Be An Athlete.

RX’D?

I read a lot of articles talking about virtuosity and explaining how it relates to Crossfit. Then I continuously see/hear coaches talk about virtuosity and to how it applies to lifts and movement and is one of the principles of Crossfit. This is a great as people should know what it means and should strive to achieve full range of motion in all of their lifts. The problem is that people like to put this part of Crossfit off until later because it is not nearly as fun to work on as adding weight to their lifts.

So… Let’s take this notion of virtuosity being put off until later and put things into perspective for the procrastinating student. Let’s talk about something that every crossfitter sees everyday in the gym…. Rx’d

Rx’d - Prescribed, when relating to Crossfit it usually relates to the amount of weight being used or the standard for a movement.

If a workout calls for 150 lb clean and jerks and you perform at that weight it is considered as doing the workout as Rx’d. This is something every new and old crossfit athlete strives to achieve in their workouts. However, I see time and time again that athletes are posting their times as Rx’d when in reality, maybe they are bending that definition in their favor a little. What do I mean?

Little Suzy does her prescribed weight for push press at 75lbs and she is so happy because she has been steadily adding weight for months to finally be at this moment. The workout calls for push press and air squats for 5 rounds. Suzy knocks out her push presses without any problems but she can’t quite get below parallel in her air squat, she is right at parallel. She finishes the workout and goes to write her time on the board and then writes Rx’d next to it. Is this Rx’d? The obvious answer is NO right? Seems Logical - the standard for squats is below parallel.

If you can’t squat below parallel in an air squat then by definition it is not prescribed. If your chest does not hit the ground in a pushup, it is not prescribed. If your chin doesn’t go over the bar in a pull up… Guess what? NOT RX’D.

Why is it a big deal? Because if I am doing Fran and I get a 3 min Fran but my thruster stops at parallel and I post my time as Rx’d then I am lying. It is like me telling someone I ran a 21 minute 5K but only ran 3K.

Crossfit is done in a group setting but score is kept by the individual unless in competition, thus there is a huge honor system associated with the program. This is part of the reason why Crossfit has caught on so well. Fran for me is the same as it is for someone in China. 95lb thrusters and pull ups, 21-15-9. It is universal. The standards are universal. There is an expectation that when I post my Fran time, it means my chin is over the bar in my pullups and my ass is below parallel.

The take away from this? Work on your Virtuosity! If you can’t perform the movements to their standard then you need to stop saying you are doing the workouts as prescribed because you are not.

Take enjoyment from the fact that you get to work on your flexibility, it will make you a better athlete. You will become faster, stronger, and you will be able to reach that small part of your back in the shower, or be able to touch your toes.