Two athletes of different athletic abilities walk into our gym…
Each day we have a WOD (workout of the day) programmed for our classes. It might say be something like:
For time
21 – 15 – 9
Thrusters 95/65
Pullups
Athlete 1, a newer athlete, might look at this workout and say… “Well I can’t do pull ups yet and 95 pounds is way too heavy for me for thrusters!” They will chat with a coach and discuss how they can approach and scale the WOD so they 1. Get a good workout and 2. Continue to build towards getting stronger for pull ups and thrusters. The athlete might then set a goal of someday doing the workout as it was written.
Athlete 2, a more experienced athlete, might look at this same workout and think: “I am sore and tired, it has been a long week of workouts.” This athlete might 1. not do class at all or 2. Scale the workout to benefit them and their goals for the day, to recover.
Our goal as coaches is to help all our athletes take the WOD and tweak it to best fit their goals for the day. The workouts are put as a guide or framework for the athletes and can be adjusted. The workouts are programmed in conjunction with the day before and the day after in what we call phases or cycles. This means there is a meaning and a plan for why we are doing a workout on the day it is programmed. So when we adjust the workouts for athletes to meet their goals we will keep the structure of the written workout in mind.
Let’s look at a couple examples!
Athlete 1, The Newer Athletes workout:
21 – 15 – 9
Dumbbell Thrusters 10#
Seated pull ups
Athlete 2, The Sore and Tired Athletes workout:
21 – 15 – 9
Single Arm Kettlebell Push Press 35/26
Cossack Squats
Ring Rows
Both workouts accomplish the same objectives:
- Helping our athletes work towards their goals.
- Allow all athletes to keep showing up and be a part of the class/community
- Meet the object of workout: Push – Pull upper body focus paired with squatting and hip extension.
Two athletes of different athletic abilities walk out of our gym a little better and closer to their goals!
Whether you are a current member or interested in checking out our community, don’t let the workouts keep you from getting stronger and showing up for your goals.
Coach Emily