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Jessica from the NY Post will be at Open Gym tonight taking shots for the cover of an upcoming NY Post in which CFSBK will be feaured.  If you don’t mind being photographed (or if you’d prefer not to be photographed) please let her know tonight.

There is No Active Recovery Tomorrow as David will be in Holland at the Roadburn Music Festival

Training vs. Testing

by Coach Noah

All last week attempted One Rep Maxes (1RMs) here at CFSBK.  People moved some impressive weight, beat old PRs, and gained insight about their training and their performance.  Going forward into Crush Week, now that many of us have some experience exploring the outer margins of our strength, let us discuss what testing is, as opposed to training, and where both of these concepts fit our development as Crossfitters.

Training

When we train a skill or movement, we perform with a direct and focused outcome.  At CFSBK we mainly use a “linear progression” model for our strength training, which allows us to slowly and steadily increase our strength and avoid plateaus.  We mix this with conditioning and muscular endurance training that is designed to complement our strength training while drawing from a deeper pool of movements and time domains.  Our training is never random- our coaches spend a good deal of time and energy to make sure that each movement we do in the gym makes us stronger, more mobile, and works to address weaknesses and imbalances.  At CFSBK we train submaximally 90% or more of the time- basically if it is a workout without a “Girl” or “Hero” name or a One Rep Max test, consider it training, and handle yourself accordingly, as described below.

Good training is generally submaximal, which means we use loads or rep schemes that are lower than our absolute ability.  Training submaximally is great for a number of reasons.  It allows us to train with proper technique, avoid injury, and recover better.  Training submaximally also lets us “own our exercise” and perform our reps with good speed, authority, and confidence.  

Your own training should draw on these concepts.  Your training should be submaximal, with an eye on the larger outcome your training session will have on your general fitness.  During training, failure should be nearly non-existent (I will discuss this further at the end of the article) and we should reflect about what today’s work means to our greater plans both before and after our training session.  We should leave each training session feeling that we accomplished our goals and are moving forward with our bigger plan.

Testing

Testing is the rare and exotic unicorn in direct opposition to the common utilitarian draft horse of training.   Compared to training, testing is rare.  At CFSBK we have programmed crush weeks, during which we will program more “named” workouts, or generally tougher workouts that are related to the training cycle we have just completed, with an eye on testing how effective our training has been.  Unlike training, where we have a full understanding and direction for our daily toil, a day of testing can be a bit of a wild card.  Coach Jeremy has referred to it as a “performance,” and just like on the stage, sometimes during a test we bring the house down, and some days we fall flat.  Part of the value of training lies in this mystery and our reaction to it.

Why train so frequently and test so rarely?  Testing taxes your body and has little progressive effect on your system.  Moving extremely heavy load or at breakneck speed can lead to diminished accuracy in technique, technical misses, and is extremely taxing on our CNS.  Incessant testing leads to poor recovery and less adaptive stress on our system.  Adaptive stress fuels growth, so the more we test, the less we grow.

Why test at all then?  Tests are necessary for benchmarking our progress, identifying weaknesses, and gaining experience and confidence in performance under pressure.  The very reason the “girls” and “heroes” are referred to as “benchmark” workouts is that we should only perform them every so often as a yardstick for our strength and conditioning gains.  Don’t be the guy who does Fran every friday.  That said, every so often you should pick a workout and say “I’m gonna really get after this” and lay it all out there.  It’s best to make sure it’s a workout we do semi-regularly so you will have some comparative data, and it’s good to pick a workout that incorporates movements you have been working on during your training so that you can reward your hard work with progress.

Failing and Bailing

This conversation is a long time coming, and an attempt to clean up some lax training habits and psychology that have become a bit too hardwired at the gym.  The difference between training, where we very rarely fail, and testing, where we very well may fail, necessitates a discussion of when, why, and how failing/bailing should occur.

During training we should virtually never fail.  We should be working submaximally, with a plan, and in control of the weight.  Part of our plan is a plan to succeed.  If we do fail it should be a technical fail- lost balance in a squat, hitting ourselves in the chin during a press- a mistake.  Repeated failure during a training phase is a not-so-subtle message from our CNS that we are training too hard and need to back off or deload entirely.  During a 6-8 week training phase you should be able to count your missed reps on one hand, with fingers to spare.

