“I don’t want to slow you down.”
I hear that phrase a lot when partner workouts come up.
It reminds me of something that happened at the CrossFit Games.
During the weekend, CrossFit HQ hosts workouts where anyone attending can jump in. You end up in a big class with a bunch of strangers who all like to work out, led by Seminar Staff coaches.
At one of these sessions, the workout of the day was a partner WOD with hang snatches, hang cleans, burpees, and bar hangs. The kind of workout we all know is going to hurt.
After the briefing, the coach told us to partner up.
The big strong folks paired together.
Friends teamed up.
Families and moms found each other.
After the rush to grab a partner, one person was left standing alone—a 70-year-old, almost great-grandmother.
Now this isn’t a story about me flexing my moral compass. I actually wait until the end of the chaos on purpose.
Because the person who is left at the end?
They are always the best partner.
Her name was Tammy.
As we warmed up, I learned that Tammy is a CF-L1 who coaches part-time at her daughter’s gym. She works out three times a week and usually does what her gym calls the “sweat” scale. She’s been doing CrossFit for over five years and absolutely loves it.
And yet, when it came time to partner up, she didn’t jump in because she didn’t want to hold someone back.
Here’s the truth:
Scaling is infinite.
If someone gets frustrated because you’re going slower than them, it simply means they didn’t scale properly. That’s not on you.
So when the coach announced the prescribed weight—75 pounds on the bar—Tammy loaded 35 pounds, and I put 95 on mine.
We agreed on two simple rules:
- We’d both stay unbroken as long as possible.
- We’d follow the workout rule: you couldn’t move unless your partner was hanging from the bar.
And you know what?
That might have been the hardest I’ve ever pushed in a workout that wasn’t for money.
All I remember from that workout is how tough Tammy was.
Meanwhile I was thinking things like:
“CAN YOU PUT THE BAR DOWN, TAMMY?? I STARTED BREAKING IN ROUND THREE! MY GRIP IS GONE!”
You know… the normal thoughts that come up when you’re really pushing.
My forearms were sore for two days. I had Fran-lung the rest of the afternoon. And Tammy finished the workout feeling exactly how she wanted to feel.
Afterward we hugged because we both had such a great time.
The thing is, the story of “I don’t want to slow someone down” is just that—a story.
And sometimes it’s the story that keeps people from the growth they want.
So if you’ve been avoiding partner workouts because you’re worried about holding someone back, or if you’ve always wanted to train with someone who usually works at a higher scale than you…
Just do it.
Everyone grows from the experience. And everyone at Vegvisir is someone who wants to see you grow just as much as they want it for themselves.
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you in the gym.
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro