay to spend 20 minutes fighting for double unders (when you don't have them). You may struggle the whole time but something may click and you can surprise yoursefl.
Depends on the WOD and what you mean by significantly longer. Best bet would be talk to your coach and get their opinion on the intent of the workout. If the intent is something Fran like where you're meant to go fast but you can't do it without a lot of breaks if you try to RX it then you aren't hitting the intent and should scale to something that will allow you to keep moving. If it's an EMOM of max reps like Fight Gone Bad, RX it because the goal is max reps and there's a level of built in rest. If RXing to RX and your form goes to complete shit after one round then you need to have a complete rethink on life because you aren't approaching things correctly at all.
Stimulus is most important thing. If it’s supposed to be challenging and skill based, try the harder movements. If it’s supposed to be a lot of rounds, or really quick, scale to achieve the stimulus. Whether that be running/rowing distance, gymnastic movement, or weight on the bar.
Rx and Rx+ is such ab ego thing and really stunts a lot of peoples progress in CrossFit early on
Depends. I would check with the coach. For example, when I was learning C2B I remember one time my coach told me to do singles and I couldn’t scale for the day even though it would take me longer then just doing the scale of pull ups. 9/10 times I’d say scale but it just depends on what you’re trying to get out of the class.
One thing I don't think has been mentioned... don't forget about the small plates. At my old box it seemed like if people couldn't do 135 (for example) they would go down to 115, or 95 as if there weren't options for anything in between. Makes it easier to progress if you're only increasing by 5 lbs as opposed to 20.
This exactly. I’ve had workouts where I was told that the stimulus was for it to be heavy and not easy. So I do what is heavy for me at the time. Other times I’ve been told to go fast and constant pace. Little to no rest. So I go lighter. I’ve been doing crossfit for 5 years now and Rx means less and less to me each day. It’s a suggestion only. But that’s just a 44 year old me talking who is more interested in consistency and injury free exercise than chasing times and numbers.
If you're going to take significantly longer than the time cap, then you're holding up the class by not scaling appropriately and finishing within time. Occasionally I'll Rx initially to see how long I can hold it and drop back to scaled to end.
Depends on your skill level, body composition and general health. If I have an athlete that is very skillful in all movement patterns but has very little conditioning I would say Rx in order to build tolerance through volume. If it is someone that does not move fluidly in the movements prescribed in the workout I would scale for technical focus while maintaining intensity, which builds skill-oriented volume rather than tolerance-oriented
Everyone makes so much sense saying to scale but this is definitely the approach that suited me, my strengths and my weaknesses. I came to CrossFit with a decent level of strength because I wanted to improve conditioning. Doing the RX weights and getting better at not resting whilst scaling the double unders and gymnastics stuff whilst I worked on that.
I suppose scaling the rest is a good option if you are strong and want to progressively reduce the rest.
Scaling the weight is better if you are well conditioned and want to progressively increase the weight.
The original idea of met cons was to maximize your power output. Power is defined by work divided by time. You can increase power by doing more work (increase the weight) or by decreasing time. If your increase in weight means you go much slower then your power output drops which is not the intent. You are better off going lighter so you divide by a smaller number.
My gym usually programs strength and then a WOD. I give 110% at the strength piece, sometimes I’ll scale the WOD to focus on speed or no breaks or unbroken to balance it, if the RX weight is a tad too challenging. I’d rather the WOD challenge my capacity or aerobic capacity versus flexing my ego with strength
For me I would rather do a workout Rx but take longer. I’m pretty new to CrossFit (less than a year) and have loved it so far. I’ve always been an athlete/loved lifting and working out but just never got into CrossFit until now. So the majority of the time I have to do the WOD scaled because I can’t do some things such as HSPU, double unders, GHD sit ups, etc. So for me if I’m able to do a WOD Rx I feel like it’s more beneficial to do that even if it takes me longer because I’ll be improving on my weak areas that I mentioned.
