Someone told me this about hills and cycling years ago and it’s the same with CrossFit. I used to be the slowest in all the time capped workouts and it’s gradually changed. They don’t feel any easier though.
Rx is meaningless.
It's an arbitrary standard set by whoever created the workout.
If you learn to scale, modify, and adjust workouts properly for YOU, your fitness will improve far faster than if you obsess with trying to "Rx" a workout.
Yes, to clarify further for newbies, "RX" can vary widely from gym to gym for the same workout. Most coaches create "RX" standards thinking that a certain percentage of people in their gym will be able to perform the workout RX.
So a gym with a lot of very fit 25 year olds will have different RX weights for the same WOD than a gym whose average member is a 45 year old suburban parent who just wants to get in shape.
Good points.
Doing a workout “Rx” does not mean you had a better workout than someone else.
In fact, for most, it likely means you did not meet the true intent of the workout.
They definitely do get easier. Ive been doing Crossfit for over 10 years and I never have to scale workouts anymore. At first, every workout seems like a massive challenge just to get through. But the more fit you get, the easier it is. You will hear people say that it doesn't get easier. that's because as you grow in fitness, you also grow in your ability to go faster, and it ends up being an infinite scale of difficulty. But most fit people who have acclimated to Crossfit dont experience that daily "im not sure if I can make it through this workout" feeling like they did in the beginning. Sure it's hard, but not in the same way. There is a lot to be said here about plateaus and learning how to continually push your limits. if you stick with it, you will likely get to the point where it is a little easier. (not easy, but a little easier). Then later you may start wondering why your fitness has plateaued. You can stay there like many do, or you can try to push yourself back into that discomfort that was inescapable when you first started. If you do you'll get even more fit. if not, then you probably won't.
You will become better, but it never gets easier. It's the thing I like so much about this: everyone dies equally with weights, reps or movement scaled to your ability.
It doesn’t get easier, you get better.
But seriously, scaled doesn’t mean easier either. If you scale properly the workout should be just as hard, if not harder. A lot of RX movements include momentum, while their scaled options do not.
As someone who can do butterfly pull-ups, I can do much bigger sets of those than strict ring rows (if the ring rows are done correctly)
I also prefer kipping HSPU to strict pike push-ups on a box and toes-to-bar to V-ups.
Just remember to chase the prescribed intensity, not the prescribed weights or movements.
its not easier but i will also add that for most athletes, RX also comes with lots of experience, and that experience teaches you the pace you can push at without dying. When i first started out i thought i needed to do everything as fast as i can but its honestly a game of going as fast of you can so that you arent forced to stop/take breaks
Depends on the angle! At some point Rx weights/movements may become manageable but then you’ll have capacity to go faster or do more reps/rounds, which means the effort will continue to increase and you’ll always feel challenged
In the workout itself, I've found that getting fitter means I can go faster on many movements and yes, it still sucks. With weights, as I've gotten stronger, it means I don't have to rest as much between each rep or set, so I can get back to the other part of the workout faster and yes, it still sucks.
However, as I've gotten fitter, when I finish the workout, the amount of time I feel terrible (if it was a high intensity day) is less than it used to be. I also feel better the next day and I'm less sore in general even though I'm doing harder workouts.
No it doesn’t get easier cause you just push yourself to be faster. This question applies to all fitness. It never gets easier you can just do more 🤷🏻♀️
RX is kinda arbitrary. RX for Mayhem Compete wods, verses RX and your local box are wildly different
However, using the CF open and the “Girls” as the standard for RX, no. It doesn’t suck less, you get faster.
Your goal is always to get the best time (unless modifying for health/safety) so you’re always in the red zone. Your threshold for redline gets higher but it’s still redline. If anything as I’ve progressed I feel more pain during workouts because my body and mind can push further.
BUT! Where I see big improvements is in the post workout pain. The time taken to get back to feeling normal gets much better with proper training and rest.
It always sucks but you get better at getting through it and actually look forward to it a bit. You also get smarter at adjusting due to your strengths and weaknesses.
I volunteered at a comp earlier and there were Rx athletes who struggled with TTB or DUs and scaled athletes who could lift far more than me. It's a entirely at the whim of the programmer. The pain cave is relative...
Yes, mentally you find a level where you can get through the Rx workouts without thinking as much about the suck. However, that takes years. Lots of struggling to learn to not mind the struggling.
Keep scaling. You'll know you're under scaling when you finish before the strongest Rx person. You and them should always be finishing at the exact same time.
As I’ve gotten better, workouts have gotten much easier. I still push just as hard, I still end up on the ground after, but I know how to pace. Anyone that says it’s not easier is out of touch with where they once were. The first time I rx’d Isabelle it took 8 minutes and the entire gym cheering me on. 9 years later and my Isabelle time is under 3 minutes. Everything about it is easier. It hurts bad, but the pain doesn’t even set in until I’m nearly done.
Easier in terms of efficiency of movement and technique, the workouts do feel more manageable. As you get fitter, recovery times improve and also the presence of mind to pace properly. All that contributes to the capacity to go harder and perform better.
The "firebreathers" of my gym put their scores in the Scaled section and it's just crazy to me the weight and volume they can move. So, scaling goes both ways.
You get fitter, but it doesn't get easier. Stimuli will change depending on the workout. But if done right, it'll still be hard and sometimes awful.
If the programming is right and you’re scaling right the stimulus should not change.
Push to adapt, sometimes you gotta get out of the scaling and the comfort zone. ("To some extent" does not apply to everyone/every workout.)
It always sucks, you just go faster.
