S02E09 Walk with Me - On a Stroll with Crossfitter Yaohui Liu
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 feedback@scaledto.fit
Go to podchaser.com/scaledtofit and give us a rating.
#scaledtofit #fitness #grownupfitness #scaling
Additional resources are available in the links below.
Transcript
I took my microphone out for a walk with my CrossFit training buddy, Yaohui Liu, to discuss
Speaker:how exercising changes over time, how to handle plateaus and how to keep going, because why not.
Speaker:Yaohui has kept on doing CrossFit for over a decade now, unlike me who gave it up
Speaker:after the first season of the podcast. Now we went back to have a look at how it has
Speaker:been. And for CrossFit especially appropriate is, what I like to say, don't do nothing,
Speaker:do something and scale it back. And first I wanted to know what has kept him going, working out
Speaker:So, many years has passed, I think more or less doing CrossFit has become a habit for me,
Speaker:rather than something I have to think about, it has become part of my schedule. Sometimes
Speaker:even in a busy time, I still thought that I need to do it and I feel good doing it. And,
Speaker:yeah, so indeed over time this develops as a habit rather than something you consciously
Speaker:have to think of.
Speaker:Can you pinpoint a time when it turned from a sort of driven by motivation into a habit
Speaker:that you really need, feel like a need to go?
Speaker:I think maybe three to five years in, because at the beginning for CrossFit you have a lot
Speaker:to learn and you see a very rapid growth, no matter from shaping your muscle tone or
Speaker:learning some new skills like muscle up or handstand and all these things that usually
Speaker:you feel like a kind of achievement. And yeah, I'm a learning person, I like to learn new
Speaker:skills and this is something that physically can be shown. And so it motivates me going
Speaker:repeatedly to learn new stuff. And also you see your personal growth, like your personal
Speaker:PRs to grow and so on.
Speaker:And at some point you also face, CrossFitters almost all face a phase called plateau and
Speaker:this is the difficult part which you feel maybe a little bit frustrated because you
Speaker:don't do heavier or faster that easily. So that is the moment somehow a routine starts
Speaker:to kick in. I think I was lucky to get good community support with the boxes I participate
Speaker:knowing a lot of people. I wouldn't call them very close friends, but they are very supportive
Speaker:and encouraging.
Speaker:Let's sidetrack to the plateau a little bit because I think that the plateau is a very
Speaker:familiar phenomenon to anybody who is doing it a little bit longer. So are you saying
Speaker:that you just went through the plateau just by sticking to the exercise or did you do
Speaker:something else to get over that moment of no results?
Speaker:I don't see, I don't have results. When I say plateau means that I don't set new personal
Speaker:record easily or for a long time. Yeah, basically our development is sort of a stalls. Exactly.
Speaker:But it's not like deteriorating or dropping that either. But how do you go through it?
Speaker:How did you go through it? Just by sticking to the routine or is there something else?
Speaker:Sometimes you just have to mentally accept that there are physical limitations or your
Speaker:level of training could only reach a certain level. I'm that kind of athletes or CrossFitter
Speaker:is not aiming to go to so much of a, you know, in a competition mode rather than keep myself
Speaker:fit and agile and healthy. Therefore it wouldn't be a very big frustration for me in that sense.
Speaker:So basically that depends on your goals because if your goal is just stay healthier and keep
Speaker:fit so it doesn't really matter if there's a moment in time that you don't feel that
Speaker:you're improve your results all the time. Exactly. And also even the top athletes also facing
Speaker:the same situation. So it's just personal for personal level at what level that you have
Speaker:to face this type of situation. The good to no corner. What is it when you feel stuck
Speaker:with the exercise? You're doing your thing but nothing seems to happen. The same frustrating
Speaker:lack of progress. It's as if your body has just decided to give up on you. So what's actually
Speaker:going on here? When you first start exercising, your body is like, wow, what is this crazy
Speaker:person doing to me? And it scrambles to adapt. Your nervous system gets better at telling
Speaker:your muscles what to do. Your muscles get stronger and boom, you are making gains left
Speaker:and right. But here is where it gets tricky. Your body is basically a really efficient
Speaker:machine that doesn't like to waste energy. Once it figures out how to handle your workouts,
Speaker:it's like, oh, this again, yeah, I got this. It becomes so good at what you are asking
Speaker:it to do that it stops needing to get better. That's your plateau right there. Think of
Speaker:it like learning to drive. Remember those first few weeks when everything felt overwhelming,
Speaker:but after a while you could drive without even thinking about it. Your body does the
Speaker:same thing with exercise. It masters your routine and then coasts. Essentially, when you exercise,
Speaker:you're actually breaking down your body a little bit. Then when you rest, your body
Speaker:doesn't just repair itself back to where it was. In fact, it builds back a little stronger,
Speaker:preparing for the next time you throw a challenge at it. What happens here is called supercompensation.