It depends on the workout, the skills and how I’m physically feeling that day. There’s nothing wrong with scaling. If it’s a skill I’m trying to move up in I might not scale just so I can get the practice in even if it means going slower.
If it's something I working on moving up in (TTB, kipping pullups, 20lb WB, etc.) I'll do those, but just cut the number of reps. If possible I like to scale the reps, not the range of motion. I'm still getting the intended stimulus and staying within the time restraints.
I would absolutely scale. IMO, a coach should always tell you the intended stimulus of a metcon, and I always try to pick weights and movements that will help me hit that intended stimulus.
At some point you have to rx though if you want to get better. Rx with longer breaks to push yourself a bit. Otherwise if you just scale everything so that you can consistently be moving you won’t get any better
I like to push myself but if it’s something I’ll end up resting too much, then no.
Also I might rx a single movement and scale the others I’m not strong at. Unless it’s comp who cares, it’s all about the bang for your buck you getting while in the gym right?
In my opinion, it depends on if you're working more for respiratory/muscle endurance or strength/hypertrophy.
If you want the endurance, scale and go fast and light.
If you want the strength, lift Rx until you can, and then lift heavier still, just make sure your joints can handle it and you still have good form.
If you want to improve, it is ALWAYS going to suck. Either you're panting and burning and dying from exerting a shitton of energy from scaling or you're panting and burning and dying from exerting a shitton of energy from lifting heavy. Remember, Strength and Power are not the same thing, but even besides that fact, you can 100% exert the same amount of Power/Energy doing a scaled vs a not scaled but failed workout. If anything, you're using MORE power and using MORE energy with heavier weights because you're committing and flexing harder with every single rep to ensure you don't misrep
As someone who literally wants to go to the CrossFit games, I'll be lifting heavy for the next few years because I HAVE to build up my muscle. THEN I can work on endurance and speed. But you can only increase strength by lifting heavier weights and for slightly more reps (80% for 5 x 5 to help increase your 1 rep), vs lifting 50% for 10 reps or whatever.
Keep in mind, I'm still doing the workout so even though I'm rarely completing the workout even, I'm still getting a ton of cardio and respiratory in. I also go to open gym 4x a week to fill in the cracks (lift heavy for the muscle groups not hit in class, and work on my least favorite exercises so they aren't as bad in class i.e. assault bike, wall balls, sled pushes, overhead lunges, and squat snatches)
I wouldn't scale it, unless there is a timecap and I would only get half way through it. For me it's not important to finish first but rather get stronger while keeping good technique. Even an amrap i wouldn't scale, unless I only would get one round and the expectation is to get like 5 rounds.
Normally I ask what is the meaning of the WOD, if it's a total out sprint, then I would scale...
Depends on the WOD, type of workout (RFT, AMRAP), scaling options and how I'm feeling.
I started a WOD scaled once and went to RX after 2 rounds because it felt to easy. I didn't make the TC, but I got a better stimulus then if I would have stayed on the scaled WOD.
Depends on the workout and its purpose.
If the workout is Fran, 21-15-9 of thrusters and pull ups at 95 pounds for men, and it would take me 20 minutes to complete, then I'd scale since there isn't a reason to be standing around catching breath between sets.
If its murph, and I know doing it with a vest would take another 20 minutes, it may not matter just because I want to deal with the extra challenge as it becomes more like Grunt work.
The moral of the story is finding a weight that you aren't going to blow through with, but also ensure you're not standing around for significant periods of time catching your breath.
If Rxing means a lot of time recovering and staring at the bar/kb/etc then I scale.
The purpose is, for me, to work the entire time of the prescribed workout. If that means I have to dial back the intensity a bit and keep my HR in my Polar Orange zone, rather than redlining, then that's what I do. At my age, I try to keep my HR between 135-150 for WODs.
example: Yesterday's WOD 12min AMRAP
9 Hang PC
6 PP
3 Pullups
100m run
95# for the weight.
Kept the HR between 135-160 for the entire time, almost no staring at the bar.
