How to scale a WOD: Rx, scaled and how to adjust loads and movements.

• Rx = as prescribed. Scaled = adapted to your level. An intermediate version sits between them.
• You scale to keep the WOD's stimulus, not to lower it: a session meant to be 5 intense minutes should not take 20 because of poor scaling.
• Change load first, movement second and, only if needed, volume. One change at a time.
• Rule of thumb: if you cannot hold technique through the whole WOD, scale.
• Always log the version you did. A scaled time and an Rx time are not comparable.

Rx

From "as prescribed": you do the WOD with the written loads, movements and standards, unchanged.

Intermediate

A version close to Rx with a slight adjustment: a bit less load, or an easier variant of a single movement.

Scaled

The adapted version: load, movements or volume modified so any athlete can complete the workout with good technique and a similar intensity.

Many gyms publish the WOD with both versions. There is no "better" one: the one that lets you do the WOD with good technique and genuinely work hard is the right one for you today. If you do it in pairs, see partner and team WODs; if it is a long effort, the endurance WOD guide.

• When you cannot complete the movement with the required range and control from the first rep.
• When the load forces you to stop after very few reps in a WOD designed for long sets.
• When the WOD asks for a movement that is new to you (muscle-ups or handstand walks, for example) and you do not yet have the progression.
• When you arrive with accumulated fatigue, little sleep or a minor ache you do not want to aggravate.
• When the time cap tells you that you will not finish by a long shot: if you will stall halfway, the stimulus is not the intended one.

Scaling is not failure. More experienced athletes do it often to protect technique or respect a recovery day.

There are four levers. Move them in this order and touch only one at a time, so you do not distort the WOD:

1. Load: lower the weight to a figure with which you can do long sets with clean technique.
2. Movement: swap an exercise for another progression (banded pull-ups instead of strict, push-ups with knees down, step-ups instead of box jumps).
3. Volume: cut reps or rounds if, with load and movement already adjusted, the WOD is still unmanageable.
4. Time: lengthen rest or set a wider time cap, always as a last resort.

Pull-ups

Banded, jumping pull-ups, ring rows or negative pull-ups.

Push-ups

Hands elevated on a box or bar, or knees down, keeping the body aligned.

Thrusters / barbell squats

Less load, or the same front squat without the press; as a last option, a dumbbell or a ball.

Deadlifts / cleans

Less weight, or the version from blocks if your mobility limits the range.

Double-unders

Single-unders at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.

Wall balls

A lighter ball or a lower target.

Running

Less distance, or swap for rowing or biking at an equivalent effort.

These are indicative suggestions; if in doubt, ask a coach. To see how these adjustments fit the time formats, read the WOD timer guide.

1. Read the whole WOD: format, movements, loads, reps and time cap.
2. Identify the stimulus it aims for (short and intense, long and sustained, technical) and which movements limit you.
3. Test each movement cold at your planned load: if you lose technique within a few reps, that movement needs adjusting.
4. Adjust one lever at a time: load first, then movement, then volume and, only at the end, time.
5. Check the WOD still lasts as intended: it should land near the target time with high effort but clean technique.
6. Log the version you did (Rx, intermediate or scaled) next to the result.

With practice, this sequence becomes automatic and you will decide in under a minute.

Write the version next to the result: "Fran, scaled, 35 kg, banded pull-ups, 7:12". That way, when you repeat it, you compare the same WOD in the same version. If your next attempt uses less assistance or more load, log it as a new version; that is progress.

The logic is the same one used with benchmarks. If you want to build a tracking panel, see the WOD benchmark guide; to see scaling applied to a long WOD, the Murph WOD. And if you are not yet sure what a WOD is, start with what a WOD is.

• Scaling too much: if you finish the WOD fresh and without effort, the stimulus is gone.
• Scaling too little out of pride: shortening reps, losing range or hurting technique is not doing Rx.
• Changing three things at once: afterwards you do not know what was limiting you.
• Never retesting Rx: every few weeks, check whether you can move up a step.
• Comparing your scaled time with someone else's Rx.

Zoku Athletics brings together a multimodal timer (For Time, AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata and mixed) with unlimited benchmarks on the Free plan. For those who want the load to adapt to how they arrive, Vital Flow adjusts training to the fatigue you report; it is guidance only and is no substitute for a coach.

The app is not public on the stores yet. It is in testing and there is no launch date.

The Free plan is free, with no card and no expiry. Pro and Elite are paid; what each includes is shown in the plans section of the home page.

Who is behind the website and the app: About Zoku Athletics.

• What is a WOD? Formats and meaning: What a WOD is and how to read one: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata, what Rx and scaled mean and how to log the result to compare it.
• WOD timer: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata: What a WOD timer is and how to use it: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata formats, how to choose one, set it up and log the result.
• Benchmark WODs: Fran, Cindy, Grace, Helen: Fran, Cindy, Grace and Helen: what each benchmark WOD is, how to repeat it under comparable conditions and how to track your progress.
• Murph WOD: strategy and scaling: What the Murph WOD is, its format and origin, how to split the reps, scale it for a first attempt and do it safely, especially in the heat.
• Training by fatigue and HRV: the limits: What training by fatigue and HRV is, what the evidence says, which other signals to use and how to adjust a session when you arrive tired.