February 15, 2024
"Rx or Scaled"
Hey BFC, it’s Coach Kelly jumping on the mic. Happy February, congrats to everyone who completed the Nutrition Challenge with us to kick off 2024!As we settle into our routines and work towards our goals, I want to break down some points about functional fitness, which is what we focus on at BODIED. Specifically, what "Rx" means and how it applies to your workouts.
"Rx", put very simply, means "as prescribed". Completing a workout "Rx" means that you adhered to the intended stimulus by hitting a series of movement standards along with the prescribed loads. I spoke to my Mom about a workout I wrote for her recently, which was simply:
For Time: 45 Deadlifts*Rx (255/175)
Time Cap: 5 minutes
And she said, "How on earth can I get that done? I can't deadlift 175#". So, we broke down what she could get done at this "sprint" capacity. For her, 95# was a better weight. Heavy enough that her heart rate would be high and it would be challenging, but not so heavy that she would approach failure and not finish under the time cap. She “scaled” the workout, and completed it within the time cap, with the correct stimulus. Success.
"Rx" is NOT the only way to hit the stimulus and have a successful workout. All athletes start with a “scaled” version, and a lot of successful athletes stay in the "scaled" version for good. "Scaling" implies that an athlete has considered the stimulus, and applied their own ability and fitness levels so they could complete the workout as intended.“Scaling” doesn't always mean lowering the weights or the difficulty. Athletes often have the option to "scale up" if their coach deems it appropriate, which is where we get “Double Rx” or “Rx+”. The point is, scaling is a very mature, considerate way of taking autonomy of your workouts and your fitness. This can be tough in a group setting where we push each other, where athletes can feel disappointed or like they didn’t work as hard as they could. However, successfully completing a workout at a “scaled” level means that the athlete moved with quality, as opposed to struggling through a workout and missing the stimulus.
As a rule of thumb, if you're new to functional fitness, or have only been consistent for the 6 months we’ve been open, “scaling” the workout is to be expected. Eventually, you'll find that maybe one workout a month you can "Rx", then once a week, then all but one a week, and then you continue to grow and perhaps tackle “Rx+”. Everyone progresses at a different pace. All of this takes a lot of practice, as well as communication with your coaches. Everyone's goals will be different and they can change overtime. The good news is that your Coach knows exactly how to get you there, you just need to trust the programming and the team delivering it.TLDR; "Rx" is a stimulus goal, found through appropriate loading, pacing etc. Athletes can chase "Rx" or have a very positive workout experience “scaling” the workout to their ability. A successful workout isn’t going RX, it is achieving the desired stimulus. RX is just a suggestion of how to get there.
My advice: find a coach you connect with and talk about it a little more. Group fitness can feel vulnerable and competitive, but from a coach's perspective, the best and most improved athletes only compete with themselves. "Rx" or "scaled", as long as you follow the program, we're all only here to be 1% better than we were yesterday. I hope this was a helpful break down and we look forward to seeing you in class soon!
Best,
Kelly
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November 30, 2023
"Why we use Tempos"
Hi BFC Fam,
Why the long tempos? No, but really, why are these tempos so long?!? Tempos are an excellent way to get stronger and move with better efficiency and mobility. Your 1 rep max might be super heavy, but can you maintain the same movement with control and proper mechanics? Tempos force us to slow down, which highlights improper form that we don’t see when moving quickly. The adjustments we make with tempo also relieves stress on the joints which facilitates injury prevention and promotes better quality of movement.
If you are looking to lean out while you are getting your strength gains, tempos are your friend. Longer time under tension means you burn more calories and build more strength. You heard me right - more calories AND more strength, couple that with injury prevention and you know why we put such an emphasis on tempos. Enjoy the rest of your week and we will see you in class soon!
Nic