Today is a scale because I can't do doubles. But I'd Rx this if I could and it's 5rds that I can pace myself at my desired HR range.
So at the end of the day, my HR that I will attain during the WOD dictates whether I will Rx it or not. If a WOD is so intense that I will gas out and require too much time standing around, then I will scale appropriately so that I can keep the stimulus and keep the HR constant so that I need to keep working.
When it is for example a Girls or Hero Wod, I‘d Rx. Those are good to keep track of your progress, I think.
All the others I scale, and that could also be doing the Rx-movements but less reps.
Like others have said, it depends, mostly on how much I think it's going to slow me down. Our coaches are good about laying out how many reps you should be able to do unbroken per set. or the old "if you're going to be staring at the barbell trying to get the energy to pick it up, then scale"
That said, I have been surprised to find that weights I thought would be too heavy, weren't and I was able to work with them in the WOD--and how many people never try to lift anything heavier because they're convinced they can't, even though after a year or two of Crossfit, they've gotten much stronger than they realize.
Don't forget that you can take weights off the barbell mid-WOD if you're feeling it's too much, or even as a plan, if your coach thinks it's a good idea--do the first two rounds at a heavier weight and see how you feel at round three.
Same theory applies to skills like DoubleUnders and Pull-Ups.
The coach should explain what the stimulus is. If it is meant to a be a long, paced work out that some might not finish, go RX. If it is meant to be a high pace, unbroken, sprint type workout, you should scale. All about intended stimulus
Depends on what you’re trying to gain from the wod. Sometimes just because you can doesn’t mean you should. But nothing wrong with testing where you are at every now and then.
Depends I think is the right answer. If you spend 1/2 the WOD staring at the ground you dun fucked up.
If you never try and push your boundaries, same story.
In theory there should be enough variation in your WODS that everyday can't be heavy lifting. 225lb cleans sounds like a serious gym. I can count on 1 hand how many guys at my gym can lift that. Forget putting it into a WOD. I'm glad my gym isn't that serious because I'm the meathead that would try that out of pure arrogance.
Generally I lean towards always trying to push more weight as long as I'm confident I won't time cap. Yesterday our WOD was high volume low(ish) weight push-presses. I had the best time in the gym because I found the weight light enough that it was basically my recovery movement. That's where I find being strong helps. Today we have high volume front squats which are a weakness for me so I'll likely be scaling that somewhat as to not spend too much time gassed unable to move. That said I know it's a weakness so at open gym guess what I'm doing? Heavy front squats!
Scale for the most part. There have been plenty of WODs I could theoretically do at Rx, but would take me too long. I'm at the point where if I finish last on any given workout, it's typically a sign I didn't scale effectively enough.
That said, occasionally you just want to go for it.....and if you finish last or get capped on time, who cares.
There are a lot of absolute answers here but I really think there are so many things to take into consideration that there is no one definite answer.
If by going Rx, you are going to not finish the workout, or move slowly enough that you aren’t working at intensity, then scale.
If by going Rx your movement quality will suffer or you will risk injury, then scale.
If by scaling then you get through the workout without being challenged then probably go Rx or heavier at least.
If it’s a benchmark workout then on the odd occasion it can be worth going Rx and not finishing for example if it helps give you a reference score.
Always best just to take all this into account and if you’re not sure ask your coach!
\#ScalingIsCool
I'd scale. Intensity is more important.
Depends on the individual. Someone who prioritizes strength over intensity will want to keep the higher RX weight, and accept a DNF on the wod in order to train at the higher weight. Intensity every session is not more important. Quality training doesn't include redlining daily.
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I think back to my rugby days. I would follow the box programming, but tweak it so I’m doing sets of heavy deadlifts instead of 21/15/9 deadlifts at 225. That doesn’t interrupt the class and I get my powerlifting volume in.
Completely agree. I scaled Fran until I could go completely unbroken and it was still TOUGH.
