Many people have trouble figuring out how to scale their CrossFit workouts. I’ll be going over a few tips and tools on how to effectively accomplish that task. For today, we’ll be using the workout “D.T” as an example.

Often I see people picking out the exercises that will be the easiest/hardest and scale up/down from that (which is fine and a good place to start) but to get the most out of your workout and to maximize efficiency in completing the workout we have to look at it in a more expanded view.

To do this we have to identify and address any potential points of failure during the workout. We’ll start with the easiest points of failure to identify and work down the list. Essentially D.T. is a barbell complex turned into a pseudo-conditioning piece. The first and foremost thing to look at is choosing a load that allows you to maintain the best possible form you can throughout the entire 5 rounds. Regardless of how strong you are – this is your biggest concern. After all – efficiency is key and there is no replacement for solid movement mechanics.

Instead of only looking at 12 deadlifts at “x” weight being easy, or 6 push jerks at “y” weight being hard, let’s break down the workout a little further. Five rounds of the complex ends up being 60 deadlifts, 45 hang power cleans, and 30 push jerks. Looking at that repetition number tells us that this workout can be considered a high volume vs. a high intensity. From there, the next point is to figure out how to choose a load. A simple guideline to help you choose that load is Prilepin’s Chart as shown here:

Prilepin’s chart is a guideline on the weights used for the numbers of reps/sets based on your one rep maxes. Using this chart you can see that even for the lowest amount of repetitions performed in this workout for each given exercise (30 Push Jerks) that somewhere around 65% of your 1RM push jerk is about as heavy as you can go. Since the deadlifts and hang power cleans are more than the high range of 30 repetitions, you can assume that you shouldn’t be anywhere above your 65% of those 1rm’s respectively. If all your 65%’s allow you to use the 155# or more, then stick with the 155#. Now that we’ve addressed one way to approach choosing a weight, let’s address a few other possible points of failure.

Reading between the lines

Hopefully you know by now, what’s on the whiteboard doesn’t tell you how the workout feels, or any obstacles you may come across. For DT, we’ve got a few extra things to consider:

GRIP intensive – for many people – in terms of load it is the shoulder to overhead that is used to gauge what weight to be using or how efficient an athlete can be with that load. What most people fail to realize or take into account who haven’t done this workout before is how grip intensive it can be. If you are to do each round unbroken the weight of the bar is pulling down on your grip for 21 repetitions per round (12 Deadlifts + 9 Hang Power Cleans). Taking this into account you may now see the Push Jerks as a “rest” period for your grip.

Performing consecutive high power movements through the application of force into the barbell – for 15 repetitions (9 Hang power cleans + 6 Push Jerks) – although the range of motion is relatively small, you are applying a significant amount of force to the barbell through the opening and closing of your hips. Regardless of the load – if you truly are focusing on moving as well as you possibly can – this is a high level of exertion. Keeping this in mind it is imperative that you control your breathing and cadence of each repetition to keep it at a sustainable level.

“Gaming” your workout for maximal efficiency

We already know that quality or virtuosity of movement is what allows us to be more efficient, but there are certain things to look at beyond moving well.

Once you’ve chosen a load that will allow you to maintain YOUR perfect positions – you should be choosing a load that you can AT LEAST go three rounds “Touch and go” (Ideally you can go all five unbroken)

Stringing together the rounds – again – obviously how well our bodies move will be the ultimate limiting factor in terms of how efficient we can be. Provided you are able – here are a couple options you can use – the first set of guidelines are ideal but you must have sufficient grip strength and grip “endurance” so to speak. Speed wise – you should be going as fast as possible while able to maintain full control of your body. This ensures optimal bar path throughout each movement. Deadlifts Grip should be pronated (double overhand) Hook grip helps save some of that impending forearm spice Repetitions should be touch and go, tension in the trunk (abs/back) should be maintained throughout all 12 Hang Power Cleans After you come to a finish position in your final deadlift, initiate the first HPC Release the hook grip in your front rack position to give your forearms a little bit of a break Rather than using no hook grip or re gripping at the bottom position of your hang power clean, try re-initiating your hook grip as you guide the bar down to the bottom position keeping the bar as close to you as possible Pretend you were watching a video and just hitting rewind – like a rower you want to essentially do the same steps that you took to get the bar in the front rack position and reverse them (“un-punch” your elbows as you re-initiate the hook grip, keeping the elbows above the body and the bar close, guide the bar down into the power position, with your feet flat and trunk tight, go into the next clean) Where people often lose position after this is the dip going into the next clean. The weight ends up too far forward on the balls of the feet through the pull, then the bar moves too far away from the body to be in an optimal position, you end up chasing the bar with the hips forward putting the spine at risk. To combat this, focus on transferring the weight toward the heels after the dip by not letting the shoulders get TOO far in front of the bar DURING the dip. This ensures propelling the bar vertical instead of horizontal. Push Jerks If your jerk grip is wider than the catch in your clean, you may want to adjust your grip as you catch the last clean OR re-adjust after the catch The largest key to stringing these together is keeping the shoulders stacked directly over the hips throughout the movement. The load should be manageable enough that you can keep your feet either in your natural “catch” stance, or a modified version between your jumping and landing positions. Once the weight is locked out overhead, come to a standing position, completely locking out the knees and hips Lead with the elbows as you lower the weight DIRECTLY back to your front rack position with the barbell resting on your deltoids As the weight begins to touch your deltoids, immediately initiate the next dip (again, ensuring that your shoulders are stacked directly over the hips) Other concerns For those of you that don’t have grip strength/endurance or are not as efficient with your movement patterns to maintain that guideline you have a few options to help you through Deadlifts – Use a mixed grip (switching which hand is pronated [overhand] and which hand is supinated [underhand] each round) do 11 of the deadlifts From there, let go of the barbell, shake your arms out if necessary and re-grip the bar, this time with a pronated grip (double overhand) and initiate the hook grip Deadlift up and then go into your hang power cleans Hang Power Cleans Wait to go into your hang power cleans until you know you can string all of them together. This ensures not wasting time or energy doing an unnecessary deadlift If you struggle re-initating the hook grip as the bar comes down, re-initate it at the bottom position before starting the next clean Push Jerks If you are tiring from all the hang power cleans rest in the front rack position instead of dropping the bar to rest. If necessary rest in your front rack with an “arms crossed” rack and re-grip. If your shoulders are tiring, you can shake the shoulders out individually with the “crossed arms” front rack



The last, and most important piece here – If you are coming to a MECHANICAL (perfect as possible movement) failure at any point, stop focusing on stringing together the movement and focus on keeping your mechanics solid. Your mechanics will fail far before your body will, so stay safe!