One of the things that I have seen a lot and also experienced myself is not wanting to scale back because I feel like I should be doing a higher level. In this little blog, I would like to maybe try to open your mind up to some different ways of thinking about your work out and how you feel in your workout
RELATIVE INTENSITY
This means whatever level of athlete you are you should be able to keep your intensity level up in the workout by scaling to what can keep you moving.
GOOD FORM
Lots of times I see people going above and beyond on weight which is great in a workout designed for a heavy lift like a strength workout or lifting session. Though in a workout that requires you to move faster, going heavy should not be at the expense of good form in either though. Usually, if you are sacrificing good form because of trying to lift too heavy you are also losing relative intensity.
HOW YOU FEEL
How you feel in a given day can change your workout as well, often times you may come in tired or just feel weak or beat in a workout. The main thing is to not let that beat you down, and if you scale back your workout you can keep that relative intensity up.
SCALING IS NOT A STEP BACK
Scaling does mean you’re taking a step back. Often times people look as scaling as a step back or that it means your not as strong or as tough as your peers, but scaling should not be looked at that way. As well if you see someone scaling they may be scaled for a reason you are not aware of, so don’t give them a hard time about it. It is hard to scale back for people.
TAKEAWAY
So the take away from all this if you just skimmed through it is, scaling is not a bad thing or a step back. Scaling is also a great way to keep up the relative intensity in a workout which is the most important part of a workout. If you’re missing that intensity you are not getting the most out of your workouts. If you have never tried it take the next Amrap that is coming up and go lighter then what you might normally choose and see how you feel at the end when you can keep yourself moving fast.
Head Coach Kevin Miller – SFC
