I took a walk — and a mic — with my long-time CrossFit training buddy Yaohui Liu to talk about how exercise evolves over the years, how to deal with plateaus, and why just showing up matters.

Yaohui has trained in CrossFit for over a decade, while I dropped off after Season 1 of this podcast. We revisited his journey to uncover what has kept him going, how his mindset and training have changed, and what lessons can help anyone trying to stay consistent.

Key Takeaways:

• From Motivation to Habit: Yaohui’s training transformed from a motivation-driven activity into a built-in part of his daily rhythm.
• Dealing with Plateaus: Plateaus are natural. Yaohui explains how adjusting expectations, embracing consistency, and relying on community helped him stay the course when visible progress slowed.
• The Role of Goals: Your goals matter. Training to compete is different from training for overall health — and both are valid.
• Adaptation Over Time: Training intensity and style have shifted. Some movements became easier with experience; others (like conditioning) got tougher with age. The key is to listen to your body and adapt.
• Fitness as Mindfulness: For Yaohui, CrossFit is not just about physical results — it’s a tool for managing stress and clearing his mind.

Weekly Challenge:

Exercise this week without any specific goals in mind. Don’t chase a time, a weight, or a distance — move, enjoy it, and remember:

"Don’t do nothing. Do something and scale it back."

Please send us feedback by email to [email protected] 

Go to podchaser.com/scaledtofit and give us a rating. 

#scaledtofit #fitness #grownupfitness #scaling

Additional resources are available in the links below.

• How to Break Through Your Workout Plateau | EōS Fitness
• Overcoming Plateaus: Strategies to Keep Progressing in Strength Training — IBX Fitness
• The Workout Plateau Explained: Why It Happens and How to Overcome It
• The Physiology of Training Plateaus