These legendary CrossFit workouts work your whole body like never before.
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
These classic CrossFit workouts are intense and super effective. And they’ll challenge your mental toughness, too.
Though they’re intended for experienced exercisers, we’ve provided a beginner-friendly option for each one, as well as tips on how to do them from CrossFit pros. And, yes, these workouts have women’s names (you can read more about that here if you’re curious).
Workout 1: Barbara
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
HOW TO DO IT Do this whole circuit, then rest for three full minutes to catch your breath and recover. And then do that all again four more times for a total of five times through the circuit.
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY OPTION Do the exercises below for three to five rounds (you choose depending on what you can manage). Rest three minutes between each round.
• 3 to 5 pull-ups or assisted pull-ups or pull-up alternatives (see below) • 6 to 9 push-ups • 12 to 15 sit-ups • 15 to 20 squats
SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU OUT “Know your limits. You’ve got 700 reps in the is workout. You can either do the reps with integrity and great form, or you can really screw yourself… If this means you’ve got to scale [do the beginner-friendly alternative workout] – leave your ego at the door and do it! Don’t sacrifice form for speed and scale correctly.” — Will Lanier, CrossFit coach and general manager of Brick New York
Workout 2: Chelsea
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
HOW TO DO IT Start a stopwatch and do the entire circuit. Rest until minute one. At minute one, repeat the circuit, resting until minute two. Repeat this for 30 minutes.
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY OPTION Perform the following exercises every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:
• 1 pull-up or 3 assisted pull-ups (no jumping pull-ups) • 3 to 6 push-ups (or elevated push-ups) • 6 to 9 squats
If you don’t finish the circuit within the minute, rest for the following minute and then start again.
SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU OUT “Definitely get your heart rate up a bit prior to beginning this workout… The first movement to go is the push-ups. I suggest splitting these up from the beginning. Don’t get upset with yourself if you miss a round. Take the time, regroup, and start again on the next minute.” — Will Lanier, CrossFit coach and general manager of Brick New York
Workout 3: Angie
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
HOW TO DO IT This workout is just what it looks like: Do each movement 100 times before moving on to the next one. Take short rests throughout to make sure you’re able to complete every single movement with good form.
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY OPTION • 20 pull-ups or 25 to 35 assisted pull-ups (no jumping pull-ups) • 20 push-ups or 30 elevated push-ups or 35 wall push-ups • 20 sit-ups • 20 to 50 squats
HOW TO DO IT “The biggest way to fail miserably is to sprint this workout. Success with Angie is all about splitting up your reps, sticking to your strategy, and not going to failure. The quickest and easiest way … is to do 10 reps for 10 sets of each move… The key to success is to pick a strategy that you know you can keep and STICK TO IT. Small, achievable sets.” — Will Lanier, CrossFit coach and general manager of Brick New York
Here’s how to do a push-up:
Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
Learn how to do a perfect push-up . If push-ups are too challenging, do your push-ups off a table, bench, couch, or anything else that’s elevated and stable.
Here’s how to do a squat:
Sally Tamarkin / BuzzFeed
Learn how to do a perfect squat .
Here’s how to do a sit-up:
Sally Tamarkin / BuzzFeed
Squeeze your abs and use your core muscles to pull you up from the floor into a seated position.
Here’s how to do a pull-up:
Albert Matheny / Soho Strength Lab
If you don’t have access to a pull-up bar or assisted pull-up machine, do rows on a doorway like this:
Sally Tamarkin / BuzzFeed
A few important notes:
• Be sure to warm up before you jump into the workout; spend a few minutes getting your heart rate up and your muscles feeling loose before you really start pushing yourself. After you workout, cool down with .
• Remember that good form is crucial for results and also not getting hurt. So, when you feel yourself getting too tired to execute each rep perfectly, be sure to rest — 15 to 30 seconds between movements or in the middle of a set for up to 10 seconds.
• In addition to high-intensity workouts like this one, the key to losing fat is a lower-carb diet. More on that .
Thanks to Jeff and Mikki Martin of CrossFit BrandX for the beginner-friendly versions of these workouts, and to Will Lanier, CrossFit coach and general manager of Brick New York for the workout tips and strategy. And thank you to Albert Matheny of Naked Nutrition and Soho Strength Lab for consulting on this post and Dariusz Stankiewicz for demonstrating a pull-up. Thanks also to Josh Martinez for demonstrating a push-up.
Thumbnail from Thinkstock.
