As a coach, there is no greater feeling than seeing you all ticking off those health and fitness goals that you all work so hard for. High fives are being dished out exponentially as you all continue to rack up those personal bests. So what’s the best way to keep track of all of this progress? The answer is Beyond the Whiteboard!
Beyond the Whiteboard is a tracking platform that allows you to log your results each time you train, then analyse them in incredible detail. Be it a 1RM, a WOD finishing time, some lifting sets, or even a new movement you’ve learned; it’s important to keep track of it all. Our training is constantly varied and there is a lot to remember if you’re not documenting it!
The more data you feed it, the more accurate analysis it will provide!
You can even track nutrition, sleep, mobility and consequently, how they relate to your training. It will also give you a current fitness level, in respect to all others that log results on the platform. You’ll be able to quickly delve into your programming history and your average power output plus check any weaknesses that are showing up.how does your back squat
“How does your back squat compare to your overhead squat? How is your speed work looking compared to your gymnastics work?”
This will allow you to then make the changes needed to continually improve in CrossFit and work those weaknesses.
Benefits of using BTWB
The programming for the day is uploaded for you.
Once you’ve registered within the platform and have selected Niche CrossFit as “Your Gym”, you will see each of our daily WOD’s posted in a calendar view on your homepage. Each day all you need to do is log on and pop in your results… then let the statistics do the rest. If you love numbers, this will excite you!
It does the math for you
Ever looked at the programming and had to rack your brain as to what your 1RM is? Does it seem that your strength numbers just aren’t going up? Keeping track of strength results is extremely important as it will provide you with a guideline for what you should be lifting each class. For example, if you complete 5×5 Back Squat, you’ll record the weights lifted in each working set. The next time you complete 5×5 Back Squat, BTWB will show you what you lifted last time, and therefore, what weight you should be starting on this week.
Tracking improvements in WODs
Each time we complete a WOD we write our “score” on the whiteboard at the box. If it’s “For Time” we note our time. For an AMRAP, the amount of rounds + reps. Whatever format your score is for any given WOD, you should make note of this time so that when you repeat the WOD, improvement or deterioration to your time can be compared. This is just one of the ways that we measure improvement in CrossFit. BTWB will keep note of your time, and whether or not you completed the WOD Rx or Modified.
Quality Assurance Matters!
The quality of the data you put into BTWB is critical to ensure you receive accurate data in return.
You need to log EXACTLY what you did in each WOD; the more comprehensive and accurate the information is that you log, the better it can help you track your progress.
CrossFit is universally scalable. Regardless of one’s athletic background, we modify to suit all capabilities. It is rare to see a class in which everyone is doing the exact same movements or shifting the same weights so it’s important we account for that when logging results on BTWB.
Let’s say I did today’s WOD in 12:43; the RX weight for females was 45kg, but I scaled the weight to 40kg. When I log my results, I can edit the weight or any other component of a movement, for that matter. I’d press ‘Save’, type in my time and select ‘Modified’ (if I’d used 45kg, I would select ‘As Prescribed’. If you scale the movement to something different entirely i.e. pike push-ups instead of HSPU’s, you can change it by clicking on its name. The notes section can be used to add any points you’d like to remember. For example “Did the snatches in singles, HSPU in sets of 5, felt sluggish because I only had 5 hours sleep last night, etc.”
We strongly encourage all of our athletes at Niche CrossFit to track everything you do in the gym.
Whilst Beyond the Whiteboard is a wonderful tool, if you’re more of a notepad & pen type, grab yourself a Niche CrossFit Training Journal from the retail area. You will notice a difference in your training once you start keeping track of what you are lifting and what your WOD results are.
If you’re still not sure of all the benefits of using Beyond the Whiteboard, or how to use it, chat to a coach next time you’re in.