Modifying the CrossFit WODs
CrossFit is gaining more and more popularity and luckily this is an unstoppable process. A total beginner of CrossFit training looks at the WOD posted on the CrossFit main site or some other affiliate website and gets scared. They think they will never be able to do this kind of work and give up on becoming part of the growing CrossFit family. Let’s take for example Fran: the beginner is not able to do 21 consecutive pull ups even if he/she has some background in strength training. Or Diane: not everyone can do 21 deadlifts with 225lbs.
To scale the workouts we simply decrease the weight, time, repetitions or rounds. Decreasing the weight is easier with barbell and dumbbell exercises – we just put fewer/lighter plates on the barbell or take lighter dumbbells. It is more complicated when doing body weight stuff like pull ups or push ups. But that is where the resistance bands can help a lot. We can use a lower box for box jumps and so on. When a WOD is with fixed reps we can decrease their number. When we have an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) WOD we decrease the time (Cindy for 15 minutes for example).
Here is a list of the most used exercises and how to scale them:
Use lighter weight for: barbell and dumbbell exercises (squats, deadlift, thruster, sumo deadlift high pull, etc.)
Use bands for: pull ups, dips, HSPUs, push ups, etc.
Use lower box for: box jump and step up.
Use lighter med ball for the wall ball.
To substitute an exercise we choose a similar, but easier version. Substituting gives as the freedom to do a given WOD regardless how hard it seems. We do burpees without the push up part, substitute the muscle up with three pull ups and three dips or the box jump with step up. The possibilities are almost endless – just use the list below and your imagination.
Burpees: do a burpee without the push up.
Double unders: do two singles for a double under or perform a tuck jump.
Handstand pushups: the novice not capable of doing any HSPU should substitute them with static handstand hold for a specific time.Another good subs are HSPUs with some plates under the head for shorter ROM (Range of Motion) and inclined push ups.
Knees to elbows: just bring knees as high as you can.
L-sits: tuck L-sits or any other L-sit progression.
L-pull up: sub them with a strict pull up followed by a straight hanging leg raise.
Muscle ups: sub them with 3 pull ups + 3 dips. The best sub is 3 chest to bar false grip ring pull ups + 3 deep ring dips.
Pistols: lower your body to a box or do an air squat with a jump as high as you can.
Push ups: do them on knees, incline or with reduced ROM.
Pull ups: do body rows on rings or a bar, jumping pull ups or negatives.
Ring dips: do static holds on rings or 3 dips on the dip bar.
Rope climbing: do a towel pull up for each foot of the rope’s length.
Row on Concept2: every 10m equals one rep SDLHP with 45lbs for men and 30lbs for women.
Wall ball: wall ball with a basketball
Let’s take a random WOD and 5 different profiles from the average gym.
JackComplete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch boxProfile 1:
A 30 y.o. mum getting back in the gym after her lovely baby was born. She weights 168lbs and hasn’t been training for almost a year.
Profile 2:
A 20 y.o. MMA fighter weighting 186lbs and in perfect shape.
Profile 3:
A 40 y.o former power lifter weighting 238lbs.
Profile 4:
A 50 y.o. woman with no previous experience in any sport.
Profile 5:
A 16 y.o. boy in love with CrossFit for half a year but still not capable of doing the WODs As Rx.
This WOD can be scaled as follows:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps -> we can decrease the reps and/or the weight of the barbell
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood -> we can decrease the reps and/or use a lighter kettlebell10
Box jumps, 24 inch box -> we could decrease the reps and/or the height of the jump box
The appropriate scaling for WOD for our 5 trainees is:
Profile 1:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
45 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1 pood
8 Box jumps, 12 inch box
Profile 2:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Profile 3:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Profile 4:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
45 pound Push press, 8 reps
8 KB Swings, 0.5 pood
8 Box jumps, 12 inch box
Profile 5:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
75 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1 pood
10 Box jumps, 18 inch box
If something is too heavy or too difficult, we just modify it to make it easy
This publication is intended to help everyone willing to taste the magic of CrossFit, because everybody regardless of his/her fitness level and experience is capable of CrossFitting. The key to being able to do almost every workout is scaling and/or substituting. It is not a secret, that the main page (www.crossfit.com) WODs are designed for experienced advanced and high level CrossFit athletes, the newcomer and those with less experience or lower athletic level should scale the WODs. You may even find the check “Workout XXX: As Rx’d / Scaled” in many affiliate gym’s webpages and online WOD logs. “As Rx” means that the WOD is done as prescribed and the crossfitter who’s done it with some scaling marks it as “Scaled”.To scale the workouts we simply decrease the weight, time, repetitions or rounds. Decreasing the weight is easier with barbell and dumbbell exercises – we just put fewer/lighter plates on the barbell or take lighter dumbbells. It is more complicated when doing body weight stuff like pull ups or push ups. But that is where the resistance bands can help a lot. We can use a lower box for box jumps and so on. When a WOD is with fixed reps we can decrease their number. When we have an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) WOD we decrease the time (Cindy for 15 minutes for example).
