When should I retest an Open workout?
I know you are all waiting on pins and needles but we will announce TOMORROW the winners of the team competitions. Reason being some of the team participation scores (i.e. getting the WOD done and submitted) will not be finalized until late tonight. So we figured we’d hold off on announcing ALL the category points until then.
TO RETEST OR NOT TO RETEST:
THAT IS THE QUESTION…
There’s lots of chatter around the box about 17.1 (which we love!) but also have heard lots of talk around “re-testing” the workout. Many of you have asked us personally whether or not your should do 17.1 again to improve your score and we appreciate you are asking us FIRST. But for those who have been afraid to ask (or are wondering why everyone is even talking about it in the first place), here’s a bit more context and food for thought for next weeks:
ONLY RETEST IF RANKINGS REALLY MATTER: We only recommend retesting if you think you will significantly improve your regional or team ranking and that matters to you. For example, if you are an elite or seasoned athlete with an established baseline (and/or can assist your gym in sending a team to regionals), you might consider retesting if you think you had reps in the tank. For example, our very own WODFather, Geo Rockwell, is a top level athlete and his score is important to CrossFit Federal Hill as they are trying to qualify for the games, so every rep matters. By the way, he went from 14:35 the first time and dropped to 12:35 as a final score. GASP!!! Go Geo!
YOUR BODY ISN’T DESIGNED TO RETEST THAT QUICKLY: Retesting a WOD within a day or two (or three) can be extremely taxing on the body– especially long ones like 17.1 with BIG VOLUME. There’s a reason we don’t program demanding movements like heavy dumbbell snatches every other day. They are HARD and your body needs to RECOVER. Think of it just like any other programming — if we programmed two WODs back to back with the same movements that left you sore as heck, you wouldn’t just hate us… you wouldn’t come back (because it is horrible programming). Don’t think of the Open any differently.
YOU MISS OUT ON THE DAY’S PROGRAMMING AT THE COVE: We are strategic and have a long term view of our programming cycles (whether or not you realize it!). For example, if you retested 17.1 and missed Monday’s WOD, you missed an opportunity to improve your footwork on the split jerk (our current movement focus) and build shoulder strength. You are sacrificing a long term growth goal for a short term number.
IT CAN BE MENTAL: Then there’s the mental aspect. We have seen MANY times athletes retest only to score the same (or worse) than their original time. This can be extremely disheartening and frustrating for the athlete. But we are never surprised when that happens (see point above…your body isn’t recovered!)
Does this mean you should NEVER retest a particular WOD? Heck no! We love retesting; just with adequate time in between tests so you can truly measure your fitness improvements (think “Hero WODs” and “Girl” benchmarks we do all the time). This is an important part of CrossFit and one of the things we love most about it. Wait a month or two (maybe when the Open ends) and THEN see if you show improvement. We bet you will!
SKILL WOD
Gymnastics Cycle Test
Yep, it’s that time! Hopefully we are recovered from 17.1 and can put all of our new knowledge and strength to the test by re-testing our gymnastics ability. Remember that a ‘win’ doesn’t just mean more reps, it means BETTER reps and moving more efficiently too. The volume WILL come!
EMOM in 7 minutes
_____Muscle ups
_____ Pull ups
_____ Toes to Bar
WOD
Every 2 minutes for 14 minutes
6 Power Cleans
____ Double Unders
Fitness: 115/75 (30 Doubles)
RX: 135/95 (40 Doubles)
RX+: 155/105 (50 Doubles)
COACH’S TIP: Challenge yourself on the barbell today. It is only six reps, so pick something you can do in one or two sets (remember, that’s only three reps if you split in two) and get after it! If you are new to doubles, keep the barbell heavy and just scale the number of doubles. Remember, once you can do a few doubles, we will BAN you from singles in Metcons! It is the best way to get better at them!
Welcome Phil to the Cove! Meredith and Caroline’s Dad is about to school ALL of us!
