If you've been around your Box for a while, you may have heard the term "RX+" being used.

Going "RX+" describes the use of a weight, height, distance, or movement that is beyond what the workout prescribes...doing things like chest-to-bar pull-ups instead of standard pull-ups...30" box jumps instead of 24"...etc.

Traditionally, this has been reserved for the occasional super-human at your box who has hopes of qualifying for regionals someday.

However, the times are changing...and now TONS of people are going RX+ as soon as possible.

This is really awesome, as it allows people to avoid competing with others, boost their egos, and appear to be better athletes than they really are!

If you're tired of being lured into better fitness by subjecting yourself to fun, fair, and equal standards...RX+ is for you!

Here are some scenarios that will help you understand the beauty of that little "+" next to your name on the whiteboard.

Example #1...

Athlete  A:  Nice work in today's WOD!

Athlete  B:  Thanks! I thought I might be able to catch you, but those 25.5" box jumps really got to me!

In this scenario Athlete B cleverly avoids the sting of defeat by slightly changing the WOD, so he can no longer be compared to the rest of the class.  If he loses, it's no big deal because at this point, we're technically comparing apples to oranges.  Well Played Athlete B!

Example #2...

Athlete A:  Dude!  You killed Fran today! Way to go!

Athlete B:  Thanks!  Those 100lb Thrusters were hard, I really wanted to push myself though...That was a tough one!

In this scenario Athlete B did really well, and was actually able to win the workout with a heavier weight.  This is the moment when RX+ gets really awesome.

Not only was Athlete B able to make people who have to scale the WOD feel bad about themselves, and avoid the risk of competing on a level playing field...He has ALSO been able to feed his ego by winning at a heavier weight.  What luck!

Example #3...

Athlete A:  Hey girl...I saw on Wodify that you did a 20lb Wall-Ball today...That's Awesome!

Athlete B:  Oh, gosh thanks, It was the first one I picked up, so I thought I'd try it...Wow was that hard! (notice the false humility).

In this example Athlete B is banking on the slight anonymity that group workouts offer.  Most of the time people are just trying not to pass-out or puke, so they don't always notice the form or range of motion issues of others. 

95% of the people in class won't notice Athlete B's shallow squat or below target "no-reps"...They'll just see the "RX+" notation on the whiteboard. Smart athletes will choose this method to get the accolades they crave for going "beast mode" without all those pesky hours of working on proper form and mechanics...Brilliant!

So, there you have it, 3 great ways to start using RX+ !

Now, you can either take this information and do nothing with it, or you can start using RX+ whenever possible, and begin showing the rest of the box how awesome you really are (without being vulnerable enough to engage in competition)!

Either way, you should totally design one of these custom jump ropes.  You could even learn to do triple-unders and go "RX+!  Imagine how awesome that would look on the whiteboard :)

P.S.  If you're wondering if this blog post is about you...it is...but don't take it too hard... 'cause it's also about me :)

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