The intent of Totals Week at CFABQ is to periodically provide an opportunity to really put our “numbers” to the test and benchmark our progress. We take an entire week to test several different domains of fitness, in an attempt to gauge our overall fitness. The first day is the CrossFit total, day two is skills day, day three is Olympic lifting total, day four is the dreaded 5k run day, and the fifth and final day is a CrossFit WOD, usually determined by Joe. This year it was the Bergeron Beep Test and it. Was. Brutal.
We provide three different levels for the week in an effort to align with our three tiers of training (Function, Performance, and Wolfpack) and each day has a specific point system. At the end, the people who have completed all five events get their scores tallied up and prizes are given to the top scoring male and female in each division.
For some people Totals Week is filled with triumphs and PRs (personal records) galore! For others, it’s a week of trials and hoping to match your current PRs. Many members enjoy retesting every 6 months to see where they’ve improved, and it also provides feedback regarding what they need to continue to work on, even if they don’t PR. It’s a great time to put those previously made CrossFit and lifting goals to the test as well.
Many new members looooove Totals Week, just as I did my first year and half of CrossFit. I was so excited to see my numbers climb, it was absolutely thrilling to see my strength increase in such a short period of time! But, like many things in life, I started to see a plateau after doing CrossFit for so long. PRs are harder to come by (kind of like those rare Pokémon I keep hearing about). My numbers don’t change as drastically anymore, if they change at all. Sometimes I don’t even tie my PR numbers, I may be a few pounds or reps below what my PR is. That’s ok, it’s still a fantastic way to not only push myself more so than I might in a regular class, but it also helps me to see what I need to fix or see if my weaknesses have improved.
This time around there were a few movements I wasn’t able to tie my PR on, a few movements I did tie my PR on, and one that I got a new PR on. I’ll take that as an overall win! It’s always nice to see improvement, even if it is just a minuscule amount. While I do still love Totals Week, it has taken on a different meaning for me now. It’s a way for me not to remain comfortable where I am. It’s a way for me to create benchmarks for myself and my fitness, and ultimately put my body and my mind to the test.
Totals Week is really a time to assess yourself physically and mentally, evaluating your skills and your strength (and your patience at times). Keep in mind that if you’ve been doing this awhile, you may not always get your PR numbers or it may just be an off day (which could just as easily apply to any day in the gym). Don’t get discouraged. Learn from it and grow from it. If you’re new to Totals Week, use that week to benchmark where you are in your fitness journey and enjoy retesting yourself every 6 months and see where you’ve improved and what you need to work on. Write down your numbers and keep track of where you started, so you can see your progress over time.
It can be a week of triumphs and it can also be a week of trials, but it’s also an exciting time to come together as a gym and see what we are truly capable of.
