Crossfit Huntingdon Valley

RX your Effort

RX represents the ideal level of intensity for a specific workout with respect to weight, reps, and time domains.

Trying to hit the written Rx weight every workout every day can decrease your performance. We say this not to kill your crossfit dreams but help maintain a balance where you wont burn out, increase injury and plateau. If we become fixated on numbers we miss the opportunities to progress by using smart progressions, meeting ourselves how we feel that day (sleep, hydration, prior workout volume and stress.)

So how do you Rx YOUR effort to maximize your workout

1. Use Rx numbers as a guide (e.g running for a time rather than a distance 2min for a 400m, 20 reps unbroken fresh with your workout weight.)

2. It can take trial and error: If you do 12 workouts in a month you should make the cap 10 out of 12. This is time to check in with yourself. Do you miss the time domain everyday? Maybe it's time to assess your weakness (e.g. mobility)

3. Don’t max out on the lift when it says a heavy 3, intentional training means respecting percentages. They are there to help you increase power and strength overtime. Don't sacrifice long term gains for a short term dopamine hit.

Put these 3 simple changes allowing yourself to RX YOUR EFFORT (staying in time domain, reps and weight that is appropriate for you to improve performance long term.)

Thanks to all who came out for some Top golf on Saturday night!

THE PROBLEM:
My biggest challenge pre hybrid was definitely the pain in my knee. Having been a dedicated crossfitter for almost ten years before Covid, coaching and competing alongside everyday fitness, I racked up a fair amount of minor(and one major) injuries. I still managed to maintain a level of fitness that allowed me to compensate and stay out of pain but that all stopped when I took a few years off of fitness. Before I started hybrid I couldn’t do a single air squat without wincing in pain.

THE OBSTACLES:
When I started to try and get back in shape my knee pain was a huge obstacle. Remembering what my body could do before and I stopped and realizing that I couldn’t come close to training like that when I came back was a mental block for sure. I actually had a few false starts returning to fitness out of sheer frustration from pain I felt at doing things I found so easy before.

WHY CROSSFITHV?
Starting Hybrid and working with Katy was very different from the CrossFit I knew but after our first few conversations I was able to see that this is what I needed. Hybrid provided a personalized approach for me to meet my goals versus the group fitness class I was used to.

THE RESULTS:
A few months into Hybrid I was doing weighted step ups and as I braced myself for the usual pain and discomfort I had on my left knee trying these I moved pain free. I thought maybe it was a fluke so I did a few more and there was no pain. This wasn’t the magical moment that anyone in pain hopes for where it all goes away and you are back to normal as other movements definitely caused me pain still, but this was the first time in years I could something like that and not be in pain. Since then other movements have gradually become pain free or at least improved a good deal.

Now that I have been doing this for awhile and my knee has greatly improved I feel like I’m almost where I want to be. I don’t stress about strenuous things at work anymore and hopefully soon I will be at the point where I can start normal CrossFit classes again. The difference in the way my body feels is huge compared to last year when I started down this path and I am incredibly grateful to Katy and Bryan for providing something like Hybrid when most gyms don’t. This is the 8th gym I have been a member at since I started in 2010 and no other gym has had anything quite like this.