For time:
33 Calories on rower
33 Alternating dumbbell snatch, 40#(25#)
33 Ab mat sit ups
27 Calories on rower
27 Alternating dumbbell snatch, 40#(25#)
27 Ab mat sit ups
21 Calories on rower
21 Alternating dumbbell snatch, 40#(25#)
21 Ab mat sit ups
15 Calories on rower
15 Alternating dumbbell snatch, 40#(25#)
15 Ab mat sit ups
Post times to comments and BTWB
Scaling Is Not An Apology – Words With Lisbeth
Lisbeth Darsh is, among many other things, a writer, a former CrossFit HQ employee that built the social media department, an affiliate owner, and a veteran of the US Air Force. She is self described as “someone who knows how to help you build a stronger mindset”, something that is the focus of the 6 books she has written. I have never personally read her books, I am however a continual fan of her blog. Because quite simply, she tells it like it is. On any topic she chooses to slay for the day. A recent blog she posted had me. It had me as a coach who works with athletes all day every day that have to scale a workout in some way or another. It hit me as coach that when I ask “what did you get?”, I hear the response “I got (fill in blank). . . but it was really modified.” No “buts”. No “it was just”. No “well I only did. . . “. No, no, no. What you did is work. Hard work. Sweat producing, heart racing, breath taking working. Nothing about it needs to be apologized for, explained, or felt like it wasn’t worthy of highlighting the score because it was done a certain way. In the words of Lisbeth, Scaling Is Not An Apology.
“Scaling is an adjustment of the workout to your individual needs. Scaling is not an apology or an excuse. And it’s not some bullshit way to talk down to yourself or anybody else.
The ubiquitous use of the term scaled is kind of unfortunate in our fitness world because it’s an ill-fitting term, but it’s too late now to go back and change the word.
If I could, I’d call it something more apt like “tailored” because everybody understands that clothing off the rack doesn’t always fit right, so you go to the tailor and get it fitted to your body.
But in our fitness world, as we increasingly geek over data, we seek to find more ways to make everything uniform so that we can measure who is the fittest or the fastest or the strongest or the best. So we make one super-human standard and everyone else has to adjust off that standard. I get it. Makes sense. I used to be into that, but most of the time now I really don’t care for dick-measuring contests, but that’s just me.
See, I’m just me and I do my thing. Do I want to beat the person next to me in the workout? Oh hell yeah, sometimes I do. And sometimes I don’t give a flying frisbee. Sometimes I just want to still be breathing at the end of the workout. A little stronger, a little smarter, a little sexier, right?
Nor should you ever make anybody else feel small for scaling. It’s just a workout. There will be another one tomorrow. If you’re smart, you’ll scale that one to your abilities too.
Don’t lower your eyes or shrug your shoulders or mumble something about “not doing it RX.” Scaling is not an apology, so don’t talk like it is. You’ve offended no one and you have nothing to apologize for.
You were here. You did the work as hard as you wanted or needed to on this day. And life went on. Go out and kick ass.”
That’s right folks. The only thing you need to worry about is did you get a good workout? In the wise words of Paul Buono, a scaled athlete should not know they have been scaled. An athlete with an injury or issue that must modify, also should not know they have been modified. The work should be on the same playing field of simply being difficult for that individual. Was it difficult for you? Then our jobs as coaches is done. Scale and scale often if needed. Find no shame in making changes to a workout, it’s kind of like Burger King, we can make it your way. And then crush YOUR workout. Boom. Done.
*For full blog or more info about Lisbeth Darsh, click here.
