Varied Not Random #37: Scaling Workouts - Everything you need to know

EPISODE NOTES:
Adrian & Pat discuss all aspects of scaling & modifying workouts.
What is “Scaling”?
Why should someone scale a workout?
How does it work & benefit the athlete?
Who should scale & how often?
Can scaling a workout be done incorrectly?
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VNR #38: Lifting Shoes, Belts, Knee Sleeves, etc. - Necessary or not?
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ABOUT PAT:
Pat Sherwood has held credentials up to & including being a Level 4 CrossFit Coach. He worked for CrossFit, Inc for 14 years in various roles including media, health & seminar staff. He is married with 3 kids. He is the owner of CrossFit Linchpin, enjoys ice cream & hates handstand push-ups.
ABOUT BOZ:
Boz started dabbling with CrossFit at the end of 2004 and got his L1 in early 2006. He has coached at:
San Francisco CrossFit: 2006-2011
CrossFit Brisbane (Australia): 2011
Huntress CrossFit/The Tuxedo Social club (his low-key garage-gym ): 2014-2021
He's also worked for CrossFit from 2007-present in various roles on the Seminar team, Education department and the CrossFit Games. "I love this stuff!"
PODCAST AVAILABLE ON:
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... and anywhere you get your podcasts!

[@ezegroup22]

My favorite episode so far. And I have many. Thanks for being a voice of sanity in CrossFit!

[@mitchcollins5840]

This series is excellent and has become a favorite. As a 67-year-old newbie, this episode in particular resonated.

[@beckjacob]

Definitely appreciate this segment. As someone relatively new to this style of training who has more past than future, and a laundry list of cumulative joint damage it was very discouraging to not be able to jump right in at the Rx weight for a lot of workouts. I spend more time working on mobility/flexibility and range of motion at a scaled weight which has been hugely helpful in building towards those Rx weights. I will attest that you can make any workout suck, even at scale, if you do it right. I also use multiple barbells with different weight if I know I can go Rx on some movements but need to scale on others. It is definitely not uncommon for me to have three different barbells out there for 1 workout. Pat, I am there with you on the DT scaling. 155 DLs - no problem, then depending on how I feel I might use 115 for the Hang PCs and 95 for the Push Jerks or just 95 for both. I have found that just doing DT with the empty barbell is a great warm up for pretty much everything.

[@athleteforlife7708]

Excellent episode. I run a small gym with a collection of Average Joe's and some began as highly deconditioned. Learning about modifications to workouts on the fly is helping me grow as a coach. If you guys did an episode covering modifications that speak to knee injuries, that would be awesome for me. Many of my deconditioned athletes inherently have bad knees. Thanks again for the quality content.

[@joelosborne3198]

As a fairly new, 60 yr old CrossFit athlete, I live by scaling. I enjoy the CrossFit format and really appreciate the ability to modify the workouts to fit my capabilities and still get a lot out of them...

[@chocolatebuddha2092]

I appreciate this conversation on every level. As someone relatively new to CrossFit (2 years in but with injuries along the way) my approach has evolved over time. I’m currently in a good space of seeing my strength and skills improve and finding a lot of satisfaction there but also feeling confident to choose from a variety of scaling options to push myself further. I always relate to and feel inspired and supported by your podcast. Thank you 🙏

[@matthewbrummett4643]

Excellent topic. I like the idea of the scaled DU for the person who struggles to hit them consecutively. You guys are great!! Thanks for the info

[@marlahaines448]

Loved the chat about scaling! What you had to say makes so much sense. As a CrossFit beginner, I was always in a rush to get to the RX movements because I thought I had to “catch up” to everyone else in my gym. I hit the wall a lot in those early days. It really hit home when you talked about “leaving some gas in the tank.” I think coaches should talk about proper workout mindset along with proper movements. I’ve been discouraged from going to the gym lately because I gave it my all and had no energy left to continue on with the rest of my day. No one can sustain that. Thanks for the attitude adjustment!

[@spmiller6377]

Love the podcast - I listen via Google Podcasts during rucks or longer recovery walks/bike rides. Question for the next time you do mailbag - my local xfit gym recently shut down since they couldn't keep afloat with all the COVID restrictions in Montgomery County MD. I'm looking at online programs. What are some things to look for in online programming when making a selection? Some of the bigger ones (Mayhem, PRVN, Comptrain, Deka Comp, HWPO) seem so similar from a marketing perspective that it is hard to differentiate. Thanks for the informative show, and happy holidays

[@RustyDuck-gg4us]

In my opinion you forgot the best one...the CrossFit Linchpin private track. Fun workouts that don't beat you up matched with an actual REAL community of great people.

