Why We Don’t Test Often
If every day is game day, you’ll burn out before you level up.
By
April 17, 2025
We often get the question “why don’t more days look like Saturday?”
Saturday is what we call a “test.” It’s a workout against the clock and it can be a lot of fun, it can feel exhausting, but it doesn’t necessarily make you progress in your fitness.
At Vero Strength, our general philosophy is “train all week, test on Saturday.” What that means is that all week, you improve movement patterns, get stronger and learn to pace. On Saturday, you put those skills and strengths to the test.
First, What Counts as a Test?
Whether it’s a 1-rep max lift or a soul-crushing metcon, testing is a way to measure what you’ve built—not a tool for building it. For purposes of this article, we will focus on the metcon, something way too many people do way too often. It's been popularized by CrossFit and boot-camp style programs and it ends with bodies on the floor. People feel like they "did something" and therefore believe it's effective.
This style of training demands all-out intensity. Redline pace. No regard for pacing, quality, or recovery. Max effort, max stress. It’s a fast track to stagnation, burnout, and injury.
Here’s a scenario we see play out weekly - our clients approaching well-programmed conditioning workouts (Tuesday and Thursday) as a test. On these days, we will program the rate of perceived effort (RPE) as anywhere from a 4 to an 7. Look around at the end of the workout and you will see people flat on their backs. Often, those same people are disappointed in their performance on the Saturday test. They didn’t perform like they wanted to because they already emptied the tank a few days earlier. They didn't learn how to pace, they only learned how to suffer.
Testing taps into your limits. That’s why form often breaks down, breathing goes out the window, and your body feels fried afterward.
It might feel productive—but it isn’t sustainable.
Imagine what would happen if boxers fought at every training session or football players played a game several times a week...disaster! Then why would you treat every day like game day?
The Cost of Testing Too Often
When you go max intensity too frequently, you overload more than just your muscles.
• CNS Fatigue – Your nervous system takes a hit. Over time, this impacts strength output, coordination, and even motivation.
• Hormonal Disruption – Chronic high intensity = chronically elevated cortisol. That can sabotage recovery, sleep, and even body composition.
• Immune System Suppression – Training like every day is a competition leaves your body in fight-or-flight mode, which weakens immunity.
• Technique Issues – Under fatigue, form breaks. If you practice poor movement patterns daily, you get really good at moving poorly.
You may think that these things won't happen to you, especially if you're younger, but it's really a matter of "when" and not "if." We've seen it happen to the most resilient athletes.
What Training Should Look Like
The real magic happens in the 70–85% zone—challenging, but controlled.
• You move well under tension.
• You refine skill and mechanics.
• You recover enough to do it again.
• You build a foundation that lasts.
This is where strength, endurance, and athleticism are built—not in a daily test, but in consistent, quality work.
Tests Have Their Place—But They’re Earned
Yes, we test. And when we do, we go for it. But that intensity is reserved—not repeated daily.
We test to reveal progress, not to chase exhaustion.
Because in the long run, it’s not about how wrecked you feel after a workout. It’s about how strong, skilled, and durable you become over time.