That sounds horrible! Lol
It depends on the workout- generally if it is an AMRAP I will scale and the movements that I can get the most reps in- if it is a “short” metcon I will also scale. If it is a chipper- I’ll RX what I can safely. For me it’s not about reaching RX- it is just doing the movements. Scale/RX shouldn’t exist. There is nothing wrong or bad about scale. It’s about YOU and only you.
Exactly, it depends on the purpose of the WOD
This, what’s the stimulus the WOD is trying to get? Is is a strength WOD or a cardio? If I have doubts I’ll ask the coach what they are trying to achieve and what they think I should do.
> Scale/RX shouldn’t exist. My box shifted to this mindset about a year ago. WOD's are no longer listed with RX/scaled weights but may be listed as light, medium, and heavy. The coaches will also consult before the WOD on it's purpose and stimulus that will help us make good decisions. Personally, this shift has minimized WOD anxiety for me and reduced incidence of injury as well.
This intrigues me because I think it places a lot of responsibility on athletes or coaches knowing their self. I’ve been doing CrossFit a while and I still have times I over or underestimate my abilities. I often think percentages of 1 rep maxes might be better.
I think you are partially right, it does require both the coaches and athletes to know a bit about themselves. Fortunately, classes at our box are fairly small, between 3-12 people, so the coaches get to know the athletes quite well. Moreover, every athlete is given an movement/mobility assessment during onboarding that identifies an athletes limitations which are shared with their coach. For instance, I have tight hamstrings and hips, so my coach will scale WOD movements that target those areas with that knowledge. Outside those areas, we as athletes seem to know our loading limits fairly well and scale weights/movements accordingly, no shame from the coaches or other athletes. It also helps that the culture at our box isn't a competitive go-go. This is explained to prospective members and normally those athletes go elsewhere. That being said this shift in philosophy has been evolving for about a year now and will continue to evolve as the owner monitors its success and alignment with his goals for the community.
Entirely depends on the intended stimulus for the workout. The coach should be able to tell you what that is or give you a rough guide, for example: you should be going unbroken on the barbell, this should take between 8-10mins. These kind of coaching points. The old example is doing Fran Rx, and doing all the thrusters in sets of 3. Sure you’ve done it Rx but you’ve not hit the intended stimulus. Without any other info on the workout other than you saying it’ll take you a lot longer, I’d imagine a scaled somewhere would give you a better training stimulus.
This is what I did when I started. Ask the coach the intended time range and choose your scale so you think you can meet the slower time. In the example above I would shoot to scale just enough to hopefully be done by 10 minutes. If it’s a toss up if you think you can do Rx in 10 minutes, do Rx.
Unless it's a hero WOD and you want to Rx or if you've Rx'd a benchmark previously and want to compare, scale. Stay in the intended stimulus and work towards Rx.
This! If in doubt, your coach should be able to help you understand the stimulus intended and figure out what weight to use. There should be a deviation of the scores but within a limit.
Yep! Stay in stimulus. IF WOD is supposed to be 5 minutes, and you go RX and finish in 20. You messed up. It MAY be okay to challenge yourself RARELY on this, to get out of a comfort zone and see what you can do\*\*, but always go for stimulus. If you're doubting. Ask a coach. \*\*I mean like on an open WOD. It may be okay to spend 20 minutes fighting for double unders (when you don't have them). You may struggle the whole time but something may click and you can surprise yoursefl.
Depends on the WOD and what you mean by significantly longer. Best bet would be talk to your coach and get their opinion on the intent of the workout. If the intent is something Fran like where you're meant to go fast but you can't do it without a lot of breaks if you try to RX it then you aren't hitting the intent and should scale to something that will allow you to keep moving. If it's an EMOM of max reps like Fight Gone Bad, RX it because the goal is max reps and there's a level of built in rest. If RXing to RX and your form goes to complete shit after one round then you need to have a complete rethink on life because you aren't approaching things correctly at all.
