A CrossFit workout of the Day, or WOD, is varied and unpredictable—not to torture you, but so your regimen doesn’t become too routine. Fear not: There’s method to the madness! These randomly assigned workouts give instant structure, hitting one or more of the following: metabolic conditioning (cardio); gymnastics and body-weight moves; and weightlifting and Olympic lifts. Translation: The dynamic workout programming you crave (and need) to get stronger/fitter is pre-determined for you. So your only work is on the gym floor.
We asked top CrossFit boxes to name their favorite WODs—be they the most universally liked or the most dreaded of them all. Here are 13 WODs that bring CrossFitters together and to their knees daily.
The Coaches:
Stephen “Coop” Cooperstock, CrossFit Max Effort central facilities manager and senior coach CrossFit Max Effort, Las Vegas, NV. crossfitmaxeffort.com
“The athlete runs a midshort distance, then lifts weight under fatigue and finishes with a gymnastic movement: the pullup. Helen is a good mix of all three types of movements,” says Cooperstock.
*Pood: a Russian unit of measurement used for k’bells: 1 pood is 36 lbs.; 1.5 pood is 54 lbs.; 2 pood is 72 lbs., with DB equivalents being 35, 55, and 70 lbs
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: DT
From Coach: Stephen “Coop” Cooperstock
5 rounds for time:
12 Deadlifts
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks (155 lbs., men; 105 lbs., women)
COACH’S TIP
“Everybody loves barbells! This WOD tests the athlete’s grip while firing off quick reps of skillful barbell movements, each one requiring full use of the posterior chain. The challenge here is to hang on,” he says.
“Fran is probably the most well-known WOD around the world. This workout takes some of the world’s fastest just under two minutes,” says Cooperstock.
FACT: CrossFit Max Effort is located in the City of Sin…and sweat! The owner Zach Forrest, is a 3x CrossFit Games competitor and a former Navy SEAL. Max Effort is also the largest facility in Las Vegas and the most visited in the world.
For a more efficient box jump, don’t think about getting from the ground to the top of the box. Instead think about starting from the top of the box and get back to the top of the box, so spend as little time as possible on the ground. Also keep your gaze up, not at the box, so it’s easier to keep your chest up. If toes to bar is too tough, do knees to elbow.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: Cindy
From Coach: Sheena Lawrick
20 minutes, as many rounds as possible (AMRAP)
5 Pullups
10 Pushups, Hand Release
15 Air Squats
COACH’S TIP
Many people slow down during air squats. Instead: Lower to the ground quickly, then explode from the bottom, pushing through your heels to ramp up the conditioning aspects of this movement.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: FRAN (2)
From Coach: Sheena Lawrick
Do this “Fran” WOD for time: 21-15-9
Thrusters (95 lbs., men; 65 lbs., women)
Pullups
COACH’S TIP
The thruster is the ultimate multijoint movement—including a clean, front squat, and overhead press with leg explosion. So to get the most out of this move and to learn good form, practice each fundamental part of it individually, starting with cleans, front squats, and wall balls.
“The emphasis on our CrossFit Windy City Level 1 classes is on skill development and exposure to basic functional movemnet patterns: and the pace is intentionally slow. However, each class has a conditioning segment finisher. After about eight to ten of our level 1 sessions, the beginner CrossFitter will be more confident, skilled, and able to keep up with the pace of our main WODs,” says Lawrick.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: Morrison
From Coach: Sheena Lawrick
50-40-30-20-10 Reps, for time:
Wall Ball Shots (20 lbs., men; 14 lbs., women)
Box Jumps (24; 20)
Kettlebell Swings (1.5 pood; 1 pood)
COACH’S TIP
“When taking total reps into account, you have to pace yourself, but be cautious not to overpace. The workout is something we would call a grinder because it’s supposed to burn and take a good amount of time to complete. Your strategy: Break up the reps early in order to really dig deep and go for big sets toward the end of the workout,” says Lawrick.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: Annie
From Coach: Sheena Lawrick
50-40-30-20-10 for time:
Double-unders
Situps
COACH’S TIP
For double-unders, keep your torso as upright as possible. Doing a successful double-under depends upon how high you jump, not how fast the rope rotates. So think about jumping higher and quicker.
“Break up the reps into small, manageable sets or else you’ll fatigue quickly. This is a mental grinder,” says Roller.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: Jackie
From Coach: Paul Roller
For time:
1,000m Row
50 Thrusters (45 lbs., men; 35 lbs., women)
30 Pullups
COACH’S TIP
“Pace yourself on the row so thrusters aren’t miserable! Keep elbows up on thrusters and relax shoulders to save them for pullups. For pullups, break reps up into manageable sets so you don’t reach failure too quickly,” says Paul Roller, M.S., C.S.C.S., CrossFit Outbreak, Brooklyn, NY.
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CrossFit WOD: Grace
From Coach: Paul Roller
For time:
30 Cleans & Jerks (135 lbs., men; 95 lbs., women)
COACH’S TIP
“This is meant to be done in under five minutes, so although it has a prescribed weight, choose one that allows you to consistently keep moving with proper form. And use your hips!” says Roller.
With locations across Brooklyn, Ny, CrossFit Outbreak hosts Women’s WOD and Wine Nights and Barbells and Beer Buys Nights every other month “because CrossFit is a program that works so well in part due to the camaraderie and connection between people,” says Roller.
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CrossFit WOD: Mary
20 minutes AMRAP:
5 Handstand Pushups
10 One-legged Squats, alternating
15 Pullups
COACH’S TIP
According to WODstar.com, the goal for a Level 1 CrossFitter would be five to nine rounds of “Mary”; Level 2, nine to 12.” To modify the pullup, you can do strict, kipping, or butterfly; the handstand pushup can be strict or kipping. Kipping and butterfly allow you to use the momentum of hips and/or shoulders to do the move.
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Edgar Artiga
CrossFit WOD: Angie
For time:
100 Pullups
100 Pushups
100 Situps
100 Squats
COACH’S TIP
CrossFit Rosslyn, in Arlington, VA (crossfitrosslyn.com), recommends having a strategy before starting “Angie,” whether it’s 10 reps 10 times or 40, 30, 20, and then 10 reps, both for the physical and mental challenge of this workout. Avoid overexertion to start so you don’t burn out for the rest of the set.
