16 CrossFit Workouts to Try Today, From Home Workouts to Barbell Fat-Burners

It doesn’t matter if you swear by bodybuilding, or if you’ve skipped passed the countless Netflix CrossFit documentaries. That’s because it’s here to stay. With almost 14,000 CrossFit boxes around the world, there’s scant chance you’re far away from one. So it could make sense to pay ‘the sport of fitness’ a little attention from time to time.

HD six-packs, fat-burning workouts and intelligent programming are all promises CrossFit workouts can make, so if even you use one of your days away from the weights room for cardio, it would be the smarter man’s choice to swap a 5K plod for one of these WODs. But first, a little refresher.

Adam Bow

CrossFit Workout Terminology: WODs, EMOMs and AMRAPs

With more AMRAPs, EMOMs and WODs than you can get your head around, it makes sense to come to term’s with CrossFit’s terminology before attempting any of the below.

AMRAP: This stands for “as many reps (or rounds) as possible”, a workout structure that’s frequently used in CrossFit to accompany conditioning pieces. It’s designed to push your body to the max in a short time frame. “AMRAPs allow you to specify the amount of time that a training session will take. If you know that you’ll be going for exactly 7 minutes, it’s much easier to understand the pacing of the effort required over that 7 minutes,”said Todd Nief, head CrossFit coach and owner of South Loop Strength & Conditioning in Chicago.

EMOM: Every minute, on the minute. You’ll need a watch, stopwatch or a clock for this one. Complete the prescribed number of reps within a minute’s timeframe, resting for the remainder of the same minute. The EMOM format encourages you to work harder in order to earn more rest. Once a new minute starts, so do you. Deep breaths, now.

WOD: Workout of the day — the prescribed workout from CrossFit Affiliate gyms to their members. Usually, under 20 minutes, some people question their efficacy. “Each person will need to experiment to determine what “enough” means,” says the official CrossFit website. “Experienced athletes with specific competition goals might need additional work to improve their fitness, while beginners might need to reduce the volume of the WOD to optimise results.”

RFT: Rounds for time — this means that you have to go hell-for-leather to achieve the quickest time possible while maintaining good form. RFT workouts are particularly useful for measuring yourself against previous times and thereby testing your strength and your fitness.

The Best CrossFit Workout For Beginners

Before you introduce yourself to any of the ‘girls’ — more on them below — this workout is ideal for beginners. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It will require hard graft, but you’ll quickly see results in your size, strength and energy.

The combination of high-intensity circuits, staple CrossFit moves and some good old-fashioned weight training will keep your muscles guessing. Don’t rest between moves but recover for one minute after each cycle. Repeat five times.

Barbell Deadlift: 5 sets of 10 reps

Squat down and grasp a barbell with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart.
Keep your chest up, pull your shoulders back and look straight ahead as you lift the bar.
Focus on taking the weight back onto your heels and keep the bar as close as possible to your body at all times.
Lift to thigh level, pause, then return under control to the start position.

Barbell Squat: 5 sets of 10 reps

Stand with your feet more than shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell across your upper back with an overhand grip – avoid resting it on your neck. Hug the bar into your traps to engage your upper back muscles.
Slowly sit back into a squat with head up, back straight and backside out. Lower until your hips are aligned with your knees, with your legs at 90 degrees – a deeper squat will be more beneficial but get the strength and flexibility first.
Drive your heels into the floor to push yourself explosively back up. Keep form until you’re stood up straight: that’s one.

Kettlebell Swings: 5 sets of 30 secs

Place a kettlebell a couple of feet in front of you. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees to lean forward and grab the handle with both hands.
With your back flat, engage your lats to pull the weight between your legs (be careful with how deep you swing) then drive your hips forward and explosively pull the kettlebell up to shoulder height with your arms straight in front of you.
Return to the start position and repeat without pauses.