Speaker:But here's the catch. If you keep throwing the exact same challenge, your body reaches
Speaker:his new level and then stops. It's found its new normal and it's perfectly happy staying
Speaker:there. And this in turn is called homeostasis. Or you can think of it as your body being
Speaker:in a state of content. But it's not necessarily just about your body adapting. Maybe you are
Speaker:not pushing yourself hard enough anymore or you are sticking to your old workout. Maybe
Speaker:you've gotten comfortable with your current level and forgot that whole progressive overload
Speaker:thing. Your body loves routine, but it also needs some variety to keep evolving. Or then,
Speaker:what if you are not recovering enough, your muscles actually grow and your fitness improves
Speaker:when you are sleeping, not when you are exercising. And the nutrition, like we discussed in the
Speaker:previous episode. You can't outdrain a bad diet and you definitely can't break through
Speaker:plateaus if you are not feeding your body what it needs. So how to fix this? First up, progressive
Speaker:overload is your best friend. Keep challenging your body. Add more weight, do more reps or
Speaker:walk longer or faster. Make the exercise gradually harder so your body has to keep adapting.
Speaker:Try training in cycles. You could do 4 weeks of more intense exercise followed by a week
Speaker:of lighter strolls and then return to heavy exercise but with a different program. This
Speaker:keeps your body guessing. Or then mix things up. Try full body workouts or introduce bodyweight
Speaker:movements into your walking routine. Keep your muscles on their toes. Literally. And
Speaker:sometimes you need to actually back off. Get your sleep, take your rest days and pay attention
Speaker:to what your body is telling you. Taking some deload weeks where you exercise lighter or
Speaker:take more rest can help you come back stronger. And then maybe the most important part. Rattos
Speaker:are normal. They are not a sign that you are failing or that you should give up. They are
Speaker:a sign that your body has adapted to what you have been doing which is amazing when
Speaker:you think about it. Instead of getting frustrated, see it as your body telling you it's time to
Speaker:level up your game. Take a step back, assess what you are doing, make some strategic changes
Speaker:and trust the process. Your next breakthrough is probably just around the corner. The good
Speaker:to no corner. Ok, let's keep the same theme. So is there any other ways that your exercise
Speaker:has evolved or changed over the time? I think as people are growing older, particularly in
Speaker:my case, I start to accept that I could do some exercises in a scaled way. Not always
Speaker:Rx. And also I have good days and bad days. And Rx means? According to the record. I guess.
Speaker:According to the specification of the training program. So I have good days and bad days
Speaker:and I start to accept that someday I can push it a little bit harder. Some other days I could
Speaker:just relax a little bit. But I try to just show up. I think that's the most important
Speaker:thing. Once you repeat doing that, you will in the long run see you are keeping in a good
Speaker:shape. Is there some changes that you would have noticed in your own body's response or
Speaker:development or how it reacts to the exercise over the years? That's depending. At the beginning,
Speaker:when I started doing CrossFit, I definitely grew a lot of muscle and sometimes I can feel
Speaker:really happy to look in the mirror and you can see a clear muscle tone. And also what
Speaker:I am particularly proud of is that I have a really good flexibility and mobility. The
Speaker:coach always gave compliments on my squad and on average I think I do pretty well. And
Speaker:I think looking at my health perspective over long run, even at a very older age, I am less
Speaker:prone to some like bone breaking or injuries and so on. That's really, really helpful.
Speaker:And yeah, so the training of course, depending on different skills, like something are much
Speaker:easier. I am very good in coordination. I can do double unders easily. I see a lot of
Speaker:people struggle. But then again, because I have an injury on my wrist at a very young
Speaker:age, so I find it particularly hard to do handstand or hand walk, that kind of thing.
Speaker:And still until today, I am still not able to achieve what I would like to. But it doesn't
Speaker:really matter because I think what is really important is that you feel good about your
Speaker:own condition and not just looking for particular scores or skills that you have to learn. Just
Speaker:accepting people are different. Right. Are there any things that would have... You said
Speaker:that there are certain things that have been difficult or easy for you, but are there some
Speaker:things that would have changed, like that have become difficult or that have become easier
Speaker:over the experience and time? Yeah. So I think for what has become easier is to master those
Speaker:movements, like to do it properly, with so-called quality, like a squat or clean or jerk. I can
Speaker:coordinate myself, my body much better, and even with a little bit heavier load. But from
Speaker:what has become more difficult is definitely my overall metabolism or conditioning. They
Speaker:call it METCOM part. Usually this follows a heat, high intensive interval training regime.
