If you’re a fitness competitor and you want to qualify for popular competitions -like Sanctionals and the Games- you are going to have to repeat workouts.
The days of athletes being good enough to do workouts once are largely in the past and are reserved for the best of the best.
Now-a-days the athleticism and depth of the competitive field are such that most athletes have to peak twice: once for the qualifier, and then again for the actual event once they qualify.
To give yourself (or your athletes) a shot at qualifying, you have to take a hard look at every single workout in the qualifier and evaluate how much ground can be made up relative to the competitive field.
More often than not this means a ReTest.
And this post is meant to be your guide to navigating the in’s and out’s of the ReTest.
Should You ReTest?
This is the first questions to ask, as a coach or self-coached athlete.
You had best evaluate your performance and see if a ReTest is the best decision.
If you are doing an Age Group Online Qualifier that has four or five workouts, that all must be executed in a weekend, you likely won’t be able to redo all the workouts.
Even if you underperform on several of the tests and plan on multiple repeats, which one will you do first?
Should you do the most taxing workout first and to give you the most time between the initial and final tests?
Or, should you get the less taxing workouts or ones you are better suited for “out of the way” first so you can put your focus on the remaining elements?
This begins to illustrate the complexity of navigating a ReTest.
Realize that there are always costs and benefits to testing a workout. Doing a maximal workout has an inherent price to be paid, regardless of the specifics of the test.
Even in an outline like the CrossFit Open, where you only have to do one workout per week for five weeks, it’s still not always an easy decision.
Do you risk injury, energy depletion or the metabolic pain & stress that comes with a -perhaps- unnecessary or unfruitful ReTest?
Again, the waters muddy quickly.
This is where the coach and athlete need to have a dialogue. Without this conversation, I find most athletes default to one of two extremes: ReTesting every single workout (or) only ReTesting the workouts they paced exceptionally poorly.
Rather, the goal should be to make decisions that will place the athlete highest on the leaderboard after all the workouts are completed.
Steps to Maximizing a Performance
1) Create a Detailed Game Plan Before Your First Attempt
2) Make Your First Attempt a Genuine Best Shot
3) Take Notes on Your Initial Test
4) Complete Video Review
5) Create a Realistic Game Plan to Improve
6) Commit to Your Best in the ReTest
Let’s take a look at each step, one at a time.
1) Create a Detailed Game Plan Before Your First Attempt
Maximizing your first attempt is crucial for success.
If you do well enough on your initial test, then there may be no need to ReTest.
If you do fairly well on your initial test and then decide to retest anyway, it will be much easier to refine your strategy than having to bag your old one and start anew.
Regardless, it starts with a good first attempt.
To maximize your game plan for attempt one, I would check out the ZOAR Fitness Competition Guide.
2) Make Your First Attempt a Genuine Best Shot
I’ve see it happen countless times.
It’s Friday night at your local box and Jonny Flex is taking on 21.2.
In minute 8 of the 12 minute AMRAP, he begins to labor and glances at the clock. He looks up again, and to his dismay only 30 seconds have passed. You can almost see the focus and intention leave his movement pace and his rest and transition times begin to climb.
After the workout, you ask Jonny, “What happened?”
“I went out too hot and blew up. I don’t know, I just misjudged it and got gassed. It’s fine, I’ll just ReTest Monday.”
This is a problem for two reasons.
One, Jonny destroyed his ability for relevant video review. His data is useless. Since he didn’t go “up against his capacity” through the entirety of the workout, there can’t be any meaningful game plan based upon reviewing his performance.
Two, stuff happens in ReTests, and it’s not always good. Sometimes, you feel even worse than you did on your initial test. Sometimes you get DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and have unforeseen mechanical breakdown. Sometimes you miscount a round and realize your scores are invalid.
All three have happened to me in my years ReTesting workouts.
Sure these things don’t happen all the time…but in the event that anything does, you’ll be glad you gave the first test a genuine crack.
3) Take Notes on Your Initial Test
After completing your initial test to the best of your ability, take some brief notes about a few things you felt went well and a few things that you could improve upon.
These elements often mirror your video analysis and form the basis for your ReTesting Game Plan.
