Normative Values for Self-Reported Benchmark Workout Scores in CrossFit® Practitioners

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Performance Analytics

Background:

• CrossFit® practitioners commonly track progress using benchmark workouts.
• Objective assessment is hindered by the lack of existing normative data.
• This study addresses the need for standardized performance benchmarks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop normative values for five common CrossFit® benchmark workouts: Fran, Grace, Helen, Filthy-50 (F50), and Fight-Gone-Bad (FGB).
• To provide a basis for objective progress assessment in CrossFit®.

Main Methods:

• Collected performance data from 133,857 CrossFit® profiles.
• Sorted data by sex (male/female) and competitive age classification (teen, individual, masters).
• Randomly selected 10,000 valid profiles for analysis to calculate means and standard deviations.

Main Results:

• Calculated means and standard deviations for Fran, Grace, Helen, F50, and FGB across all demographic categories.
• Developed normative percentile (decile) values for each workout and category.
• Found significant differences (p < 0.05) between categories for all workouts.

Conclusions:

• Established normative values for key CrossFit® benchmark workouts.
• These values facilitate proficiency assessment and tracking of sport-specific progress.
• Normative data can inform realistic training goal setting and research criteria.