Training Gears: The Smarter Way to Train for Life at Railroad CrossFit
Ever believe, think or tell yourself these…
“If I’m not sore… did I even do anything?”
“If I didn’t go all-out, I didn’t push myself enough.”
“CrossFit is too intense, I could never do that.”
We hear things like these all the time.
From people just getting started.
From people who’ve been training for years.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking fitness has to feel like punishment or that real results only come from redlining.
But here’s the truth:
“Training is never one fixed gear.“
— Shawn McQueen, Head Coach & Owner of Railroad CrossFit
The Path of Easy leads to nowhere.
If we always go easy, never lift anything heavy, never break a sweat, never challenge ourselves, well our results and progress will reflect that.
We’ll miss out on what we’re capable of.
Yet if we go all-out every single day, draining ourselves dry, max effort all the time… yes, we’ll get results…
Until…
The car breaks.
Because that path leads to burnout, injury, breakdown, and inconsistency.
That’s not training for life. That’s running yourself into the ground.
I call it “Training Gears.”
Just like a stick shift car has different gears allowing for different speeds and operations, so does your body.
Each training gear serves a purpose.
Each one moves you forward.
The key is learning what your gears are, what gear to live in and when to shift.
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The 4 Gears We Coach at Railroad CrossFit
| Gear | Description | Rate of Perceived Exertion (outof 10) | Examples | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🟢 PRACTICE | Low stress. Learning. Slower cadence. Connect dots. Refine it. [1st – 2nd Gear] | 2–4 | Empty barbell drills, rope climb technique, ski form work | Improves technique, coordination, body control, safety, and cognitive function |
| 🟡 SUSTAIN | Finding and claiming your cyclical rhythm. Repeatable efforts. [3rd-4th Gear] | 5–7 | Long EMOMs, moderate AMRAPs, steady intervals, conditioning repeats (4 x 500m row) | Builds pacing, endurance, repeatability, and helps you learn about your body and develop capacity |
| 🔵 TRAINING | Building. Challenge self. Push at edges a little. Blended elements of sustain and high effort. [4th Gear] | 7–8 | Lifting at 75–85%, 70-80% of your workouts [applying mind, aerobic, muscle endurance, strength and internal self talk in a controlled setting] | Drives strength and stamina, supports fat loss, muscle gain, and long-term fitness development |
| 🔴 HIGH EFFORT | Testing your physical and mental. Grit. [5th Gear] | 9–10 | Benchmark workouts, short sprints, challenges, “testing” | Builds mental resilience & fortitude, tests limits, and helps raise your ceiling of capability |
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Don’t Let Someone Else’s Gear Dictate Yours
Another trap, especially for veteran members is comparing the results or effort of someone else in class to what “they should be able to do.”
You see someone else result, weight lifted and think “I should be able to do that too.”
The truth is:
Your gear, result, effort should match your life, your body, your recovery…not your friends.
Use it for friendly, healthy push sure. Not where your result needs to be, your self esteem, or any “shoulds.”
Our programming offers a clear intention.
And your job, and our job as your coaches is to help you dial it in to what you need today.
When to call an Audible: What Might Cause You to Shift The Intended Gear?
Some days, you’ll walk in feeling great.
Other days, your body (or brain) will ask for something different.
That’s not failure…that’s awareness.
Here are common factors that might lead you to shift down:
- Fatigue: Your body or nervous system needs recovery.
- Injury or sensitivity: Protect and support the system.
- Stress: Emotional and mental stress load the system, too.
- Lack of sleep: Impacts strength, pacing, decision-making, everything.
Being honest about these factors is not weakness.
It’s wisdom.
At Railroad, we honor that.
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You Always Have the Ability to Shift Gears
One more thing I want every member to remember:
Even if the class focus is high effort, and you’re not in a place physically or mentally to push that hard…you still belong here.
Just let us know. We’ll meet you where you’re at and help you find the gear that fits that day.
That option is always available. Never let that stop you from showing up.
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At Railroad, We Coach Gears Every Day
For every person.
Every session.
Every season of life.
We don’t guess.
We don’t crush for the sake of crushing.
We teach people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s how to train intentionally, intelligently, and sustainably — so they can live strong, capable lives.
That’s how you get fit, stay fit…for life.