Sample 1: Ben’s “Seventeen Again” Attempt #1
10 Rounds for Time: 12 Thrusters 75lbs, 45 Double Unders
Time = 10:40
Things that went well…
- Cycle Speed and Breathe Cadence on Thrusters
- Transitioning to the Rope with “Purpose”
- Staying Composed through Double Under trips
Things that can be approved upon…
- I went out too hot in Rounds 1-3 and paid the price in Rounds 7-9
- The transition back to the bar was too slow. I walked around the end of the bar when I got tired instead on stepping over in the middle.
- When I tripped on the rope, I took too long getting back into the dubs.
Sample 2: Christian’s “Seventeen Again” Attempt #1
10 Rounds for Time: 12 Thrusters 75lbs, 45 Double Unders
Time = 14:38
Things that went well…
- thruster breathing and tempo held consistent
- stayed composed through double under trips
- stayed positive mentally even when it got hard
Things that can be approved upon…
- double under relaxation to reduce fatigue/ increase reps per set
- transitioning quicker
- pacing the initial rounds so splits are more consistent and hopefully allow for stronger final push
4) Complete Video Review
The video review process I recommend is three parts.
Part One is a Movement Economy Analysis.
While watching the video, what aspects of each movement can be “cleaned up” to be made more efficient? Is movement smooth with no wasted movement? Are there obvious limitations in certain positions or pieces of the movement that are “bleeding efficiency?” Did you waste energy by getting costly no-reps? Is there anything that can be done in the short-term (a few days) that can yield a benefit on a ReTest? Is there anything that needs to be addressed in the long-term (upcoming months) to improve this?
Part Two is a Subjective Pacing Analysis.
In other words, watch the video through and get a more bird’s eye perspective of what happened during the test. How did pacing seem throughout? How did you manage intensity and tension? Were they any obvious flaws in pacing you can notice even without timing elements? If so, what were you feeling physically and thinking about mentally during these times?
Part Three is an Objective Pacing Analysis.
It’s time to break down your splits. That’s round times, set chunking, rest times and averages. Feel free to steal my spreadsheet. Just save your own copy from the link and adjust it to the specific workout, since each workout will need to be different.
I like to color coat the cells are are clearly under or over pace with green and red. The thought is take some time away from the green cells and give it to the red ones, but not 100% of that time. That way the net outcome is positive (less time or better score).
The combination of these three elements should give you a solid foundation for creating a game plan for your ReTest.
Video Analysis Sample #1
Movement Economy Analysis:
Thrusters: I maintained a 2:1 breath-to-rep ratio during the thrusters, but never really paused in the overhead lockout position for the second breath. This means my respiration rate is quite high, which is good and bad. Good because it is easier to maintain in the latter rounds, but bad because it feels like a rushed breath cadence in the early rounds.
The elbows are a bit lower than is ideal for an efficient thruster position, but the bar is resting on the shoulders and collar bones, which is good. As the rounds progress, there aren’t any obvious deviations in movement quality.
However almost every round you can hear my shoulders popping and clicking, which is a symptom of a deeper movement issue that needs addressed over the long-term.
Double Unders: I maintained a 1:2 Breath-to-Rep Ratio during the Double Under in all rounds. Once again, this is good and bad, for the same reasons as the thruster breath ratio.
Jump height is fairly low, so cycle speed and wrist action is fast. This height was maintained through the rounds, but as fatigued increased the movement began to become harder to coordinate.
Better pacing in early rounds good help with trips from systemic fatigue in latter rounds.
The fatigue created a meaningful difference in rebounding ability and as a result ground-contact time increased, which is likely part of the cause of trips. Therefore, getting consistent doses of bounding and plyometric activities in limiter (off-season) phases will be helpful.
Subjective Pacing Analysis:
I started out a bit hot. I wanted to hold to an EMOM, but after round 4 I realized this wasn’t realistic. However, the wheel really didn’t come off until closer to round 8, with more trips showing up, and a few short breaks to hyperventilate.
I also need to rework my equipment setup. I need to have my bar at a 90 degree angle to my rope, so I only have to make a quarter turn each transition to get back to the other element.
If I slow the initial rounds by a few seconds, I could likely sustain cycle speeds and transitions times through the entire workout, possibly even building on my speed in the later rounds.
