Task Priority vs Time Priority: Understanding Workout Types in CrossFit
If you’ve been to a CrossFit class before you know that “constantly varied functional movements” can sometimes feel like “I have no idea what’s going on”. One of the foundational distinctions in CrossFit programming is the difference between task priority and time priority workouts. Knowing the difference can help you grasp a better understanding of how the workout is going to feel both physically and socially.
Task Priority Workouts
In a task priority workout, you’re given a set amount of work (a task) to complete — and your goal is to finish it as fast as possible. Once you're done, you're done. These workouts will often be “Rounds for Time” or a list of 2-3 movements to perform with a given rep structure. A key feature of this style of workout is that everyone does the same amount of work (rounds and rep). However, this also means that more advanced athletes will finish the workout sooner than more novice athletes.
Example:
“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters (95/65 lbs)
Pull-Ups
On 3-2-1 GO! All athletes will begin the Task Priority of the workout “Fran” by completing 21 Thrusters, then 21 Pull ups. Followed immediately by 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull ups, and finally 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull ups. Once an athlete finishes they record their score by the time it took them to complete the workout. In this Task Priority workout all athletes will have completed 45 Thrusters and 45 Pull ups. This allows the gym owner or coach to evaluate the rest of the week’s programming against these two movements and their respective 45 reps.
Task Priority workouts require particular attention to scaling options so that the intended stimulus is achieved. Each athlete may need to adjust the workout weight or scale particular movements to reach the intended stimulus of the workout - more on this in my Scaled Vs Rx post. By scaling correctly it is the hope of the programmer and coaching staff that every athlete finishes around the same time frame. If a beginner tries to perform “Fran” at the Rx weight it may take them 15-20 minutes. That athlete did complete the task priority intended but failed to reach the intended stimulus of a short high intensity workout around 5 minutes.
Key Traits:
The total number of reps are fixed
Your score is your time
Finishing times will vary for each athlete
Time Priority Workouts
In a time priority workout, the clock is fixed — and your goal is to do as much work as possible in that set time. Once the set amount of time is reached, all athletes are done. These workouts will often be “AMRAP” (As Many Rounds/Reps as Possible) or “EMOM” (Every Minute on the Minute). A key feature of this style of workout is that everyone is working for the same amount of time. This also means that more advanced athletes will often complete more work in the set time frame than more novice athletes.
Example:
12-Minute AMRAP
10 Box Jumps (24/20")
10 Kettlebell Swings (53/35 lb)
10 Sit-Ups
On 3-2-1 GO! All athletes will begin with 10 Box Jumps followed by 10 Kettlebell Swings and lastly 10 Sit ups completing their first round. They continue working through these movements in sequence at the set rep scheme until the clock reaches 12 minutes. At that time athletes will record the number of rounds and reps completed as their score. In this Time Priority workout it is impossible to know how much work every athlete will complete, however, the gym owner or coach has a reasonable estimate of how many rounds athletes can complete in this time frame. In this way Time Priority workouts can be both a test (how many rounds can athletes complete compared to previous efforts) as well as an opportunity to focus on quality or recovery (moving slowly through the rounds and reps focusing on continuous movement).
Time Priority workouts require individual pacing strategies so that an athlete can complete the most work possible in the allotted time frame. Each athlete may need to slow their pace in the beginning of the workout as to not completely burn out when there is still 2-3 minutes left on the clock. Scaling options are also important in Time Priority workouts so that athletes can complete all the repetitions of a given movement with as little rest as possible. When both of these things are done correctly athletes will transition from one movement to the next with almost no rest at all throughout the entirety of the workout.
Key Traits:
The time is fixed
Your score is rounds + reps completed
The amount of work done by each athlete is the variable
Why This Matters
Understanding whether a workout is task priority or time priority changes your individual approach for the movements selected. When a time priority workout is programmed you may take that opportunity to focus on mastering a particular movement or increasing weight to the Rx without the fear of “finishing last”. When a task priority workout is written on the whiteboard you may scale movements or reduce weight to increase intensity and see how quickly you can finish the workout without setting the barbell down. Both formats challenge your fitness in unique ways — task priority tests your capacity to move fast, while time priority pushes your ability to endure. Both formats have upsides for the gym owner or coach to improve various domains of health and fitness.
Final Takeaway
No matter the format, the goal is intensity within your ability level. Some days you may want to push yourself regarding intensity while other days you just want to master a particular movement with less pressure. My hope is that this post helps you better understand how time priority and task priority workouts give you different opportunities to further develop your ability level.
