Adaptive Athletes Logan Aldridge and Casey Acree Take on CrossFit Invictus Comp Class
CrossFit’s training methodology is designed to be challenging, accessible, and — most importantly — infinitely scalable. (Also, a word to the wise: More people should probably scale more often to preserve the intended workout stimulus!) For adaptive athletes, scaling is much more nuanced than just modifying weight on the bar or intensity. Some movements may need no adaptation, while others will require significant changes based on the individual athlete.
What sorts of changes are needed when two adaptive athletes take on a competition-level class at the famed CrossFit Invictus gym? You may not see scaling in the same light ever again.
In the first video of the “Train with Me” series — a new partnership between BarBend and Adaptive Training Academy — Logan Aldridge and Casey Acree take on an Invictus comp class. Check out how they handle front squats, snatches, cleans, and “Friendly Fran” — each with just one arm.
Logan Aldridge and Casey Acree Adapt the Workout
It’s worth noting that both Logan and Casey are extraordinarily fit and knowledgeable athletes. They’re both high-level competitive athletes with distinguished lifting accomplishments. (Casey hit some viral stardom after his 270 pound power clean & jerk late last year.) And they’re two of Adaptive Training Academy’s most experienced trainers. So tweaking movements to meet their individual needs and capabilities is nothing new for these two.
What may be most interesting to some readers is the difference between how these athletes — both of whom are completing the workouts with one hand — adapt the movements. It’s a reminder that each and every disability creates unique challenges and solutions for scaling between one workout and the next.
Related: 7 Adaptive Athletes to Watch in the 2021 CrossFit Open
With the CrossFit Games introducing adaptive divisions for the first time this year, more coaches and athletes than ever will tackle modifying workouts for athletes with disabilities. Our hope is that the video above — and the forthcoming videos in the Train with Me series — can provide insight into how the two fittest one-armed men in the world approach their training, with lessons for coaches and athletes of all levels.