[@spmiller6377]

@@RustyDuck-gg4us I actually did think of that one but didn't mention it to try to keep the feedback unbiased! That said, your response does add to my questions. All CrossFit places advertise community - how can you assess that with an online platform? I'm 44yo and consider myself intermediate (475 DL @ 215, 4:11 Grace, 7:04 Annie) and have the garage gym equipment to do almost everything, but not the ceiling space for muscle ups and wall balls. Will the progs have muscle up/hspu progressions that I'd like to work on or keep it non technical for a more general audience? If I sign up for masters, are you gonna have me doing milk jug deadlifts? Thanks for the feedback, and Merry Xmas!

[@RustyDuck-gg4us]

@@spmiller6377 I'm guessing that making an online community feel like a real community is very difficult and not common, but Linchpin does it brilliantly. And yes on having all the progressions and modifications you need. Great dead lift by the way!

[@cavscout72]

I do feel this is a community. Yes it is online but it's still a community. I agree it's hard do to lack of getting together. But I have seen where folks workout together virtually. This community is what you make of it. I love it. Love seeing folks from around the world.

[@crossfitlinchpin.pat.sherwood]

@@spmiller6377 You asked a great question and perhaps we will address it on a future episode of the podcast. In the meantime, I can give you a short version of what my response would be to someone trying to choose between various programs. You need to find the program/community that makes you smile, makes you happy and makes you enjoy training. Those things will keep you consistent and make what you are doing sustainable. It does not matter if you are still doing a certain program 2 months later, it matters if you are still doing it 3 years later....being involved in something for that long means it is sustainable and you enjoy it. That's the key. That's the magic. Good programming gets you fit, but a great community (even online) makes you feel at home, supports you and keeps things fun. Good luck!

[@gemmi08]

This episode defined a workout I did yesterday. I got the intended stimulus but "RX" was not going to happen and I had no issue toning it down.

[@Brummithedrunken]

A question for Pat; DT with bench press, do you add a lighter overhead mobility somewhere (like warm up or separate workout) or do you skip it completely? I mean to adress a weakness or missing link, that cannot be fit into te WOD, like falsegrip or transition for MU, when the sub is pull ups and dips...

[@KenTronnes]

Related to scaling, I would be curious to hear thoughts on using time domains (time caps really) as a means of scaling. I used to go to a box years ago where athletes we encouraged to Rx (or heavier than they might go given intended stimulus, target time, etc), but a time cap would be employed. I know that the time was likely there to keep class times running on schedule, but I always found it peculiar to opt for this path in lieu of scaling the weights, movements, etc. I do think it is valuable to occasionally challenge yourself with a workout that will not follow the intended stimulus (i.e. doing Grace Rx even though you know it's going to take you 15 minutes), but it seems different to do that plus add a time cap. Maybe this is just me that finds this odd. Thank you in advance.

[@Bruneyk86]

My struggle is gymnastic movements; Kipping, muscle ups, double unders etc. I’m fine with scaling the movements but struggle to find time to ‘practice’ the movements. Only option I can think of is to do double sessions (add an extra to the evening) or practice them on my rest/active recovery days. Any better way to achieve getting these in my wheelhouse?

[@Brummithedrunken]

I stick my comment in case you get a reply. I never. Liked the FAQ idea of how to sub a MU, and I hoped it gets mentioned in this video. Three pull ups and three dips for every MU seems like alot of volume. But at the same time it lacks training for falsegrip and transition... I also think double sessions for technique or putting it into warm up/accessories is key, but I hope someone knows better

[@saltebacot1]

On RX vs using avg power to get at the intended stimulus: Love the conversation and this breakdown on the what is fitness elements. I like the btwb app because it calculates avg power output and get the closest I have seen to Greg's "area under the curve of fitness" of Power vs Time. (or "volume under the surface of health"). HOWEVER, I still cannot reconcile the fitness level calculations based on the "last six months of Rx workouts." At 56, RX is rarely in the cards for me. However, a calculation of the power curve vs others my age might be a better way of providing a comparative score - allows athletes of all ages and capacities measure their fitness development - AND promotes what you are saying about scaling for capacity. BTW, btwb: get a power algorithm for the ECHO BIKE ALREADY!!!

[@avondale08]

Loved the episode. This podcast is timely as I recently listened to an OPEX podcast (Back Room Talk) about the same topic. As a future podcast idea, I think it would be great for you to have Carl Hardwick on to compare/contrast your viewpoints on scaling/individualized design. Although it seems like there would be differing opinions, it does seem like you're speaking the same language and the main difference comes from accessibility of scaled wods vs individual design.

[@tiredman628]

I have a question about CrossFit programming. When I took my L1 they talked about time priority vs task priority. As we discussed it, I understood that it like every should be varied. But then they mentioned that when programming for clients or in a class setting there should be a bias toward task priority. Is there a reason for that? I've been thinking about it more lately and I can't find the answer in my notes and you guys explain things so well too.

[@tonyhutchinson9782]

I thought this was a really good episode but one thing that I don't think was addressed is how scaling and the whiteboard go together. In my gym, Wodify ranks all Rx+ above Rx which is above all scaled. Is this a mistake do you think? How should CrossFit's daily competition aspect be addressed?