The Importance of Logging Scores and Re-Testing WOD’s

Over the past month, we have seen a variety of different 1-rep max lifts (Back Squat, Deadlift, Strict Press, Jerk, and Power Clean). This month our focus is on retesting past WOD’s and using percentages of these max effort lifts to establish speed and strength. So what does this mean to you and why should you care?

Who hasn’t heard one of our coaches tell you at the end of class to make sure to log your scores? Why do we stress this and what’s the point besides seeing how you stack up against the rest of the gym? The simple answer is because this provides us with cold hard facts on how we are progressing as athletes and gives us a framework for future WOD’s.

How many of you reading this truly know your 1-rep max back squat or squat clean? How about Fran or Cindy score? If you have been doing CrossFit for longer than 12 months, these should be no brainers for you. Even if you have only been doing CrossFit for 3-6 months, you should have a solid idea of what your 1-rep max is for most major lifts. But still, the question remains, which takes me to my next point.

Answer this, if you don’t know your 1-rep max clean and jerk how are you to know what an appropriate weight would be for a workout like Grace (30 clean and jerks for time). Often in workouts, you might have to work with 80% of your one rep max. These percentages are there for a reason, and to get the intended stimulus of the workout we need to understand our numbers to scale workouts appropriately. Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut with your weights while another member was continuing to put on strength? This is because they are probably doing a better job using the data from the past to form an idea of what their body can do and exactly how the workout is supposed to push them.

Put simply, how are you going to know that you’re getting more fit if you don’t have any data to back it up? Yes, looking and feeling better is important but so is hard evidence that your work is paying off. Furthermore, it’s always worth it to look back on how far you’ve come. Life is often viewed backward, but it must be lived forwards. So make sure you always log scores, celebrate PR’s, and have fun!