Benchmark Week at CFP!
Once a quarter, we program a week of benchmark workouts, Monday through Thursday, for athletes to come in, test, and repeat.
Should I do all four workouts?
Yes! We recommend you aim to come to class everyday that week in order to test each workout so that you will have a score for each. When the same benchmark workout comes up again, you’ll have a previous score and the goal will be to beat it (e.g. faster time, more weight, harder scale, etc.)!
Why do we test benchmark workouts?
“Our intent is two-fold in examining these workouts. First, these workouts, being exemplars of the CrossFit ideal, give us opportunity to lay bare some of the possibly unseen considerations and details we weigh in our programming design. Second, these four workouts introduce a series of workouts that will serve to measure and benchmark your performance and improvements through repeated, irregular, appearances in the “Workout of the Day”.”
Read more about the original benchmark workouts and the theory behind benchmark testing in programming here.
What if the order of the workouts means I’ll be sore for one of the workouts I’m testing?
Sure, depending on the order, you may find that you’re a little sore or fatigued by the time you get to Thursday’s workout. That’s OK. That’s real life, that’s General Physical Preparedness (GPP)! We’re not looking to test every workout in a perfect environment or scenario. Do your best on each day and you’ll get the information you need.
Which workouts should I test?
In CrossFit and GPP, it’s the development of our weaknesses, not our strengths, that make us better.
As you review the workouts, there will probably be workouts that you view and think, “Ugh, I DON’T want to do that!” Or maybe you’ll do a few workouts in the first rotation and think, “Why was I so not good at that?” Listen to those sentiments and results because in those moments you have self-identified the exact workouts that YOU MUST come to if you want to improve your fitness over the year. We don’t become better athletes by working on our strengths. If you fall short in capacity on the workouts that involve running, make every effort to come to the workouts at the gym that involves running in the coming months. It’s your fitness, make it count this year!
What do I do with my scores?
First, be SURE to enter them in SugarWOD so you can track your progress over a year. Then, if there are workouts that you personally fall short in compared to your abilities in other workouts and movements, remember that those are the workouts you need to target to attend during the three months before you retest! Third, when you achieve a personal record (PR), let’s celebrate in SugarWOD! Add a comment and cheer each other on!
Next Benchmark Week will be August 26th-29th, 2024!