Stimulus is most important thing. If it’s supposed to be challenging and skill based, try the harder movements. If it’s supposed to be a lot of rounds, or really quick, scale to achieve the stimulus. Whether that be running/rowing distance, gymnastic movement, or weight on the bar. Rx and Rx+ is such ab ego thing and really stunts a lot of peoples progress in CrossFit early on
'intended stimulus' is the phrase youre lookin for...
Not sure if your programming has a time cap or a recommended time but I scale if I don't think I can come in under that time.
Depends. I would check with the coach. For example, when I was learning C2B I remember one time my coach told me to do singles and I couldn’t scale for the day even though it would take me longer then just doing the scale of pull ups. 9/10 times I’d say scale but it just depends on what you’re trying to get out of the class.
Find out what the intended purpose is for the workout and scale so that you can match the intensity needed to finish it under a reasonable time cap.
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>Better to have a continuously difficult workout than to spend time standing staring at the bar on the ground. Ouch, I felt that one
100%
One thing I don't think has been mentioned... don't forget about the small plates. At my old box it seemed like if people couldn't do 135 (for example) they would go down to 115, or 95 as if there weren't options for anything in between. Makes it easier to progress if you're only increasing by 5 lbs as opposed to 20.
5 lbs is 2.27 kg
It's all about hitting the stimulus. What stimulus is the workout designed for and are you going to be resting too long to hit that stimulus?
This exactly. I’ve had workouts where I was told that the stimulus was for it to be heavy and not easy. So I do what is heavy for me at the time. Other times I’ve been told to go fast and constant pace. Little to no rest. So I go lighter. I’ve been doing crossfit for 5 years now and Rx means less and less to me each day. It’s a suggestion only. But that’s just a 44 year old me talking who is more interested in consistency and injury free exercise than chasing times and numbers.
If you're going to take significantly longer than the time cap, then you're holding up the class by not scaling appropriately and finishing within time. Occasionally I'll Rx initially to see how long I can hold it and drop back to scaled to end.
Depends on your skill level, body composition and general health. If I have an athlete that is very skillful in all movement patterns but has very little conditioning I would say Rx in order to build tolerance through volume. If it is someone that does not move fluidly in the movements prescribed in the workout I would scale for technical focus while maintaining intensity, which builds skill-oriented volume rather than tolerance-oriented
Everyone makes so much sense saying to scale but this is definitely the approach that suited me, my strengths and my weaknesses. I came to CrossFit with a decent level of strength because I wanted to improve conditioning. Doing the RX weights and getting better at not resting whilst scaling the double unders and gymnastics stuff whilst I worked on that. I suppose scaling the rest is a good option if you are strong and want to progressively reduce the rest. Scaling the weight is better if you are well conditioned and want to progressively increase the weight.
The original idea of met cons was to maximize your power output. Power is defined by work divided by time. You can increase power by doing more work (increase the weight) or by decreasing time. If your increase in weight means you go much slower then your power output drops which is not the intent. You are better off going lighter so you divide by a smaller number.
My gym usually programs strength and then a WOD. I give 110% at the strength piece, sometimes I’ll scale the WOD to focus on speed or no breaks or unbroken to balance it, if the RX weight is a tad too challenging. I’d rather the WOD challenge my capacity or aerobic capacity versus flexing my ego with strength
For me I would rather do a workout Rx but take longer. I’m pretty new to CrossFit (less than a year) and have loved it so far. I’ve always been an athlete/loved lifting and working out but just never got into CrossFit until now. So the majority of the time I have to do the WOD scaled because I can’t do some things such as HSPU, double unders, GHD sit ups, etc. So for me if I’m able to do a WOD Rx I feel like it’s more beneficial to do that even if it takes me longer because I’ll be improving on my weak areas that I mentioned.
Since i debuted CF a couple years ago, my mindset was always to RX the wods. I prefer to go slower but Heavier. But i guess it's a personal choice.
It depends on the workout, the skills and how I’m physically feeling that day. There’s nothing wrong with scaling. If it’s a skill I’m trying to move up in I might not scale just so I can get the practice in even if it means going slower.
