Testing vs. Training in CrossFit

Marathon runners don’t run a daily marathon in preparation for their race. Football teams don’t play a game at practice to prepare for their next opponent. The same principle should apply to the way athletes are trained in the walls of a CrossFit affiliate. Beating people over the head with endless metcons without planning intentional development of technique, strength and skill is a slippery slope towards injury, burnout and/or boredom. One of the first steps in combating this is to understand the difference between testing and training. This content is available exclusively to Members Become an member and start enjoying full access to all our community and sports content, and an ad-free experience. PROMO Exclusive content Ad-Free web/app experience Comments on articles Exclusive 15% WIT discount $1 per month for the first 4 months, $8 each month after Get Started for $1 Exclusive content Ad-Free web/app experience Comments on articles Exclusive private Facebook Group Regular coffee breaks hang outs Exclusive 15% WIT discount Get Started $5/month billed annually Already a member? Log In. Testing: Measures information regarding an athlete’s ability to perform a specific task. The main focus of the athlete is to get the best possible score, while the goal for the programmer/coach is gathering baseline metrics for future training. This needs to be done across a spectrum of tests to ensure programming isn’t biased towards a single modality. Training: Focuses on developing technique, skills and increasing volume or intensity periodically. This combines deliberate practice for higher skill movements, with simply ‘doing the work’ and building volume with submaximal repeats at or near threshold levels. This can be geared towards an upcoming test or be written as a general workout to have more of a training effect. Both are needed: Testing helps to check the efficacy of a previous training cycle and also provides direction for future programming. Training serves as a bridge between tests, with the aim of improving performance. One of the biggest mistakes people make is testing too frequently. The body needs time to adapt and generally six to 12 weeks is the minimum duration needed to make lasting gains in a given area (depending on training age). Programmer responsibility: There are ways you can be creative in ensuring that training maintains the focus and stimulus for the day. The more detailed and clear you are, the less likely you are to have the session turn into an exhibition of fitness. Percentages or RPE in weightlifting to develop technique, speed and consistency Tempo and pause work to emphasize control and positioning Dedicated skill sessions with multiple different progressions for athletes of varying levels Make “slowest round” or “lowest rep round” the score for the day to emphasize pacing While these tricks can be effective from a daily perspective, it’s important to communicate and educate coaches and athletes on the bigger picture. You can do this by outlining programming cycles, while sharing insights into how things will be progressed over a given period of time. Coach responsibility: The implementation of the programming by the coaches in your gym will dictate the stimulus that is delivered on the floor each day. You can have the greatest training plan in the world, but if it is not applied correctly or modified accordingly, the safety, efficacy and efficiency will be greatly diminished. It is the coaches job to educate and help athletes get the most out of training. What’s the main focus for the day? What’s the target time or reps for the workout? How many unbroken reps of each movement should athletes be able to do? How should things feel? Answering these questions at the beginning of class is an important way to set expectations for the day, but there needs to be follow up by the coach to ensure athletes have scaled appropriately. This means connecting with each athlete individually before the start of the training segment, asking to see reps and making adjustments to maximize the session. The bottom line: Although the everyday CrossFit athlete won’t need the same level of detail and individualization as a competitor, it’s important to organize and plan testing/training well ahead of time. The programming will only be as effective as the implementation by the coaching staff, so make it a collaborative effort to ensure that members are getting the highest quality training.

Testing vs. Training in CrossFit

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