CrossFit has grown like wildfire over the past few years. What started as a small gym in Santa Cruz, California has now revolutionized fitness throughout the world. If youre curious about it, we have the 3 best CrossFit workouts to add to your fitness routine explained below.
It uses a combination of movements, rep schemes, and time domains to give the athlete a challenging, effective workout. Movements mostly fall into three categories: metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, and strength.
Metabolic Conditioning can include running, rowing, and double unders. Gymnastics movements include many bodyweight movements like push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, air squats, and dips, and can include more complex movements like handstand push-ups and muscle-ups. Strength often involves barbell work, including back squats, push presses, thrusters, cleans, snatches, and deadlifts.
Make sure to research all of the movements carefully and consult a coach or trainer to make sure youre doing them right. Safety is a top priority!
Whether you workout in your garage or at a local gym, here are the 3 best workouts to add to your fitness routine.
Table of Contents
Workout 1
This workout is called Cindy in the CrossFit world. The only equipment youll need for this one is a pull-up bar. Set your timer for 20 minutes. In that time, youll repeat this rep scheme:
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 air squats
as many times as possible in that 20 minutes. Keep track of how many rounds you complete. If youre a beginner, there are a few ways to scale this workout. If you cant do body weight pull-ups, try jumping pull-ups. Knee push-ups are a great way to scale regular push-ups. If 20 minutes is too long for you, set your timer to 10 minutes. Just keep moving!
Workout 2
In this workout, youll try to complete a certain amount of work as quickly as possible. If you dont have a box to jump on, try to find a bench or ledge (about 20 high) to jump on. If you dont have a kettlebell, a 35-pound dumbbell will work as well.
- 3 rounds for time:
- 15 box jumps
- 15 kettlebell swings
- Run 400m
This workout will get your heart rate going and the kettlebell will add a strength component. You can scale by stepping up on the box instead of jumping, using a lighter kettlebell, or running a shorter distance. Give yourself a goal time to reach and try to beat it!
Workout 3
This workout will incorporate weightlifting into your routine, so have a barbell and weights handy. Youll also need a jump rope for this one. In this workout, youll try to do the work listed in the fastest amount of time.
- 5 deadlifts (155 for women, 205 for men)
- 10 power cleans (95 for women, 155 for men)
- 15 sit-ups
- 20 double unders (jump rope goes under the feet twice)
- 15 sit-ups
- 10 power cleans
- 5 deadlifts
If these weights are too heavy, scale back to your strength level. Take the weights on and off between the power cleans and deadlifts. If you cant complete double unders, do 60 single jump ropes instead. Chip away at this one!
The variety of movements and time domains make these workouts the 3 amazing workouts to incorporate into your regular fitness routine. Remember to always warm-up and stretch for 10-15 minutes before the workout to make sure your body is ready. Take some time to cool down after the workout as well. CrossFit is a great way to build strength and speed while having a great workout.
Find out more about best shoes for crossfit here:
Overtraining
Here are some ways to tell if you might be overtraining, followed by some advice on how to overcome it.
Your Injuries are More Frequent
Overtraining can lead to some serious injuries. If you keep training during these injuries, you may end up aggravating them further, leading to something more serious. Let’s say you start feeling a twinge in your lower back when you do explosive movements, like burpees. If you don’t take care of your back and keep lifting heavy, you may turn it into something more serious. I’ve done sets of front squats, keeping in mind my past PRs, and I’ve rounded my back on some of the later sets, leading to me taking a week off. Nurture the injuries you have instead of making them worse.
You Have Trouble Sleeping
If you’re working out all the time, say a few hours a day, you’d think that it would help you sleep better. But that’s not always the case. Overtraining can lead to us thinking about CrossFit all the time and planning out our next workout in our heads. If we’re working out too late in the evening, we may not give our bodies enough rest time to get quality, restful sleep. Remember, 7-9 hours of good, restful sleep can go a long way in recovery.
CrossFit Isn’t Fun Anymore
Above all else, it should be fun. But a lot of times when we have specific goals in mind, if we don’t reach those goals, it can become really frustrating. And if we’re spending so much time training and not hitting our goals, the frustration can spiral. Make sure to include workouts where the goal isn’t to PR. Think of it as working out and having a good time with your friends.
Plan Your Workouts and Stick to Your Plan
It’s tempting to do a new Hero WOD when they’re posted on Crossfit.com. But if it doesn’t fit into your scheduled workout, you’re not helping your workout goals. Make sure to be smart about your workouts and include a variety of strength, mobility, and met-cons to get the most out of your training. If you really want to try a new workout, schedule it in the upcoming weeks so you can look forward to it and stick to your workout plan.
Listen to Your Body
If your knee is nagging you, skip running and box jumps for the week. CrossFit workouts are made to modify. You don’t have to RX every workout. If your shoulders are overworked from too many pull-ups and push presses, give them a rest so they can recover. Knowing how to recover is part of being a successful athlete, so treat recovery like every other part of your workout.
WOD List
1. Grace
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
Clean and Jerk 135 lbs |
30 reps for time |
2. Cindy
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
5 pull-ups |
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes |
|
10 push-ups |
|
|
15 squats |
3. Angie
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
100 pull-ups |
Done in order for time |
|
100 push-ups |
|
|
100 sit-ups |
|
|
100 squats |
4. Annie
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
Double-unders |
50/40/30/20/10 rep rounds, for time |
|
Sit-ups |
5. Mary
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
5 Handstand push-ups |
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes |
|
10 Single-leg squats |
|
|
15 pull-ups |
6. Elizabeth
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
Clean 135 lbs |
25/15/9 reps, for time |
|
Ring dips |
7. Helen
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
400 meter run |
3 rounds for time |
|
21 kettlebell swings, 1.5 pd |
|
|
12 pull-ups |
8. Karen
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
150 wall ball shots |
For time |
9. GI Jane
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
100 Burpee pull-ups |
For time |
10. Nancy
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
500 meter run |
5 rounds for time |
|
15 overhead squats |
11. Isabel
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
Snatch 135 lbs |
30 reps for time |
12. Kelly
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
400 meters run |
5 rounds for time |
|
30 box jumps, 24 inches |
|
|
30 wall ball shots, 20 lbs |
13. Eva
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
800 meters run |
5 rounds for time |
|
30 kettlebell swings, 2 pd |
|
|
30 pull-ups |
14. Jackie
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
400 meters run |
5 rounds for time |
|
30 box jumps, 24 inches |
|
|
30 wall ball shots, 20 lbs |
15. Fran
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
Thrusters 95 lbs |
25/15/9 reps, for time |
|
Pull-ups |
16. Ryan
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
7 Muscle-ups |
5 rounds for time |
|
21 burpees |
17. Murph
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
1 mile run |
For time |
|
100 pull-ups |
|
|
200 push-ups |
|
|
300 squats |
|
|
1 mile run |
18. Filthy Fifty
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
50 box jump, 24 inches |
For time |
|
50 jumping pull-ups |
|
|
50 kettlebell swings, 1 pd |
|
|
Walking Lunge, 50 steps |
|
|
50 Knees to elbows |
|
|
50 Push presses, 45 lbs |
|
|
50 back extensions |
|
|
50 Wall ball shots, 20 lbs |
|
|
50 Burpees |
|
|
50 Double-unders |
19. Griff
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
800 meter run |
For time |
|
400 meter run backwards |
|
|
800 meter run |
|
|
400 meter run backwards |
20. Nasty Girls
|
EXERCISES |
REPS/ROUNDS |
|
50 squats |
3 rounds for time |
|
7 Muscle-ups |
|
|
10 Hang Power-cleans, 135 lbs |