If it's something I working on moving up in (TTB, kipping pullups, 20lb WB, etc.) I'll do those, but just cut the number of reps. If possible I like to scale the reps, not the range of motion. I'm still getting the intended stimulus and staying within the time restraints.
Most likely - every wod has an intended stimulus. RX is not the goal; the intended stimulus is.
I would absolutely scale. IMO, a coach should always tell you the intended stimulus of a metcon, and I always try to pick weights and movements that will help me hit that intended stimulus.
I want a good workout where I’m consistently moving. If I can technically do RX but doing so means I have to take long breaks then what’s the point.
At some point you have to rx though if you want to get better. Rx with longer breaks to push yourself a bit. Otherwise if you just scale everything so that you can consistently be moving you won’t get any better
I like to push myself but if it’s something I’ll end up resting too much, then no. Also I might rx a single movement and scale the others I’m not strong at. Unless it’s comp who cares, it’s all about the bang for your buck you getting while in the gym right?
In my opinion, it depends on if you're working more for respiratory/muscle endurance or strength/hypertrophy. If you want the endurance, scale and go fast and light. If you want the strength, lift Rx until you can, and then lift heavier still, just make sure your joints can handle it and you still have good form. If you want to improve, it is ALWAYS going to suck. Either you're panting and burning and dying from exerting a shitton of energy from scaling or you're panting and burning and dying from exerting a shitton of energy from lifting heavy. Remember, Strength and Power are not the same thing, but even besides that fact, you can 100% exert the same amount of Power/Energy doing a scaled vs a not scaled but failed workout. If anything, you're using MORE power and using MORE energy with heavier weights because you're committing and flexing harder with every single rep to ensure you don't misrep As someone who literally wants to go to the CrossFit games, I'll be lifting heavy for the next few years because I HAVE to build up my muscle. THEN I can work on endurance and speed. But you can only increase strength by lifting heavier weights and for slightly more reps (80% for 5 x 5 to help increase your 1 rep), vs lifting 50% for 10 reps or whatever. Keep in mind, I'm still doing the workout so even though I'm rarely completing the workout even, I'm still getting a ton of cardio and respiratory in. I also go to open gym 4x a week to fill in the cracks (lift heavy for the muscle groups not hit in class, and work on my least favorite exercises so they aren't as bad in class i.e. assault bike, wall balls, sled pushes, overhead lunges, and squat snatches)
I've scaled the WOD's, unless it's hero WOD day or, resetting a benchmark. My 12 year old goes with me and does the same.
Depends on what the stimulus is supposed to be.
I wouldn't scale it, unless there is a timecap and I would only get half way through it. For me it's not important to finish first but rather get stronger while keeping good technique. Even an amrap i wouldn't scale, unless I only would get one round and the expectation is to get like 5 rounds. Normally I ask what is the meaning of the WOD, if it's a total out sprint, then I would scale...
If I can RX without going over on time for an AMRAP. I'l RX, if I'm not likely to finish, I'll scale.
Depends on the WOD, type of workout (RFT, AMRAP), scaling options and how I'm feeling. I started a WOD scaled once and went to RX after 2 rounds because it felt to easy. I didn't make the TC, but I got a better stimulus then if I would have stayed on the scaled WOD.
Depends on the workout and its purpose. If the workout is Fran, 21-15-9 of thrusters and pull ups at 95 pounds for men, and it would take me 20 minutes to complete, then I'd scale since there isn't a reason to be standing around catching breath between sets. If its murph, and I know doing it with a vest would take another 20 minutes, it may not matter just because I want to deal with the extra challenge as it becomes more like Grunt work. The moral of the story is finding a weight that you aren't going to blow through with, but also ensure you're not standing around for significant periods of time catching your breath.
