Scaled vs Rx in CrossFit

If you've spent any time around a CrossFit gym, you've probably heard the terms "scaled" and "Rx" thrown around. Whether you're brand new or a seasoned athlete, understanding the difference between the two can help you get the most out of every workout.

What Does "Rx" Mean?

"Rx" stands for "as prescribed." In a CrossFit workout, doing a workout Rx means you’re performing all movements “as prescribed” or “as written” on the whiteboard - weight, reps, and standards without any deviation. Completing the workout this way, as it was originally intended by the programmer, gives us a benchmark for how much volume athletes are completing with each workout and throughout the week.

Example:

• “Fran”: 21-15-9 of Thrusters (95/65) and Pull-ups

• Rx would mean completing thrusters at 95 lbs for men, 65 lbs for women, and doing pull-ups without any modification like a band or box reaching the standard of chin over bar.

What Does "Scaled" Mean?

Scaling a workout means modifying it to match your current fitness level while keeping the spirit and intensity of the original workout. This could involve adjusting the weight, modifying the movement (e.g., using bands for pull-ups), or reducing the number of reps.

Example:

• Workout: 21-15-9 reps of thrusters (95/65 lb) and pull-ups

• A scaled version might be 65 lbs for men, 45 lbs for women, and jumping pull-ups or ring rows instead of pull-ups.

Why Scale?

First off, Scaling is COOL! It gives athletes the ability to modify any workout to tailor to their needs without having to single any one person out by writing a separate workout for them to do on their own. This is particularly important during CrossFit workouts because there will always be a continuum of athletic development in each class. You very well may have someone doing their first workout in the same class as someone who is preparing for a local CrossFit competition. In order to make both of these athletes feel connected to the programming designed for General Physical Preparedness - GPP, only one workout will be written on the whiteboard. Both of these athletes may “scale” the workout and that’s the cool part - they get to workout at the same time in the same place and get the same sweaty result.

The definition of CrossFit is performing constantly varied functional movements at high intensity. But we have to understand both as athletes and coaches that “high intensity” is relative to each athlete. Thus, when looking at workouts as coaches we need to understand the stimulus of a workout. For the sake of our scaling conversation lets think of “stimulus” as time frame. Say we have a workout that has 50 box jumps and 50 snatches and we want the stimulus of a workout to be such that athletes finish around the 10 minute mark.

Scaling “Down”:

If a beginner attempted this workout Rx it might take them 20-25 minutes. In this instance we would not be hitting the stimulus of the workout. And possibly more importantly regarding the social dynamics of group fitness, they may be struggling to complete the workout for 10-15 minutes after everyone else is done with the workout >>> NOT cool.

As coaches we may scale this workout for the beginner athlete to 50 step ups and 50 PVC snatches. Our goal is to have them finish in 10 minutes and we will know if our scaling options worked if they do finish in that time frame. If the scaling option was still too hard they will finish after the 10 minute mark. If our scaling option was too easy they will finish before the 10 minute mark.

Scaling “Up”:

The competitive athlete may finish this workout closer to 5 minutes. While this workout may still be considered “high intensity” for the competitive athlete, they worked for half of the time of the intended stimulus >>> again, not ideal.

Giving this athlete recommendations can sometimes be more challenging regarding the coach and athlete dynamics. Competitive athletes love finishing workouts first and having the best score on the WOD leaderboard. But if we truly want to scale appropriately to hit the intended stimulus of a workout we need to make recommendations for this athlete just as much, sometimes more than our beginner athletes. A suggestion may be to increase the height of the box jump, increase the weight of the snatches or even add an additional element, say do 5 burpees every minute on the minute until they are done with the 50 reps of each movement. In this fashion we not only “slow down” the competitive athlete to a point where they are working for the intended 10 minutes but also create additional competition where the beginner athlete tries to finish before the competitive athlete.

Why Should You RX?

When programming CrossFit workouts gym owners and coaches look at constantly varied functional movements. They choose a variety of movements and workout styles to give an appropriate stimulus for various time and modal domains. Meaning: The Rx version of workout should provide you with enough strengthening, cardio, body weight movements, and gymnastic skills for general physical preparedness. This allows gym owners and coaches to evaluate their programming at a glace to see if any particular component is being over utilized or under utilized. Thus, if you are capable of performing the workout Rx and meeting the intended stimulus you should experience the right amount of variety to improve your fitness in a well rounded fashion.

You can think of Rx as a benchmark for your athletic development. Workouts with barbell strength movements might be programmed at just the right weight for you to hit the intended stimulus. However, workouts with cardio or gymnastic skills might be too challenging for you and require you to scale. Additionally, you might notice that early in the week you can do workouts Rx but as soreness creeps in you tend to scale workouts later in the week. Reflecting on when you “Go Rx” and when you scale can clue you in to which particular fitness component needs further attention and development.

Choosing Rx should be based on capability, not pride. Going back to the stimulus of the workout - recommendations may be to select a weight that you can perform 12 reps unbroken. You may be able to complete the movement with good form for 8 reps prior to needing to set the weight down. Effectively you CAN lift the Rx weight but will end up not hitting the stimulus of the workout intended to increase your endurance by moving through a particular movement at least 12 reps at a time. This is a common problem for intermediate athletes. They are able to do certain movements Rx but do not have the capacity to perform them at the intensity required for the WOD. What was intended to be a “light and fast” 4 minute WOD turns into a “moderately heavy and slow” 10 minute WOD.

Ask yourself:

• Can I hit the intended stimulus of the workout by going Rx?

• Will I finish the workout far too early by scaling weight or modifying movements?

• Will performing this workout Rx help me develop in areas in which I typically scale?

Final Thoughts

It’s always exciting to log a score as Rx. But the goal is not the leaderboard. The goals is choosing the appropriate weight and accommodating for your skill set to improve your athletic development over time. It won’t be the end of the world if you choose Rx and finish 2 minutes after everyone else in the class. Reflecting on your Rx and Scale choices over time will help you refine which weight to pick, which workout to scale, and in which workout you need to push yourself.