CrossFit: Understanding 115/75 Weight Standards, Movements, and Scaling

What does 115/75 mean in crossfit?

In CrossFit, 115/75 refers to a common weight prescription for barbell movements in a Workout of the Day (WOD), where 115 pounds (lbs) is the prescribed weight for male athletes and 75 lbs is the prescribed weight for female athletes.

Understanding CrossFit's Weight Standards

CrossFit programming often utilizes standardized weight prescriptions to create a consistent challenge across its global community. These weights serve as benchmarks, allowing athletes to compare their performance against a common standard, known as "Rx" (as prescribed). The 115/75 lb designation is one of the most frequently encountered examples of these gender-specific weight prescriptions for various loaded exercises.

The Significance of 115 lbs and 75 lbs

The use of 115 lbs for men and 75 lbs for women is deeply embedded in CrossFit's methodology for several reasons:

• Standardization and Benchmarking: These weights provide a universal standard for many WODs, allowing athletes worldwide to perform the same workout with the same intended stimulus. This enables tracking progress, comparing scores, and fostering a competitive yet communal environment.
• Gender-Specific Programming: Recognizing fundamental physiological differences in average strength and body composition between sexes, CrossFit programming typically scales weights to maintain a similar relative intensity and stimulus for both male and female athletes. While individual strength varies widely, 115 lbs for men and 75 lbs for women often represent a challenging but achievable weight for intermediate to advanced CrossFitters for certain movements within a WOD context.
• Relative Intensity: For many athletes, these weights represent a moderate percentage of their one-repetition maximum (1RM) for specific lifts, making them suitable for high-repetition schemes, complex movements (like barbell cycling), or as part of a longer metabolic conditioning workout.

Common Movements Associated with These Weights

The 115/75 lb prescription is most commonly applied to barbell movements that are frequently performed in CrossFit WODs. These include:

• Olympic Weightlifting Movements:
  • Snatch: Often seen as a challenging weight for multiple repetitions.
  • Clean and Jerk: Frequently used in WODs that combine strength and metabolic conditioning.
• Powerlifting and Strength-Focused Movements:
  • Deadlifts: While heavier deadlifts are common, 115/75 lbs might be used for high-repetition or fast-paced deadlifts within a WOD.
  • Back Squats/Front Squats/Overhead Squats: Could be incorporated into a WOD with these weights for higher volume.
• Gymnastics/Bodyweight Hybrid Movements: These weights are specifically for loaded movements. When a WOD combines barbell work with bodyweight movements (e.g., 115/75 lb Snatches and Pull-ups), the weights refer only to the barbell component.

"Rx" vs. Scaling: Your Path to Performance

Understanding 115/75 lbs also requires understanding the concept of "Rx" and the critical role of scaling in CrossFit.

• What "Rx" Means: "Rx" signifies performing a WOD exactly as prescribed, using the specified weights, movements, and rep schemes. Achieving "Rx" indicates a certain level of proficiency and strength relative to the workout's design.
• The Importance of Scaling: For many athletes, 115 lbs or 75 lbs may be too heavy, too light, or not appropriate for their current skill level or physical condition. Scaling involves modifying the weight, movement, or repetitions to match an individual's capabilities. This is not a sign of weakness but a smart training strategy that ensures:
  • Safety: Prevents injury by avoiding loads that compromise form.
  • Efficacy: Allows the athlete to maintain the intended stimulus (e.g., intensity, duration, metabolic demand) of the WOD.
  • Progression: Enables gradual improvement towards achieving the Rx weights and movements.
• When to Scale: Athletes should always prioritize proper form and movement quality over hitting the Rx weight. If an athlete cannot perform the movement safely and efficiently with the prescribed weight for the intended repetitions, scaling down is always the correct choice.

Biomechanical and Physiological Considerations

The selection of these weights in CrossFit programming is not arbitrary but aims to elicit specific biomechanical and physiological responses:

• Relative Intensity and Training Adaptation: For many, 115/75 lbs represents a moderate to high relative intensity (e.g., 50-70% of 1RM for Olympic lifts for some athletes). This range is effective for developing muscular endurance, power endurance, and technical proficiency under fatigue, which are hallmarks of CrossFit training.
• Metabolic Demands: Performing multiple repetitions with these weights within a WOD, especially when combined with other movements, places significant demands on both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, contributing to improved cardiovascular fitness and work capacity.
• Injury Prevention and Movement Quality: While the goal is performance, the underlying principle is to move well. Attempting weights that are too heavy for an athlete's current strength or technical ability can lead to compromised form, increased risk of injury, and the reinforcement of poor movement patterns. Coaches play a vital role in guiding athletes to select appropriate loads.

Practical Application for Athletes and Coaches

For both athletes and coaches, understanding 115/75 lbs means more than just knowing the numbers:

• Assessing Readiness: Athletes should regularly assess their 1RM for key lifts and their ability to maintain proper form under fatigue. This helps determine if 115 lbs or 75 lbs is an appropriate starting point for a given WOD.
• Progressive Overload: For those for whom these weights are currently too heavy, they serve as tangible goals for progressive overload. Gradually increasing strength and technique will eventually allow an athlete to perform WODs at Rx.
• Coaching Cues: Coaches should emphasize movement quality and efficiency over simply lifting the prescribed weight. Effective coaching involves guiding athletes to scale appropriately, providing specific cues for technique, and fostering a mindset that prioritizes long-term athletic development over short-term Rx glory.

Conclusion

In the context of CrossFit, 115/75 lbs is a fundamental weight prescription, signifying 115 pounds for male athletes and 75 pounds for female athletes in various barbell movements within a WOD. These numbers are benchmarks for "Rx" performance, reflecting CrossFit's approach to standardized, gender-specific programming. While aiming for Rx is a common goal, the intelligent application of scaling is paramount for ensuring safety, promoting effective training, and fostering sustainable athletic development for all participants, regardless of their current strength or skill level.