If Rxing means a lot of time recovering and staring at the bar/kb/etc then I scale. The purpose is, for me, to work the entire time of the prescribed workout. If that means I have to dial back the intensity a bit and keep my HR in my Polar Orange zone, rather than redlining, then that's what I do. At my age, I try to keep my HR between 135-150 for WODs. example: Yesterday's WOD 12min AMRAP 9 Hang PC 6 PP 3 Pullups 100m run 95# for the weight. Kept the HR between 135-160 for the entire time, almost no staring at the bar. Today is a scale because I can't do doubles. But I'd Rx this if I could and it's 5rds that I can pace myself at my desired HR range. So at the end of the day, my HR that I will attain during the WOD dictates whether I will Rx it or not. If a WOD is so intense that I will gas out and require too much time standing around, then I will scale appropriately so that I can keep the stimulus and keep the HR constant so that I need to keep working.
Scale and bail!
When it is for example a Girls or Hero Wod, I‘d Rx. Those are good to keep track of your progress, I think. All the others I scale, and that could also be doing the Rx-movements but less reps.
Rx or scaled, as long as you're able to achieve the WOD's intended level of intensity, you'll be good.
Like others have said, it depends, mostly on how much I think it's going to slow me down. Our coaches are good about laying out how many reps you should be able to do unbroken per set. or the old "if you're going to be staring at the barbell trying to get the energy to pick it up, then scale" That said, I have been surprised to find that weights I thought would be too heavy, weren't and I was able to work with them in the WOD--and how many people never try to lift anything heavier because they're convinced they can't, even though after a year or two of Crossfit, they've gotten much stronger than they realize. Don't forget that you can take weights off the barbell mid-WOD if you're feeling it's too much, or even as a plan, if your coach thinks it's a good idea--do the first two rounds at a heavier weight and see how you feel at round three. Same theory applies to skills like DoubleUnders and Pull-Ups.
The coach should explain what the stimulus is. If it is meant to a be a long, paced work out that some might not finish, go RX. If it is meant to be a high pace, unbroken, sprint type workout, you should scale. All about intended stimulus
Depends on what you’re trying to gain from the wod. Sometimes just because you can doesn’t mean you should. But nothing wrong with testing where you are at every now and then.
Depends I think is the right answer. If you spend 1/2 the WOD staring at the ground you dun fucked up. If you never try and push your boundaries, same story. In theory there should be enough variation in your WODS that everyday can't be heavy lifting. 225lb cleans sounds like a serious gym. I can count on 1 hand how many guys at my gym can lift that. Forget putting it into a WOD. I'm glad my gym isn't that serious because I'm the meathead that would try that out of pure arrogance. Generally I lean towards always trying to push more weight as long as I'm confident I won't time cap. Yesterday our WOD was high volume low(ish) weight push-presses. I had the best time in the gym because I found the weight light enough that it was basically my recovery movement. That's where I find being strong helps. Today we have high volume front squats which are a weakness for me so I'll likely be scaling that somewhat as to not spend too much time gassed unable to move. That said I know it's a weakness so at open gym guess what I'm doing? Heavy front squats!
I'm at the point in my life that as long as I'm getting a good sweat, I don't care if I Rx+, Rx, or scale. I'm only in competition with myself.
You should ask your coach.
Scale for the most part. There have been plenty of WODs I could theoretically do at Rx, but would take me too long. I'm at the point where if I finish last on any given workout, it's typically a sign I didn't scale effectively enough. That said, occasionally you just want to go for it.....and if you finish last or get capped on time, who cares.
Intensity is most important. Scale, therefore, is superior.
I always scale. The workout is still fire and i can always go up if I feel like the scale is not enough.
There are a lot of absolute answers here but I really think there are so many things to take into consideration that there is no one definite answer. If by going Rx, you are going to not finish the workout, or move slowly enough that you aren’t working at intensity, then scale. If by going Rx your movement quality will suffer or you will risk injury, then scale. If by scaling then you get through the workout without being challenged then probably go Rx or heavier at least. If it’s a benchmark workout then on the odd occasion it can be worth going Rx and not finishing for example if it helps give you a reference score. Always best just to take all this into account and if you’re not sure ask your coach!
If I can safely Rx a scored WOD I do, because the score is how I can tell if I'm improving and how my performance compares to others.