If you work out regularly, you have probably heard of the terms PR (personal record) or PB (personal best).
Maybe you've even already set a few PRs – your personal best deadlift weight, your fastest 5K time, or the most push-ups you can do in a minute.
These milestones not only feel good, they're also a sign that you're making progress.
But how important are PRs really? And should you set a new record in every workout? We'll let you know
What are personal bests and why do I need them?
Every time you lift a weight you've never lifted before or run a faster distance, you're setting a new personal best.
This can be super motivating because it shows you that you have improved. And that all the sweat and muscle soreness are paying off.
Why personal bests? They help you set measurable goals and give you the feeling of really making progress. Especially if you've been training for a while and the big improvements are becoming less frequent, they're like a little reward system.
How important are personal bests for my training?
Are PBs the only way to tell if you're getting better? Not necessarily.
Sure, a new record is a strong sign that you're improving, but progress often shows up in little, unmeasurable ways, too:
How light a weight feels.
How well you move.
Or that you're performing an exercise cleaner.
So, PRs can be motivating, but they aren't everything.
If you get too hung up on PRs, you may find that the fun in training is lost. Your training then becomes just about hitting numbers – higher, faster, heavier.
But training isn't always a linear story: there are days when you just don't have the strength or energy you would like, and that's normal. Focusing only on PRs can be stressful and will sooner or later take the fun out of it.
More important than any PR is consistency: staying on track, making progress over the long term and enjoying the process.
When should I aim for personal bests and when should I not?
There are moments when it makes sense to aim for PRs – and others when you might be better off taking it down a notch.
If you are feeling great, have had a good night's sleep and are full of energy, then a PB attempt can be just the right thing to challenge yourself and see what you are capable of. These “good-day PRs” can be extremely motivating and give you a new lease of life.
But there are also phases when you For example, if you are injured or having a stressful week, there is no point in putting pressure on you to perform at your best.
Take a break from PRs and focus on keeping your training clean and consistent. You don't always need a new personal best to make progress – often
When to aim for PBs?
When you feel fit and full of energy.
If you want to measure progress and are willing to push a little harder to achieve it.
During test phases of your training plan to reassess your performance limits.
When not to?
When you have injuries or pain.
During phases in which you are concentrating on technique and stability.
When the mental pressure becomes too high and your training becomes less fun.
How often should I try to set new personal bests?
Of course, breaking PBs is exciting. But the key to long-term success is striking a balance.
If you're out to set a new record in every session, you'll quickly overload your body. Your nervous system and muscle tissue need time to recover. Attempting PRs too often will quickly lead to overtraining and injuries.
Instead, it makes sense to aim for PRs at regular intervals and to take breaks in between to focus on technique and proper execution.
How often a PB makes sense also depends on your training level:
Beginners can often frequently set new personal bests because the body makes adjustments more quickly.
Experienced athletes, on the other hand, may break PRs only a few times a year because their performance level is already very high.
PR frequency depending on level
Beginner: a PR is possible and motivating every 4-6 weeks.
Intermediate: build PRs into your training every 2-3 months.
Pro: every few months to twice a year is enough to measure progress.
For which types of training are personal best performances useful?
Personal bests are particularly useful in types of training where progress and performance are measurable.
Whether you are getting faster, stronger or more enduring, it is easy to record in some disciplines – and that is precisely where PBs can be highly motivating.
Here is an overview of where personal bests really make sense in training:
Bodyweight training
Mobility and flexibility
1. Strength training: Personal bests as an indicator of progress
Personal bests are particularly easy to measure in strength training. If, for example, you manage to lift more weight than ever before in a bench press or set a new best in deadlifts, you immediately have a tangible result.
Strength training often thrives on pushing your own limits and systematically expanding them. Personal bests are a clear benchmark for progress and give you a goal to continuously get stronger.
Typical personal bests in strength training: maximum weight for one repetition (1RM), number of repetitions with a certain weight, time for an exercise (such as plank holding).
Advantage: personal bests in strength training show you directly how much stronger you have become and make progress very tangible.
2. Endurance training: Speed, distance and time as PBs
When it comes to endurance training, PBs are particularly useful for speed, distance and time.
Whether you're on the treadmill, in the pool or on the bike, personal bests can show you that you can last longer or faster.
Typical PBs in endurance training: fastest time for a specific distance (e.g. 5 km run), maximum distance in a set time (e.g. one hour), best time for a route.
Benefit: PBs in endurance training help you to track your progress over a clearly measurable period of time and often make you mentally stronger too.
In high-intensity workouts like HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or CrossFit, PBs are ideal for improving your performance in short, high-intensity intervals.
Often, these workouts involve performing movements under time pressure, which is well suited to PBs. This could be the number of repetitions in a given period of time or the time it takes you to complete a certain number of rounds.
In workout types like AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible), you can measure your number of rounds as a PB and try to beat it in the next session.
Typical PBs in HIIT and CrossFit: Number of rounds in an “AMRAP” workout, reps in a set interval, time to complete a workout (e.g. “Helen” or “Murph”).
Advantage: PBs in these types of training sessions will increase your intensity and help you get the best out of yourself without spending too much time on it.
4. Bodyweight Training: Maximum reps and new levels
You can also set PBs in bodyweight training – in the form of repetitions and exercise progress.
Here, the weight is less important than the number of repetitions you can manage or your mastery of advanced variations.
In calisthenics, a form of bodyweight training, for example, you could set your first real pull-up as a PB and build on that.
Typical PBs in bodyweight training: Maximum number of repetitions of an exercise (e.g. push-ups), mastering an advanced exercise (e.g. the first muscle-up).
Benefit: PBs help you to better control your body weight and give you a measurable goal when you are working on difficult movements.
Even though mobility and flexibility are not always classic training areas for PBs, you can also set personal bests here, especially if you want to specifically work on your mobility.
Here, PBs could mean that you are reaching the full depth of a squat or getting into the splits for the first time.
Typical flexibility PRs: reaching a certain depth (e.g. in a squat), progress in a certain position (e.g. first split).
Benefit: PRs in flexibility show you that you are making progress and increasing your range of motion.
How can I effectively incorporate PBs into my training?
If you want to incorporate PRs into your training, you should strategize. Spontaneous PR attempts are cool, but if you want to achieve them seriously and sustainably, a plan makes sense.
Focus on progression: Build up your intensity slowly over weeks. Gradually increase the weight or intensity of your sessions to prepare for the PB.
Use periodization: Divide your training plan into phases. A build-up phase is followed by a recovery phase, and then you can aim for a PB in the following period.
Mental preparation: PR attempts are not only physically demanding, but also mentally challenging. Focus, be clear about what you want to achieve, and visualize success. A positive attitude and clear focus will help you to perform at your best.
Keep track of your PRs – training logs and progress history with the SmartWOD apps
If you want to keep track of your progress and PRs, the SmartWOD apps are a real plus.
They allow you to track your workouts and record all personal bests and progress.
This way, you can see in black and white how you are improving over time and when you are ready to start a new PR attempt.
To sum up: How PRs can help you to improve your training
PBs are a great way to see progress and challenge yourself – but they are not everything.
If you focus too much on best performances, you risk losing the fun of training and only putting yourself under pressure.
Sometimes it is more important to enjoy the process, work on your technique and just stay fit. PBs can give you a real motivational boost – but they are not the only goal.
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