Just Because You Can Rx a Movement, Doesn’t Mean You’re an Rx Athlete

We love seeing it — that spark when someone finally gets their first pull-up, nails a string of double-unders, or hits their first clean and jerk at 135/95. Those moments matter. They’re huge wins. They represent months of persistence, patience, and probably a few whip marks or torn calluses along the way.

But here’s where things can go sideways: The moment someone gets that first Rx skill, they start checking the “Rx” box in every workout that includes it. Not because they’re ready for the volume — but because, technically, they can.

And that’s where we, as coaches, start seeing the gap between can and ready.

What Rx Actually Means

In CrossFit (and most functional fitness), Rx means “as prescribed.” You’re doing the workout exactly as written — the same load, reps, and movements.

But being an Rx athlete means something deeper: you can handle that prescription most of the time — across a variety of workouts, not just the ones that fit your strengths.

It means you can confidently take on most workouts as written, knowing you can manage the weight, the volume, and the fatigue — without losing the intended intensity or movement quality.

It’s not a light switch — it’s a dimmer. For most people, there’s a range. You might Rx one workout, scale the next, and modify the one after that. That’s normal.

Because “Rx” isn’t a permanent badge you unlock once. It’s relative — to the workout, the stimulus, and your current capacity.

Running, sit-ups, and kettlebell swings? That might be your sweet spot. Echo bike, bar muscle-ups, and handstand walks? Different story. Both are triplets — but they live on totally different planets.

The Gap Between “Can” and “Ready”

Think of it like this: You wouldn’t sign up for a marathon just because you ran a really good mile. That mile shows potential — not preparedness.

Same thing in the gym. Getting your first toes-to-bar or clean and jerk at 135/95 doesn’t mean you’re ready for a workout that calls for 10–20x that volume. There’s a difference between hitting something once when you’re fresh and performing it 40+ times in a workout when your lungs are screaming and your grip has left the chat.

What “Ready” Actually Looks Like

We’re not talking about hard rules or benchmarks here — just context. Before you click “Rx,” ask yourself:

“Have I ever done this many reps of this movement in a single training day?”

“Have I ever done this many across a week?”

“Have I handled this much load or this many rounds before — and moved well the whole time?”

If not, that’s your answer. Not a red light — just a sign to keep building.

Here’s how to think about it in real terms: If a workout calls for 40–50 reps of a barbell movement, that weight should usually fall somewhere around 55–65% of your 1RM — something you can cycle and still move well under fatigue.

If 50 double-unders still spike your heart rate or feel like a gamble, that’s not a red flag — it’s feedback. It means you need to keep training them until you can confidently hit a few hundred reps per week across workouts or warm-ups without major breakdown.

Same goes for pulling gymnastics — pull-ups, chest-to-bar, toes-to-bar. If your weekly total isn’t at least in the 50–100 clean-rep range, you’re not yet conditioned to handle the volume that most Rx workouts assume. And that’s totally fine. It just tells you what to work on.

These aren’t numbers to chase — they’re context clues. They help you understand whether you’re ready to test or still need to train.

Example: “Diane” (21-15-9 Deadlifts + Handstand Push-Ups)

Let’s put this into perspective. Say your 1RM deadlift is 315 lb, and you’ve recently done a few strict or kipping handstand push-ups. Technically, you can do 225 lb for the workout and get upside down — so it’s tempting to go Rx.

But “Diane” asks for 45 total deadlifts and 45 total handstand push-ups — all under fatigue, ideally around 8 minutes or faster for most intermediate-to-advanced athletes.

That means cycling 225 lb quickly (roughly 70% of your max) and handling high-volume inverted pressing under fatigue — a totally different stimulus than just “being able to do it.”

So sure, you can Rx it. But should you? Probably not yet. A smarter play would be to scale to a weight closer to 50–55% of your 1RM and modify the push-ups (e.g., pike, deficit box, or wall-walk variation) to accumulate quality volume and maintain intensity.

That’s what training like an Rx athlete actually looks like — matching the intended stimulus, not just the movements.

Quick Context: What CrossFit “Competition Levels” Actually Mean

After this year’s Open, you might’ve noticed you received a Competition Level — a number from 1 to 10.CrossFit introduced these to give athletes a clearer picture of where they stand relative to the field and to help organize tiers for things like the Community Cup, where athletes face others of similar ability.

Here’s what those levels officially represent (CrossFit Games: What Are Competition Levels?):

Level	Percentile Range (Ages 16–54)
10	99–100%
9	88–98%
8	77–87%
7	66–76%
6	55–65%
5	44–54%
4	33–43%
3	22–32%
2	11–21%
1	0–10%

That’s the official part — percentile rankings that help compare performance globally.

Now, the real-world reality: Every gym on the planet has a room full of Levels 1 through 10 — and just one workout on the board.

So of course you’ll see variety. Some athletes Rx. Some scale. Some adjust. That’s not a flaw — that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Because the purpose of any workout isn’t to check a box; it’s to hit a specific stimulus. And that stimulus — load, reps, intensity, time domain — creates a specific stress that leads to a specific adaptation.