Objective Pacing Analysis:
Video Analysis Sample #2
Movement Economy Analysis:
Thrusters: Cycle speed on thrusters slowed only marginally throughout the workout. Likely this was because slower transitions allowed for maintenance in cycle speed.
Weight shift to the forefoot is subtle in the early rounds and increases slightly as the rounds progress. This is more of a result of significant forward knee travel than a lack of ankle dorsiflexion. This puts a lot of tension on the quads and makes reaching the squatting standard of hip crease below the knee more difficult to obtain. “Getting more into the hips” while maintaining a vertical torso is a long-term movement priority we will continue to work on.
Front rack and overhead positioning don’t have any obvious flaws, but it does appear that the bar is pressed off the shoulders rather than popping off. In other words, speed through the middle of the movement could be improved. This “problem” could be fixed by increasing leg drive (hip extension) through the middle of the movement (and/or) by entering the middle portion of the movement with more speed, which could be achieved from “riding the bounce” out of the bottom of the squat.
Double Unders: Overall, bounding ability looks solid and consistent throughout. A slightly higher jump allows for a more relaxed wrist speed and breath cadence, but demands more of the calves and elevates the heart rate faster.
A lower jump and faster wrists could allow for less DOMS while speeding up Double Under cycle speed / split times. This also can allow for better movement quality / less compensation in the event of a ReTest with a quick turnaround, since you might avoid being super sore.
Lastly, gripping the rope handles closer to the end that swivels can allow for tighter circles and aid in achieving a faster cycle speed.
Subjective Pacing Analysis:
Christian did a good job holding to unbroken sets in the thrusters to avoid a clean as a “buy-in” to the movement.
The transition from the bar to the rope was much -on average- much quicker than the transition from the rope back to the bar. The may have been by in part by design and part by necessity. Perhaps breaking the thrusters in two sets with a ~10 second break could have allowed faster transitions throughout the middle and latter parts of the workout.
The breaks on double unders seemed to be a result of systemic fatigue and a high respiratory rate, rather than a breakdown in the particular movement.
Objective Pacing Analysis:
5) Create a Realistic Game Plan to Improve
This game plan should not be a start-from-scratch affair. Usually, it’s about modifying your original game plan so the net difference is positive: better time or score.
Based upon subjective and objective review, where can you make up time? Or possibly, where can you take a strategic break that results in less rest?
Rather than trying to make up a vast amount of time or reps, aim for a mild improvement (2-12%) and if things go well, you can always kick at the end. Aim for a conservative improvement, unless you need a metaphorical Hail Mary in the fourth quarter.
This new game plan way involve specific round times and splits or it may not.
There’s not a right or wrong way to do it, as long as you have a game plan.
Ben’s ReTest Game Plan:
I will aim to hold 62 seconds per round, which is a projected finish of 10:20 (~3% Improvement). Before testing, I will write down round start times on a whiteboard (0:00, 1:02, 2:04, 3:06, etc.) and hold to this rigidly in the first seven rounds. If I can increase in the last three rounds I will, and if I can just manage to hold onto the pace, that will be fine.
The goal is to hold the same thruster cadence (2:1 breath ratio with no pause overhead), and a similar transition to the rope (~6-7s).
I will intentionally break the double unders (25+20) with 2 deep breaths during the break.
I will transition back to the bar with a 90-degree turn (the new setup).
Christian’s ReTest Game Plan:
Christian will plan to hold 80 seconds per round, which is would end up being a time of 13:20 for the entire workout (~10% improvement).
Hold a thruster cadence with no pause overhead to minimize triceps fatigue (~25-26s).
Transition one will be about ~12s. Christian will have a friend hold him accountable (not his judge) to this transition period by counting down 3…2..1 to start his Double Unders.
Plan to break the double unders 25+20 with a 4-breath break to regain composure. This should take approximately 32 seconds.
Transition two will be whatever time is remaining (likely ~10-11 seconds) to properly hit the round start times. Once again, his friend will count down the time to pick up his bar 3…2..1.
6) Commit to Your Best in the ReTest
Recommit to your best effort. Likely doubt will creep into your mind during a ReTest and tempt you to quit or back off the pace that you know you can hold.
Be gritty and tough: committed to your best on that day.
Leave it all out there.