Here is a list of the most used exercises and how to scale them:
Use lighter weight for: barbell and dumbbell exercises (squats, deadlift, thruster, sumo deadlift high pull, etc.)
Use bands for: pull ups, dips, HSPUs, push ups, etc.
Use lower box for: box jump and step up.
Use lighter med ball for the wall ball.
To substitute an exercise we choose a similar, but easier version. Substituting gives as the freedom to do a given WOD regardless how hard it seems. We do burpees without the push up part, substitute the muscle up with three pull ups and three dips or the box jump with step up. The possibilities are almost endless – just use the list below and your imagination.
Burpees: do a burpee without the push up.
Double unders: do two singles for a double under or perform a tuck jump.
Handstand pushups: the novice not capable of doing any HSPU should substitute them with static handstand hold for a specific time.Another good subs are HSPUs with some plates under the head for shorter ROM (Range of Motion) and inclined push ups.
Knees to elbows: just bring knees as high as you can.
L-sits: tuck L-sits or any other L-sit progression.
L-pull up: sub them with a strict pull up followed by a straight hanging leg raise.
Muscle ups: sub them with 3 pull ups + 3 dips. The best sub is 3 chest to bar false grip ring pull ups + 3 deep ring dips.
Pistols: lower your body to a box or do an air squat with a jump as high as you can.
Push ups: do them on knees, incline or with reduced ROM.
Pull ups: do body rows on rings or a bar, jumping pull ups or negatives.
Ring dips: do static holds on rings or 3 dips on the dip bar.
Rope climbing: do a towel pull up for each foot of the rope’s length.
Row on Concept2: every 10m equals one rep SDLHP with 45lbs for men and 30lbs for women.
Wall ball: wall ball with a basketball
From the kid to the 50+ old
Our needs “differ by degree, not kind” said coach Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit. That makes kids and 50+ old, overweight out of shape and those with higher fitness level, novices and experienced athletes from different sports equal in their ability to do CrossFit WODs. Although the scaling is an important aspect of CrossFit itself, it is often misinterpreted. Before delving more into it we’ll take a short break with an example from a CrossFit affiliate gym:Let’s take a random WOD and 5 different profiles from the average gym.
JackComplete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch boxProfile 1:
A 30 y.o. mum getting back in the gym after her lovely baby was born. She weights 168lbs and hasn’t been training for almost a year.
Profile 2:
A 20 y.o. MMA fighter weighting 186lbs and in perfect shape.
Profile 3:
A 40 y.o former power lifter weighting 238lbs.
Profile 4:
A 50 y.o. woman with no previous experience in any sport.
Profile 5:
A 16 y.o. boy in love with CrossFit for half a year but still not capable of doing the WODs As Rx.
This WOD can be scaled as follows:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps -> we can decrease the reps and/or the weight of the barbell
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood -> we can decrease the reps and/or use a lighter kettlebell10
Box jumps, 24 inch box -> we could decrease the reps and/or the height of the jump box
The appropriate scaling for WOD for our 5 trainees is:
Profile 1:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
45 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1 pood
8 Box jumps, 12 inch box
Profile 2:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Profile 3:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box
Profile 4:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
45 pound Push press, 8 reps
8 KB Swings, 0.5 pood
8 Box jumps, 12 inch box
Profile 5:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
75 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1 pood
10 Box jumps, 18 inch box
Regardless of how difficult a CrossFit WOD looks now you know how to modify it to fit best your athletic level. That is the key which helps you always get the maximum benefit of every WOD. Don’t be scared – be prepared!
3-2-1
Go!
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