A time cap is the maximum time a CrossFit or functional fitness workout allows, so when the clock reaches it you stop where you are, even with reps left. If you finish inside the cap, your score is your time, and if the cap stops you first, your score is usually the valid reps you completed. Each event sets its own rule for a capped score, so read the scorecard before the clock starts.
Most capped workouts are For Time, where the work is fixed and the cap limits how long you can take to finish it.
The time cap vs the intended time
In a class, the cap usually sits well past the intended time of the workout, because it has to leave room for the slowest athlete in the room. Take Fran:
21-15-9 · 90 reps
- aThrusters (95/65 lb, 43/29 kg)
- bPull-ups
CrossFit's Scale Your Own Workouts worksheet gives Fran an intended time of three to eight minutes, and a class often caps it at 15:00 so the next group can start on time. In three to eight minutes Fran is a sprint that leaves you out of breath, but if you pace it to finish just before 15:00, it becomes a steady effort with long breaks between sets, which is a different kind of stimulus. Plan your pace from the intended time, and treat the cap only as the point where the workout stops.
Why workouts use time caps
A cap keeps classes and heats on schedule, and it draws a line between finished and unfinished work, so athletes who did not finish can still be ranked against each other.
In competition the cap is often part of the test, and it can be tight enough that many athletes do not finish. When the cap is likely to stop you, pace to use every minute, because every rep you finish before it adds to your score.
How capped workouts are scored
A competition usually defines more than the cap, and each of these rules can change your plan:
- A tiebreak at the end of a round tells you where to push.
- A minimum amount of work tells you which part of the workout you have to finish to get a score at all.
- A time penalty for each missed rep makes every rep before the cap worth time off your score.
| What the scorecard says | What you write down for 82 of Fran's 90 reps |
|---|---|
| Score capped attempts on total reps | CAP 15:00, 82 reps |
| Break ties on the time of your last full round | 82 reps, tiebreak 11:42 |
| Add one second for each rep you missed | 15:08 |
The same 82 reps go on one leaderboard as 82 reps and on another as 15:08. In training, pick one method and use it every time, or your attempts will not compare.
What a capped result tells you in training
A time cap in a class usually sits well past the intended time, so if it stops you, you were much slower than the workout is meant to take. Scale it down the next time, with a lighter load, fewer reps, a shorter distance, or an easier movement. The exception is a day when something else slowed you down, such as a heavy training week.
How to plan around a cap
- Find the intended time. Many programs write it in the workout notes, as the stimulus or as a range of minutes.
- Count the total reps. Fran has 90.
- Divide the reps by the longest intended time to get the slowest pace that still fits the workout. For Fran, 90 reps in eight minutes is about 11 reps a minute.
To finish inside the 15:00 cap, you need six reps a minute, which is one rep every ten seconds. That is easy to picture before the clock starts. If it sounds like too much, scale the workout, and if you know you can go faster, aim for the 11 reps a minute of an eight-minute Fran.
How to record a capped result
Record the whole attempt, and not only that you did not finish (DNF), because DNF does not tell you how close you were:
- The cap, written beside the score
- Total valid reps when the clock stopped
- The last movement or round you completed
- The tiebreak time where the workout publishes one
- The version you ran, with loads and heights
- Split times for each round
CAP 15:00, 82 reps tells you a year from now that you were eight reps short, so you can see if the next attempt gets closer.
Frequently asked questions
Does hitting the time cap mean the score is zero?
No, almost never. Most workouts count every valid rep you finished before the clock stopped. A score of zero comes only from a specific event rule, such as a minimum amount of work that you did not reach.
Should you keep working after the cap in training?
No, not by default, because the extra work changes the test and makes the session hard to compare with the last one. Record the capped score first, then finish the work if your plan asks for it.
Are all finishers ranked above capped athletes?
Yes. A finisher completed all the work and a capped athlete did not, so any valid finish time ranks above any capped score.
Download EVERGROUND
When the cap stops the clock, every rep you finished counts
When the cap ends a For Time workout, Everground scores the workout on the
reps you finished and records a split at every movement. Next to CAP 15:00, 82 reps you see how long each movement took, so you know which one to work
on.