During a test, we may very well fail as we brush up against the ceiling of our strength, conditioning, and skill.  This could be as simple as not being able to stand a squat back up after taking it down, or can be biting off more than we can chew in a WOD and realizing that we either won’t be able to complete it at all, or at least not before the next equinox.  These failures will inform our training going forward, as they set concrete benchmarks about what where we currently stand.  A missed lift or slow metcon shouldn’t be a cause for frustration, demonstrative shouting, or thrown weight belts, but as useful data that will inform our next training cycle.

Bailing is a luxury that weightlifters went without for many years.  Bumper plates are an invention of Olympic Weightlifting, where technical misses occur fairly often due to the high skill demand of the movements.  Powerlifters for years toiled away in “iron gyms,” without the ability to bail every time they got stuck in the hole.  This week we had everyone get spotted during 1RM attempts, and asked that they hang in there and finish their lifts, even if it had to be with the aid of the spotter.  Fighting through a rep is a learned skill, and often the feeling of “oh no, this will never go up” can one second later become “I’ve got it” with the application of a little tenacity.  The converse is true- people can become so comfortable bailing the bar that the second their squat feels less than stellar they toss if off their shoulders.  While there are some WODs and specific workouts where a (CONTROLLED) bail is ok (Grace for example) these bails usually happen at the TOP of a lift so the athlete doesn’t tire out or have to fight through a suboptimal position. Learn to fight out a rep, finish what you start, and don’t get comfortable with the idea of bailing the bar.

The Takeaway

The best athletes have a larger view of their training, and don’t simply walk into the gym each day without a plan, throw some weight on the bar, and see what they can do.  Careful planning, listening to your coaches and your own body for feedback, and picking your times to test a lift or skill will all lead to greater success, faster recovery, and less injuries.

It’s crush week.  Show us what you’ve got.

_________________
Training Versus Testing CrossFit Ashville
Training Versus Testing CrossFit Pasadena
Training Versus Testing CrossFit 979
Training Versus Testing, Pt 1 Lalanne Fitness

Comments

  4. Food snobbery is killing entrepreneurship and innovation. Americans are becoming angry that our agricultural practices have led to global warming, but while food snobs are right that local food tastes better, they’re wrong that it is better for the environment, and they are wrong that cheap food is bad food. The food world needs to know that you don’t have to spend more to eat healthy, green, exciting meals. At last, some good news from an economist!

    http://mercatus.org/publication/economist-gets-lunch

  5. Good post Noah. The training/testing thing took a long time to figure out – I think in part because when you're new to crossfit, you make gains every workout, and every workout therefore feels like a test.

  6. Thanks for another great article Noah. Very helpful.

    I saw this article today in the NYTimes and was wondering what folks thought of it and/or its author, James E. McWilliams. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/the-myth-of-sustainable-meat.html?gwh=AE6479563DB5771E963287C15F6BC4FB. Its by the same person who wrote Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How we can Truly Eat Responsibly.

    And, this is super late, but I have say, great choice on Athlete of the Month. Congrats Christine!

  7. Fun 7am with Nick! Thoroughly enjoyed the massive game of leap frog in the warm up — Nick is consistently impressing me with his ability to throw us all in the most socially awkward warmups possible.

    Fun (but grueling) WOD today – partnered up with Traci, which was very fun. We were a bit slow on the hurricane runs, but we had fun doing them. We used a 6lb wall ball and a pretty light sand bag. We finished in 24:08. Not too bad. First time doing wallball since the shoulder injury and they felt great, definitely could have used a heavier ball… next time.

    P.S. I am insanely jealous of David's vacation.
    P.P.S. Nice write up Noah!

  8. Quiet 6am with Coach Nick. Took down Jerry in 21:07 (or 21:08 if you trust Nick's slow stopwatch finger better). Finished the first mile in a little over 6 min and was rowing by 6:30. The row took 7min and change. First lap of the second mile was awful, but my legs loosened up for the final 2/3rds. Really wanted to break 21min after I saw my time getting off the erg. Next time. I last met Jerry in 22:09 (on a treadmill). Very pleased with the improvement.

