As you progress through your workouts, it is very useful to know your own evolution as an athlete. Benchmarks, also called markers, are exercises that serve precisely this purpose, they are stakes that every CrossFitter knows they have to face sooner or later.
Index
What are benchmarks for in CrossFit ®?
CrossFit® exercises are always different, which makes it difficult to keep track of your training progress. For this reason, WOD benchmarks are run from time to time.
The idea is to keep a record of the results obtained in previous trials to compare them with those obtained each time the marker exercise is performed.
In this way it is possible to have a quick snapshot of the results obtained.
Some of the most used benchmarks
Obviously, you can use any wod, even create a customized one, to compare your results and measure your development. However. To make it easier for you, here are some of the most popular CrossFit® benchmarks:
Cindy
The Cindy benchmark is to run a AMRAP (as many series as possible) 20 minutes of:
- 5 pull up
- 10 push up
- 15 squat
Here is a table with some good results for this wod:
- Beginner: 11-12 rounds
- Intermediate: 13-17 rounds
- Advanced: 19-22 rounds
- Elite: >24+ laps
Fran
Il Fran is a WOD that combines weight training and bodyweight training. It consists of performing 2 exercises (thruster and pull ups) following the sequence:
21-15-9
The two skills must be alternated, therefore: do 21 thrusters / 21 pull ups, 15 thrusters / 15 pull ups… Also, the Thruster load is 43 kg for men and 29 kg for women.
You have to finish it in the shortest possible time (for time).
Here is a card of good times:
- Beginner: 10 minutes
- Intermediate: 7-10 minutes
- Advanced: 4-6 minutes
- Elite: < 3 minutes
mary
Like Cindy, the Mary involves performing a 20-minute AMRAP of:
- 5 hand stand push ups
- 10 pistol squats (5 reps for each leg)
- 15 Pull Ups
Here is a table with some good results for this WOD
- Beginner: 7-8 rounds
- Intermediate: 9-12 rounds
- Advanced: 13-16 rounds
- Elite: >17+ laps
Nancy
The Nancy consists of 5 rounds for time (as short as possible) of:
- 400m run
- 15 overhead squat with a load of 43 kg for men and 29 kg for women
Chelsea
Chelsea is a EMOM, then you must perform one round per minute until you reach 30 minutes of:
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push up
- 15 free-body squat
If you finish before the minute is up, you can rest until the next minute.
Conclusions
There is no defined intermediate interval for performing Benchmarks in CrossFit®. Obviously you have to wait a few weeks, because it would be difficult to see progress in two or three days of training.
Furthermore, it would be a good idea to keep records with different types of wod benchmarks o hero wod to be able to compare them over the years.
The importance of repeating these indicators from time to time is that, by knowing your body and your progress, you can assess whether you are training correctly and efficiently to strengthen weaknesses and correct mistakes.
It's also a great way to encourage everyone to break their own records every time!