A Workout Library
Most gyms have a set of workouts that they repeat from time-to-time. Many CrossFit gyms will use a combination of Girls, Heroes and Barbell Lifts to test athletes and measure their fitness progress.
SugarWOD has always had a set of 1000s of benchmarks in our Workout Library (categorized into Barbell Lifts, Girls, Heroes, Endurance, Games, Notables and Gymnastics). These workouts get special treatment in the system, they:
- can be programmed repeatedly with a simple drag-drop,
- have automatic PR calculation, and
- will maintain a history of progress for the athlete and gym.
Custom Benchmarks!
Your gym can create it’s own category of workouts in the library called “Custom Benchmarks”. Your custom benchmarks will have all of the same benefits as a “regular” benchmark in the library.
Here are some of the ways to use this feature we’ve heard from coaches and box owners:
- On-Ramp Workouts — Athletes going through on-ramp often do the same workouts, but on different days depending on the on-ramp schedule. You can now create custom benchmarks like “On-Ramp Day 1”, “On-Ramp Day 2”, etc. Athletes can either log these from their Personal Logbook or you can program them to the Whiteboard (maybe in an On-Ramp track) for a group on-ramp class.
- Benchmark Programs — Many gyms run a benchmark program where a certain set of workouts are performed every 3-6 months. This is a great way to measure the progress of an individual athlete or the whole gym! Here is an example benchmark program from CrossFit Roots. Now, with Custom Benchmarks, you can use WODs in the built-in Workout Library or create your own.
- Nutrition Program — Gyms have asked for a way to program supplemental training for participants in a nutrition challenge. You can even create a benchmark “workout” that tracks compliance with your nutrition challenge.
- To Simply Save Time — Since Custom Benchmarks can be quickly added to the Whiteboard without re-typing them each time, they are a big time saver for your head coach responsible for programming.
Where can I find these Custom Benchmarks?
- In the mobile apps, athletes can log a custom benchmark from the Personal Logbook. PRs for custom benchmarks can be found in the “PRs” or “Workout PRs” section.
- In the coach’s website, coaches create, program and analyze Custom Benchmarks. Workout results from Custom Benchmarks now appear on each athlete’s profile page and in the Performance area.
Getting Started
Custom Benchmarks are easy to setup and use:
- Create a Custom Benchmark in the coach’s website under the Whiteboard menu. Be sure to give your benchmark a meaningful title! Only the title, workout description and scoring type are required. But, it is a good idea tag your workout with the appropriate movements.
- Schedule your new benchmark on your Whiteboard. From the Whiteboard Programming Calendar, click on the green “+” button. Under the Barbell, Girls and other benchmarks, click on the new category “Custom Benchmarks”. There you will find your new benchmarks, ready to drag onto the calendar.
We hope that you’ll enjoy using this feature. We are excited to see the interesting ways the community put this powerful capability to make your coach’s and athlete’s lives better. As always, contact us if you have any questions!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on April 18th, 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.