Speaker:And sometimes I just feel like my heartbeat is too high to keep up. So I somehow have to
Speaker:control the pace and therefore slowing down a little bit. And I realized that this is particularly
Speaker:more challenging as I'm aging or growing older. Then, well, you have been... How long have you
Speaker:been training CrossFit now? I think over 10 years. Over 10 years. So in addition to the
Speaker:muscle growth, what would you say are the most noticeable results from all that work that you have been doing?
Speaker:I think my muscle percentage remained relatively reasonable compared to my age group or above average.
Speaker:And I particularly am proud of my shoulders, so I can push very well. And also my spine
Speaker:feels like strong. So even though doing a little bit heavy load on the clean or deadlifts, I try to keep the form pretty decent. Yeah, but then again, if I'm not in the age to pursue very visible six packs or eight packs, that kind of thing. Because anyhow, this type
Speaker:of muscle tone, I know I have a strong core, but it's not necessary the muscle be visible due to my fat percentage is not so low as before. Okay, then those were like a physical, physiological changes. But what about have you noticed any like mental changes? I think definitely
Speaker:CrossFit has really helped me to deal with a lot of stress because in a working environment and especially when I have a little bit more responsibilities at work and more stress, and then I can dedicate this time, clear my head to turn off what mental stress is and then to focus on the physical load.
Speaker:And that is actually even enjoyable to do. And I would say over the years, it's really helped me, especially in high stress situations. Once I could, that's perhaps one of the reasons keep me going as well. When I look deeper inside me, would you consider it sort of a mindfulness with heavy weights?
Speaker:Oh, yes, you can say that. Then if you continue with the mental part, so people have different identities in different places. So what would you how would you characterize your sports identity? What kind of a sports person are you?
Speaker:You should perhaps know that what kind of a sport person I am, because I'm CrossFit, and I definitely tell you that's just a joke. But I would say I'm a fitness conscious person. And I'm seeking for overall wellness and long term fitness. I'm ready for my old age.
Speaker:Do you think that your sports identity, which way it has changed over time with your exercise becoming more frequent or almost like permanent thing in your life?
Speaker:At the very beginning, I didn't know that I could be a CrossFitter. And I definitely had doubt that if I can keep it up, because when I read the program, it seems to be beyond my capabilities. But as time goes on, I think that doubt has been removed. And I think this athletes in CrossFit has become an identity that I would like to keep on.
Speaker:Of course, someday maybe my physical condition doesn't allow me to do that much. But I think I will keep on just showing up.
Speaker:Well, that's a good advice. Is there any other kind of advice would you say to people who are, for example, struggling with keeping up the exercise or have difficulties opening the door to get to the gym or whatever exercise location they are supposed to go?
Speaker:Yeah, so I think just like my personal experience tells me that do not think too much objective or end goal. Just do it. And over time, the results will tell itself. Because if you focus on a particular goal, like you have to grow so much muscle or you have to show a six pack, you will be disappointed.
Speaker:Because this is not what the fitness about, you know, all the social media or pressure from the peers doesn't help you. You just set a realistic expectation on yourself and keep on doing it. And of course, you have to feel fun.
Speaker:That's the most important thing is not necessarily everybody suitable for CrossFit. You could be a bicycler, you could do bike, you could be a runner, you could be a walker, or you could be a dancer. That's still the way to keep your physically fit. And I think find the right kind of sport is the most important thing that can sustain.
Speaker:Over time, the results will reward you. So if I would summarize your advice is to show up and have fun. Exactly. Well captured.
Speaker:Weekly challenge. So why don't you just do your normal regular exercise, but instead of thinking about how much you have to achieve this week, consciously avoid thinking about any goals or set targets. Just go do your thing and focus on enjoying every moment of it and having fun. And remember what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something and scale it back.
Speaker:This was scale to fit fit in your 50s with Marco Lindgren. All sounds are made by me. Send us your feedback via email at feedback@scale2.fit or visit potrace.com/scale2fit to leave a rating. Don't forget to check the show notes at scale2.fit. All the links are there. Thank you for tuning in.
Speaker:Thank you for tuning in.
Speaker:[Music]
