Adaptive training isn't a watered-down workout. It's the same stimulus, the same coaching and the same community — with movements built around your body.
What adaptive training means
Adaptive training means adjusting the movement, the equipment or the pace of a workout so an athlete with an injury, disability or limited mobility can train hard — without watering the workout down. The stimulus stays the same; the movement changes.
At Boston Iron Grit in West Roxbury, adaptation is built into how every class runs. Coaches scale workouts for every athlete in the room, so an adapted movement isn't a special case — it's how the gym already works.
Who adaptive training is for
Adaptive training serves a wide range of athletes:
- Wheelchair users and seated athletes
- Athletes with limb difference or amputation
- People managing neurological conditions or recovering from a stroke
- Athletes returning from major injury or surgery
- Anyone training around chronic pain or limited mobility
How we adapt a workout
Every movement in a workout trains a pattern — squat, hinge, push, pull, carry. Adaptive coaching keeps the pattern and the intensity while changing the expression:
- Barbell lifts performed seated or from adjusted heights
- Substituting implements — dumbbells, rowing, ski erg — to hit the same conditioning
- Range-of-motion and load adjustments so positions stay strong and safe
- Same class, same clock, same whiteboard as everyone else
Coached by an adaptive athlete
Adaptive training at Boston Iron Grit is led by Coach Cassandra Eddy-Stewart, our Adaptive Coach Specialist. Cass is a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and Level 1 Weightlifting Coach with a master's degree in exercise science — and an adaptive athlete herself, competing in HYROX, rowing and CrossFit.
That combination matters. Cass applies her knowledge of the human body to athletes of all levels, and she knows first-hand what it takes to adapt a workout without lowering the standard. She works with adaptive athletes by appointment — it starts with a free goal review.
Read Coach Cass's full bio
How to get started
Every adaptive athlete starts the same way as every other member: a free 20-minute goal review. It's a conversation, not a workout — what you want, what you've done before, and anything your body is working around. From there we'll recommend the right first step.
Book your free goal reviewLocal Next Step
Ready to put this into practice in West Roxbury? Meet Coach Cass — Adaptive Coach Specialist or book a free goal review at Boston Iron Grit.
FAQ
Yes. Coach Cassandra Eddy-Stewart is our Adaptive Coach Specialist. She works with athletes training around injury, disability or limited mobility at our West Roxbury gym, and coaches Wednesday nights.
No. Every athlete starts with a free goal review — a 20-minute conversation about your goals and what your body is working around. No workout, no test.
The same as our standard options — group memberships from $225/month or private training. The right format depends on your goals, which is exactly what the free goal review figures out.
Yes — that's the point. Movements are adapted within the same class, same clock and same community. Scaling is normal at Boston Iron Grit for every athlete, adaptive or not.
