Are You Paying Attention to Your Numbers?

I apologize to the morning crew, who get to hear me rant about this on a weekly basis! 

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!!!

I wrote a story in the CrossFit Journal a while ago about this. I posted about it on Facebook, but in case you missed it – Check it out here. Or read my Coles Notes version below:

Why is it important to know your numbers?

It’s not because I give a shit if you’re the strongest person in the gym or if you topped the leaderboard. In fact, I don’t care what your number is at all!

As coaches, we’re on you to know your numbers so YOU can get the most out of your session and because it helps the coach run the class more smoothly.

Here’s an example of what can go right and what can go wrong: 

We’re doing a workout that involves 45-250 lb. deadlifts and lots of burpees. The workout is designed to be in the 7-10 minute time domain.

If you know your 1RM deadlift is 175 lb., you’re intrinsically going to know that you’re not going to lift 250 lb. 45 times in this workout. You can easily ask the coach what you should lift, and since the coach knows your best single deadlift is 175 lb., it’s very easy for him or her to give you an appropriate load for the 45 reps in the workout that will allow you to complete the workout safely in under the time cap. Because the thing about a time cap is that we put them there more as a guideline for how long the workout should take you rather than a “time limit” (more on this in an upcoming post).

If everyone in the class knows where he’s at, bars are loaded with appropriate weights. The workout starts on time and finishes on time because everyone gets finished within 7 to 10 minutes. And to top it off, because everyone was loaded correctly, everyone completed the workout in a way that will maximize the gains they’ll get out of it. And they do it safely!

Conversely, imagine a situation where nobody has a clue how much he can lift. Some people load the bar too lightly and others put too much weight in the bar. Others still ask the coach what they should be doing. Maybe the coach has never coached a few of these athletes before and he literally can’t give them good advice. The coach is running around frantically trying to help everyone get ready, and the workout starts late. All hell breaks loose! Some people bust through the deadlifts so fast they leave feeling like they didn’t accomplish much. Others are forced to remove weight partway through the workout because the bar is too damn heavy and they can tell their form is starting to turn to shit. The workout finishes late, the next class starts late and the cycle continues. And to top it off, nobody gets as much out of the workout as they would have had they been loaded properly. 

Help yourself, help us, and help those around you and keep track of what you do with us each day. Whether you use our log tracker (ask your coach about it if you haven’t tried it yet), or you’re an old-fashioned pen and paper person, find a way to keep track of what you do that works for you.

-Eunice

Thursday

Warm-up
(3 rounds – 8mins) 6/6 single arm KB Swing, 6/6 KB RDL, 6/6 suitcase box step-up

Strength
6×3 power clean
Split Clean Work (6×1)

Workout: 12 minute EMOM – complete in rotation;
20 hollow rocks
40 sec handstand walk and midfloor hold practice *
try wall supported hand teaters (or hand releases)