Scaling is the reason a 60-year-old beginner and a competitive athlete can do the same class. It means adjusting a workout to your current ability so that you get the effect the workout was designed for, safely. Done well, scaling is not a downgrade. Done badly, it either turns a sprint into a slog or leaves you sore for a week. Here is how to get it right.
Start with the stimulus
Every well-designed workout has an intended stimulus: how long it should take, how it should feel and what it trains. A short workout like 21-15-9 thrusters and pull-ups is meant to be fast and intense, often finished in under ten minutes. A long chipper is meant to be a steady grind. Before scaling anything, ask the coach (or yourself) two questions:
- Roughly how long should this take?
- Should it feel like a sprint, a middle-distance effort or a long, steady piece?
Then scale so that you finish in about the intended time. If the RX version would take you twice as long as everyone else, it is not the same workout for you.
The four levers of scaling
1. Load
The simplest lever. Reduce the weight on the bar, use a lighter kettlebell or a smaller medicine ball. A useful rule for most metcons is that you should be able to do the first round's reps unbroken, or in no more than two sets, at the chosen weight.
2. Volume
Cut the reps or the rounds. A 21-15-9 might become 15-12-9; five rounds might become three. This keeps the movements the same while protecting the time domain.
3. Range of motion
Squat to a box, do push-ups from a raised surface, or use a box to shorten the step-up height. Reducing range should be temporary while you build mobility and strength, and it is a good way to train around a minor limitation.
4. Movement complexity
Swap a complex skill for a simpler one that trains the same thing: a hang power clean instead of a full squat clean, a dumbbell instead of a barbell, a step-up instead of a box jump.
Scaling options for common movements
- Pull-ups: ring rows (walk your feet forward to make them harder), jumping pull-ups, banded pull-ups, or strict pull-ups in smaller sets.
- Push-ups: hands on a box or bench, or knees on the floor, keeping the body in one straight line.
- Double-unders: single skips (often two or three singles per double), or attempts for a set time.
- Toes-to-bar: hanging knee raises, or lying leg raises.
- Handstand push-ups: pike push-ups on a box, or a dumbbell strict press.
- Box jumps: lower boxes, or step-ups, which are much kinder to the Achilles.
- Running: row or bike for a similar duration if running is painful or the weather makes the road unsafe.
- Burpees: step back instead of jumping, or use a raised surface for the push-up.
Scaling a benchmark: an example
Take Fran: 21-15-9 thrusters (43 kg / 95 lb for men, 29 kg / 65 lb for women) and pull-ups. It is designed to be very short and very intense. A sensible scaled version for someone in their second month might be 21-15-9 thrusters with a 20 kg bar and ring rows. If that still looks like taking more than ten minutes, drop to 15-12-9. The aim is the same: a short, fast, uncomfortable effort. For a longer benchmark with plenty of room to scale, see our guide to the Murph workout.
Scaling for age, pregnancy and injury
Older athletes often benefit most from scaling the impact (step-ups instead of jumps, rowing instead of running) and from longer warm-ups, while still lifting meaningful weights. If you are pregnant or postpartum, get guidance from your GP, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist before returning to high-intensity training; the HSE has general information on exercise during pregnancy. For any injury, work around it rather than through it, and tell the coach before class starts.
Signs you scaled well (or not)
You scaled well if you finished close to the intended time, moved well all the way through and felt that you worked hard. You probably over-scaled if you finished far faster than the target and never got out of breath. You under-scaled if you hit the time cap, broke every set into singles or felt your technique fall apart.
When to move up
Progress one lever at a time. If you have been doing ring rows for several weeks and can do them easily with your feet well forward, try banded pull-ups. If a weight felt light for a whole workout, add a little next time. Keep notes so you can see the pattern. Many people only move from scaled to RX on a movement after months, and that is completely normal.
If you are new to all of this, start with our CrossFit for beginners guide, learn the words on the board with CrossFit terms explained, and ask about beginner classes at a CrossFit gym in Athlone, where coaches will scale each session for you.
Frequently asked questions
- Is scaling a CrossFit workout cheating?
- No. Scaling is part of the method. It keeps the intended stimulus of a workout while matching the load, reps and movements to your current ability.
- How do I know what weight to use in a CrossFit workout?
- Pick a weight you could do the first round's reps with unbroken or in two sets. If you would need many small sets from the start, go lighter.
- What can I do instead of pull-ups?
- Ring rows, jumping pull-ups and banded pull-ups are the usual substitutes. Ring rows can be made harder by walking your feet further forward.
- When should I move from scaled to RX?
- Move up one movement at a time, once you can complete the scaled version comfortably within the intended time and with good technique.