Box Jumps: 5 sets of 20 secs

Set yourself a comfortable distance from the box with feet shoulder-width apart.
Drop quickly into a quarter squat, swing your arms and explode upwards to jump onto the box. Land as softly as possible.
Now step backwards off the box under control.

Treadmill sprints: 5 sets of 60 secs

Sprint at full speed for the designated time.

Adam Bow

The Most Famous CrossFit Workouts

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that some of the most famous CrossFit workouts are named after girls. Who they really are, we’ll never know, but they pack a real punch when it comes to getting a sweat on. It’s thought that CrossFit Inc. founder Greg Glassman named them after females in a similar vein to that of the weather service, as “the workouts were so physically demanding that they left athletes feeling as though a storm hit them.”

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Fran: 21-15-9 reps for time

Thrusters (43kg barbell)
Pull-ups

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Helen: 3 rounds for time

400m run
21 KB swings
12 pull-ups

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Cindy: AMRAP 20 minutes

5 pull-ups
10 press-ups
15 air squats

Annie: 50-40-30-20-10 reps

Nancy: 5 RFT

400m of Cardio OR 75 Double-Unders
15 Overhead Squats

Haven’t got double-unders yet? Here’s how to get there.

Kalsu: For Time

100 dumbbell Thrusters
Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) – 5 Burpees

Diane: 21-15-9 reps for time

Dumbbell Deadlifts
Strict Handstand Push-ups

Loredo: 6RFT

24 squats
24 press-ups
24 walking lunge steps
Run 400 meters

Chelsea: EMOM 30

5 pull-ups
10 press-ups
15 squats

Grettel: 10 Rounds for time

3 clean-and-jerks, 61kg/43kg barbell
3 burpees over the barbell

Barbara Ann: 5 rounds for time, 3-minute rest

20 handstand push-ups
30 deadlifts 61kg/43kg barbell
40 sit-ups
50 double-unders

Ellen: 3 Rounds for time

20 burpees
21 dumbbell snatches 22/15kg, single dumbbell
12 dumbbell thrusters 22/15kg, dual dumbbells

Lyla: For time, 10,9,8,7…1 Rounds

Muscle-ups
Bodyweight clean-and-jerks

Michael Brian

CrossFit Hero Workouts

CrossFit hero WODs are named after fallen soldiers and first-responders that have died in the line of duty. “Military, law enforcement and first responder communities were among the earliest proponents of CrossFit. Their intensity matched with the fitness CrossFit provides is a match made in heaven,” says CrossFit.

“When a service member dies in the line of duty, a CrossFit hero workout is created in their name. Hero WODs are an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices of the fallen – to speak their names and honour their memories. These workouts have been a tradition of workout gyms since 2008.”

‘Murph’

Murph, previously known as ‘Body Armour’ for those who don’t know, is a hero CrossFit WOD that honours fallen Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael Murphy. ‘Murph’ has quickly become a staple workout for Memorial Day, to honour Lt. Murphy and every fallen veteran.

In a 10-20kg weighted vest:

One-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
One-mile run

‘Gunny’

“Command Sgt. Maj. Martin “Gunny” Barreras died on May 13, 2014, of wounds he sustained during an attack on his unit on May 6, 2014. Barreras joined the Marine Corps in 1983 and the Army Rangers in 1988. He used CrossFit training to improve his fitness and the fitness of his unit. Murph and Griff were among his favourite workouts.”

1-mile weighted run
50 push-ups
50 sit-ups
1-mile weighted run
50 push-ups
50 sit-ups
1-mile weighted run

‘DT’

“In honour of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feb. 20, 2009, while he was supporting operations in OEF and his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.”

70kg Deadlift, 12 reps
70kg Hang power clean, 9 reps
70kg Push jerk, 6 reps

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Edward Cooper Ed Cooper is the Deputy Digital Editor at Men’s Health UK, writing and editing about anything you want to know about — from tech to fitness, mental health to style, food and so much more.