Are you scaling workouts for people or are you giving them specific assignments and progressions and timelines that they can follow to develop the foundation and skills required to achieve higher and higher levels of performance?

Too often we get lost in the sport of CrossFit mentality of Rx vs Scaling and scores on the whiteboard and we treat it as the sport of fitness and not as a methodology for improving ourselves.

Scaling workouts to fit each individual in the room is an absolute must to ensure everyone is safe and effective. But if you’re not giving specific assignments and progression then all the scaling is short sighted.

Example: A MetCon that requires 75 Snatches for Time with Double Unders and Box Jumps.

The athlete here can only snatch the bar because they lack the strength and technique to snatch any weight. It doesn’t matter if they’re been training for 6 weeks or 6 years at this point because the fact of strength and technique remains the same.

How many times is it effective for them to just perform the MetCon using an empty bar as their scaling option?

The answer is NEVER. They should be doing Dumbbell Snatch or KB Swings or anything at all that will help them improve their technique or strength. Either of those options and many other options would have a FAR greater impact on their health, fitness and longevity and be significantly more effective in helping them achieve their goals and be pain free.

They shouldn’t be scaling what is written on the board for the sake of doing what is written on the board. They should be doing something specific to their needs and goals.

If everyone in the class is doing Snatch at varying weights and any of them lack the strength, coordination, flexibility, body awareness or technique then the coach is missing the point and limiting their athletes growth.