  9. I'd like to second the recommendation for Dr. Cardone. I've seen him twice now for different injuries and he was just awesome as far as doctors go. He totally respected my not wanting to take anti-inflammatory meds and encouraged me to keep moving and exercising.

  10. First of all, Dave I'm really sorry for the awkward land during leapfrog. Anyway, 7am Jerry with Melissa. Awesome to pace the rowing with her as it made things so much easier. A good WOD. I think. Thanks Coach Nick and fun times with the usual morning crew.

    MGMT I left my Sigg on the counter by the sink. Kind of a graphite colour with a CFSB sticker on the bottom. Please keep safe until Monday please oh please?

    Have a great holiday David and nice write up Noah!

  14. Two quick comments:

    1. LOVE Dr. Cardone. Much more interested in listening and taking a thoughtful approach than rushing to prescribe meds and order unnecessary x-rays.

    2. Congratulations to Murat on this morning's grand opening of Hungry Ghost, his new coffeehouse on Flatbush and 6th Ave.! I took a break from work to check it out, and the space is really striking. Best of all: the coffee is excellent. (And I say that as a Pacific Northwest native who has been known to take the subway all the way from Park Slope to the Ace Hotel for a Stumptown latte.) Check it out!

  16. I am the ultimate "BAILER" when it comes to lifts. For a long time I was terrified of bailing the bar, would go to great lengths to not bail and basically torque my body into awkward positions because of it.

    At the 1-RM squat test, I couldn't help it, the moment I got down under 170#, I felt as though I was sinking into a hole and would eject myself away from the bar. Turns out, everyone else said I was over 1/2 way up and needed to stick it out. Funny how one can go from extremes.. ZERO comfort bailing to ZERO ability to NOT bail.

    I appreciate everyone who patiently awaited their doom to get attacked by the bar when I auto-ejected during my squat. I'm working on it, it's a mental game at this point.

  18. hey coach noah –
    just read your article. i am one of those people who tries to attack the guts out of a workout no matter what the workout. like i want to eat it. no one ever really told me not to do this. if anything, i see a lot of people around me trying to go as hard as they can every workout and then ending up in a puddle of their own sweat. should we not be doing that? like, when you say sub-maximum, what does that mean for a non-girl/hero WOD during a non-crush week? also, how does someone (hypothetically)(i'm talking about myself) who just sees the WOD and then goes after it and then goes home, figure out what the heck the trajectory of their general fitness is?
    baz

  20. Baz, and all,

    It's sometimes tough to draw the line between "dogging it" a "good workout" "getting after it" and "going too hard."

    Really its just about listening to your body and picking your shots. You don't have to go 100% to get stronger, and some would suggest that all you really need to do is go 1% harder/heavier than you did the time before.

    Really the big thing to think about is where today's workout fits into the greater scheme of your Crossfit career. If its just some random workout, I'd give it my best and go hard, but I might hold a little back. If its Fran, and you have just spent 2 months working on front squats, presses, and pullups, then maybe its time to go nuts.

    All of this is mitigated by injury history and risk, mobility issues, and other things. I think too many of us feel the pressure to always crush ourselves, and its just unnecessary. Work hard and smart, stay healthy and mobile, wait for your pitch, and knock it out of the park.

  22. Great open gym tonight, so chic with the photoshoot going on, hahaa.

    Continuing on the whole 'practice my cleans' gig and how good Wednesday felt, I decided to work on heavy clean and jerks. It went really well.

    Maxed out at 170# for C&J (15#PR, woop!)

    I attempted 175#, got under the bar, but failed when I was too far forward on the balls of my feet and I tipped forward. McDowell and Rickke gave me some good pointers about keeping my feet straight and my knees out. I'm still working on my pull, keeping arms like ropes etc. McDowell also rec'd that I work some tempo cleans in, which I like, because I need to figure out how to get my jump without rolling so far forward on my feet and losing the bar in the end. It was a good practice, I'd really like to gain competency in the lift and I feel like I'm getting a better body sense about it.

    Ended the night with some sled drags in the bike lane (ugh, way easier than on the sidewalk)
    3x 400m (35#, 45#, 35#)

    Plans for the future: GHD and other posterior chain work. I do love those sled drags.

  23. did the partner with Josh, the blazing sun did not help things at all i think i really slowed us down. final time was 22 something…?

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