If you CrossFit keep reading, it just might save you some ego & dignity! Most likely, you will be on your phone, so close out of this and continue alternating between Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Now that we got that out of the way, we can push forward to our topic of the day…..RX’ing CrossFit. Since you were probably on the edge of seat that whole introduction, please sit back and relax. I’m not going to yell 3.2.1..Go!
If you have been around the CrossFit world long enough, you have heard the word RX (RX’d) thrown around a lot. Everyday actually. So for all you beginners out there, let’s first decode what RX means. When an athlete completes a workout RX’d, that means they completed the prescribed weight and number of reps. Now, in my opinion there are two more objectives to look at. What are they? The workout must be completed within the prescribed time domain and the movement capabilities of that athlete.
Let’s dive in to each objective, like I would dive into a vanilla long john with sprinkles on it. I love sprinkles. Now what is beautiful about CrossFit is you can scale one or more of these objectives to meet your athlete’s needs.
Prescribed Weight
Any workout involving a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell will have a prescribed weight, which means, to be able to claim that you did the workout RX’d, you completed every rep at that certain weight.
Number of Reps
Each workout will have a certain number of reps to be completed in order for the workout to be RX’d. So let’s make it simple, because simple is not confusing. You walk in to the gym and on the whiteboard it has 100 burpees for time. Which if I was you, I would walk right back out that door. Actually, don’t do that. Burpees are fun. Sorry, sometimes I get side tracked. Squirrel. Anyways, in order for you to complete the workout RX’d you must complete all 100 burpees. Yes, I know, it is quite miserable.
Movement Capabilities of That Athlete
Any athlete that walks through the doors of a CrossFit gym will have sometime of movement issue. So it is important to scale back the movements to meet that athlete’s need. For example, if they can’t perform pull ups, then them do Ring Rows.
Prescribed Time Domain
Most CrossFit workouts are meant to be done between time A and time B. This is important because different timed workouts will elicit different responses from the body. Why? Because science. That’s why. So if an athlete has trouble completing their workout within the prescribed time domain, you might need to consider scaling weight, reps, and/or movements. In my opinion, this is the one objective that is missed most often.
Too many people get caught up in the word RX’d. Especially with the amount of weight. I challenge each athlete that walks through the doors of any CrossFit gym to leave their egos at the door. Take a look at where you are at, relative to yourself If you don’t know what the prescribed time domain is, ask your coach, they should know.
Now, get back to scrolling through Facebook where all you will see is videos of puppies, myself lip syncing and news pertaining to Donald Trump. Work hard.
Work Hard. Be Humble. Have Fun.