When we scale or modify, we’re not opting out of the workout. We’re adapting it to our level so that we can still achieve the intended response.

That’s good coaching. That’s smart training.

So if you see someone next to you going Rx while you modify, remember: You’re doing the same workout — just tuned to your capacity so both of you hit the same goal. That’s CrossFit working exactly as intended.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

“Cool, So How Do I Fix It?”

Glad you asked. Because most of the time, the reason you hit a wall in a workout isn’t about trying harder — it’s about identifying the limiter.

Usually, it comes down to one of three things:

1. Global (Cardiovascular Endurance) – your engine fades, your breathing falls apart, and you can’t sustain output.

2. Local (Muscular Endurance) – a specific muscle group blows up and forces you to stop (e.g., shoulders in wall balls, grip in hang cleans).

3. Movement Efficiency – your form or rhythm breaks down, wasting energy rep after rep.

Once you know which one is holding you back, you can train smarter instead of just harder.

1. Global: Cardio Engine Problems

If your breathing or pacing falls apart, your fix isn’t another all-out metcon — it’s controlled aerobic work that teaches you to sustain effort.

Try this:

• 10 × 500m Row @ 1:00 rest

  • Option 1: Start at a manageable pace (say 1:59/500m) and try to take one second off each interval.

  • Option 2: Keep the same split across all 10 rounds, no more than ± :01 second difference between your fastest and slowest. Start slightly conservative, then shave 2 seconds total off your average pace next week.

  • Focus on breathing, posture, and repeatability — not collapse.

Or build low-intensity endurance for multiple sets with low-barrier movements like:

• 1:00 machine (row, bike, ski)

• 1:00 jump rope

• 1:00 burpees or body-weight movement

• 1:00 light dumbbell or kettlebell work

• 1:00 rest

Keep it smooth, sustainable, and repeatable. The goal is to finish how you started — steady, not smoked.

2. Local: Muscular Endurance Limiters

If your shoulders or grip give out long before your lungs do, you need to build volume tolerance. This isn’t about going heavier or faster — it’s about reps under control until fatigue stops being your default excuse.

For gymnastics:

• 10-min EMOM: 4 pull-ups

  • Next week → 5 pull-ups

  • Next week → 6 pull-ups

Keep your reps clean and consistent. The goal is to make 5 pull-ups feel like 2 used to.

For barbell work:

• Every 2:00 for 10:00: 5 power cleans at 60% of your 1RM

  • Add 1–2 reps per set or 2–3% load weekly.

You’re teaching your body to cycle weight efficiently, not just muscle through it.

3. Movement Efficiency: It’s Not “Off,” It’s Underdeveloped

Here’s where I’m gonna be a little blunt: I keep hearing, “Oh, my toes-to-bar were just off today…”. Yet you’ve been saying that every time for months — maybe years. Spoiler: they’ve done been off, playa.

If you “feel off” on the same movement every single time, it’s not the movement — it’s your practice (or lack thereof). You’re too worried about the clock and the leaderboard to actually slow down and fix it.

Once you really own a movement, it doesn’t feel “off.” You don’t lose it for weeks at a time. You either understand it and practice it more than you test it… or you don’t.

So stop hoping it clicks mid-workout. It won’t.

Film it. Break it down. Watch what’s actually happening — your swing path, timing, shoulder engagement, bar contact.

Then take what you see and build it into structured training like the EMOM examples above — short sets, controlled reps, clean timing. Practice the skill, then train the capacity.

That’s how you turn “off” into “automatic.”

Preach.

Wait — Are You Saying I Should Never Rx?

Not even close.

This — and every blog like it — isn’t written to keep you scaling forever. It’s written so you scale with purpose.

Leave no doubt: the goal is to get you stronger, fitter, and more capable than when you first walked through our doors. And by that logic, that progress should naturally lead you toward becoming an Rx athlete — if that’s something you want.

So please don’t read this as a ceiling. You’re not stuck. You’re not “just scaled.” You’re in the middle of the process — and that process works.

Every time you show up, move better, lift smarter, and breathe steadier, you’re inching closer to that confidence and control that makes Rx feel like another day at the office.

So yes — train smart, build slowly, and respect the stimulus. But also, fuck around and find out every once in a while.

Because the point of all this is to grow. And sometimes, growth means finding your edges and seeing how far you’ve come.

The Real Win Isn’t the Checkbox

If you just hit your first skill — celebrate it. Then keep working it. Build volume slowly. Earn comfort before chaos.

Because the goal isn’t to Rx one workout — it’s to train like someone who could Rx any workout safely, consistently, and confidently.

We’ll say it again: Just because you can Rx a movement doesn’t mean you’re an Rx athlete.

And that’s not criticism — it’s the reminder that “Rx” is something you earn, not something you unlock. And earning it — over time, with patience and consistency — is what actually makes you better.

Stay Dope.