Testing protocols are huge in the sport of CrossFit. Since we have so many things we can measure, we always want to know “how we are doing as athletes.” Still, as we’ve discussed many times on the podcast, the relationship between testing results and performance in events that we care about is often looser than either athletes or coaches would like. So, when is testing valuable? What kinds of athletes benefit from testing protocols? What kinds of athletes can be harmed by consistent testing protocols? And — for coaches — how do we design testing protocols that get at the actual traits that we want to measure? If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes: [00:13] When is it important to focus on developing and repeating testing protocols? And when is it counter productive? [06:18] Sometimes athletes do fantastic in testing and are not able to reproduce that same level of performance in competition. What can testing protocols actually tell us about an athlete’s performance? [15:25] How can we create tests that actually get at what we’re looking for. [19:45] What are the trade-offs between trying to improve multiple aspects of fitness at once?