Upper East Side

By Coach Nicole Lee

We’re 6 weeks into the current cycle and have seen some changes in how the WODs are written from last cycle to this one. We’ve added “Fitness” and “Performance” categories to both the strength and metcon portions of each class and have brought back the “Rx,” or “as prescribed” weights, for metcons. The Rx weights were removed in the prior cycle to allow our athletes to listen to their bodies and put an appropriate weight on the bar to get the correct stimulus called for in each WOD.

In our current cycle, we added back Rx weights to metcons, then went a step further and split strength into Fitness and Performance categories. Why? Two reasons.

First, we want each member of our growing community to come to class and know which strength program he or she is going to follow for the cycle. If an athlete is new — focusing on technique and getting motor patterns dialed in during movements — he or she is likely better off choosing the Fitness level and should work toward building up his or her strength and work capacity to enter the Performance realm within a year or so.

Note that the word “new” to describe a CrossFit athlete varies depending on who you ask. I may describe a new athlete as someone who has been CrossFitting less than one year; the proprietor, Eric Frohlich, may say new is less than 2 years.

Secondly, as our membership is becoming more experienced, we needed to start differentiating and meeting the needs of various levels of athletes at our gym. Our programming needs to follow CrossFit’s original prescription: “The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind.”

I’m confident our current programming is appropriate to meet the needs of all the athletes in our gym, ranging from general physical fitness to preparing the most adept athletes for intense competition. In creating the Fitness and Performance levels in every CrossFit class, then assigning Rx weights and movements to each level, we as coaches — and you as athletes — can decide which program to follow.

Can’t quite do the weights or movements prescribed for Performance? Show up, work hard, practice your weaknesses, eat food, rest, recover and enjoy the ride. Don’t compare yourself to others. Earn that Rx weight on your bar. Earn every chest-to-bar, every ring dip and every strict handstand push-up (without 3 AbMats!). It will be so much sweeter when you do.

Lastly, you will see the Tuesday and Thursday Upper East Side 8:30 p.m. class is now called “Competition.” The purpose of the Competition class is to allow athletes who compete in the sport of CrossFit to further train and enhance skills already mastered in CrossFit classes. This class is very high volume, demands a high skill level and requires competence under duress in gymnastics and weightlifting. It’s not intended for athletes who need to work on skills or work up to Rx weights prescribed in a WOD.

The Competition class is intended for athletes who have mastered skills and are looking for additional specific training under cardiovascular duress to fine tune their gymnastic and weightlifting skills to become faster, stronger and more efficient in a competitive environment.

That is precisely why we created the Fitness and Performance levels of strength and conditioning in our other classes. If an athlete is scaling the weight or movements prescribed in CrossFit classes or Competition class, my advice would be to master the Performance level in CrossFit classes before attacking Competition. Again, don’t compare yourself to others, work hard, and most importantly, have fun.

Happy CrossFitting!
Coach Nicole