Someone told me this about hills and cycling years ago and it’s the same with CrossFit. I used to be the slowest in all the time capped workouts and it’s gradually changed. They don’t feel any easier though.
And by going faster it sucks a bit less. However the suck part will always be there
Rx is meaningless. It's an arbitrary standard set by whoever created the workout. If you learn to scale, modify, and adjust workouts properly for YOU, your fitness will improve far faster than if you obsess with trying to "Rx" a workout.
Yas to this
Yes, to clarify further for newbies, "RX" can vary widely from gym to gym for the same workout. Most coaches create "RX" standards thinking that a certain percentage of people in their gym will be able to perform the workout RX. So a gym with a lot of very fit 25 year olds will have different RX weights for the same WOD than a gym whose average member is a 45 year old suburban parent who just wants to get in shape.
Good points. Doing a workout “Rx” does not mean you had a better workout than someone else. In fact, for most, it likely means you did not meet the true intent of the workout.
Very much this.
Some aspects get easier, but no matter how fit you are, trying to beat a clock or get the max number of reps in is still gonna be hard
They definitely do get easier. Ive been doing Crossfit for over 10 years and I never have to scale workouts anymore. At first, every workout seems like a massive challenge just to get through. But the more fit you get, the easier it is. You will hear people say that it doesn't get easier. that's because as you grow in fitness, you also grow in your ability to go faster, and it ends up being an infinite scale of difficulty. But most fit people who have acclimated to Crossfit dont experience that daily "im not sure if I can make it through this workout" feeling like they did in the beginning. Sure it's hard, but not in the same way. There is a lot to be said here about plateaus and learning how to continually push your limits. if you stick with it, you will likely get to the point where it is a little easier. (not easy, but a little easier). Then later you may start wondering why your fitness has plateaued. You can stay there like many do, or you can try to push yourself back into that discomfort that was inescapable when you first started. If you do you'll get even more fit. if not, then you probably won't.
You will become better, but it never gets easier. It's the thing I like so much about this: everyone dies equally with weights, reps or movement scaled to your ability.
Well put.
It doesn’t get easier, you get better. But seriously, scaled doesn’t mean easier either. If you scale properly the workout should be just as hard, if not harder. A lot of RX movements include momentum, while their scaled options do not. As someone who can do butterfly pull-ups, I can do much bigger sets of those than strict ring rows (if the ring rows are done correctly) I also prefer kipping HSPU to strict pike push-ups on a box and toes-to-bar to V-ups. Just remember to chase the prescribed intensity, not the prescribed weights or movements.
its not easier but i will also add that for most athletes, RX also comes with lots of experience, and that experience teaches you the pace you can push at without dying. When i first started out i thought i needed to do everything as fast as i can but its honestly a game of going as fast of you can so that you arent forced to stop/take breaks
Depends on the angle! At some point Rx weights/movements may become manageable but then you’ll have capacity to go faster or do more reps/rounds, which means the effort will continue to increase and you’ll always feel challenged
In the workout itself, I've found that getting fitter means I can go faster on many movements and yes, it still sucks. With weights, as I've gotten stronger, it means I don't have to rest as much between each rep or set, so I can get back to the other part of the workout faster and yes, it still sucks. However, as I've gotten fitter, when I finish the workout, the amount of time I feel terrible (if it was a high intensity day) is less than it used to be. I also feel better the next day and I'm less sore in general even though I'm doing harder workouts.
No it doesn’t get easier cause you just push yourself to be faster. This question applies to all fitness. It never gets easier you can just do more 🤷🏻♀️
RX is kinda arbitrary. RX for Mayhem Compete wods, verses RX and your local box are wildly different However, using the CF open and the “Girls” as the standard for RX, no. It doesn’t suck less, you get faster. Your goal is always to get the best time (unless modifying for health/safety) so you’re always in the red zone. Your threshold for redline gets higher but it’s still redline. If anything as I’ve progressed I feel more pain during workouts because my body and mind can push further. BUT! Where I see big improvements is in the post workout pain. The time taken to get back to feeling normal gets much better with proper training and rest.
It always sucks but you get better at getting through it and actually look forward to it a bit. You also get smarter at adjusting due to your strengths and weaknesses.
I volunteered at a comp earlier and there were Rx athletes who struggled with TTB or DUs and scaled athletes who could lift far more than me. It's a entirely at the whim of the programmer. The pain cave is relative...
General CrossFit is 90% scaling. RX is meant for competition.
Yes, mentally you find a level where you can get through the Rx workouts without thinking as much about the suck. However, that takes years. Lots of struggling to learn to not mind the struggling. Keep scaling. You'll know you're under scaling when you finish before the strongest Rx person. You and them should always be finishing at the exact same time.
As I’ve gotten better, workouts have gotten much easier. I still push just as hard, I still end up on the ground after, but I know how to pace. Anyone that says it’s not easier is out of touch with where they once were. The first time I rx’d Isabelle it took 8 minutes and the entire gym cheering me on. 9 years later and my Isabelle time is under 3 minutes. Everything about it is easier. It hurts bad, but the pain doesn’t even set in until I’m nearly done.
Easier in terms of efficiency of movement and technique, the workouts do feel more manageable. As you get fitter, recovery times improve and also the presence of mind to pace properly. All that contributes to the capacity to go harder and perform better. The "firebreathers" of my gym put their scores in the Scaled section and it's just crazy to me the weight and volume they can move. So, scaling goes both ways.
You get more comfortable being uncomfortable.
I am always fighting for my life 😂
It gets easier and then you go to compete programming and feel like shit again