Crossfit: TOP 10 Most Famous Benchmarks

But what is #benchmark ?

1. Fran

• 21-15-9 Reps
• Thrusters (95/65 lb)
• Pull-Ups

How do you perform the "Fran" workout?

Perform 21 Thrusters and 21 Pull-Ups, then 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull-Ups, then 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull-Ups, as quickly as possible.

How do you score the "Fran" workout?

Score is the time it takes to complete all 90 repetitions.

What is a good score for the "Fran" workout?

- Beginner: 7-9 minutes
- Intermediate: 6-7 minutes
- Advanced: 4-6 minutes
- Elite: <3 minutes

What are the tips and strategies to use in the "Fran" workout?

Before you go "3...2...1...GO!", choose a tough (but realistic) rep scheme that will allow you to go fast. If nonstop sets aren't yet appropriate for your fitness level, try this: split your sets of 21 into 3 sets of 7 reps; split your sets of 15 into 2 sets of 8 and 7, respectively; and go nonstop for sets of 9. Rest minimally during the breaks.

What is the intended stimulus of the "Fran" training?

"Fran" should be fast and light. During the WOD, you should (at least once) ask yourself why the hell you agreed to this.

How do you size the "Fran" workout?

This WOD should be light, fast, and pain-inducing—the good kind of pain. Both thrusters and pull-ups should be done in large sets or uninterrupted. Scale the movements so you can go FAST—sets of two and three reps won’t make your lungs/legs/arms burn the way they should for this WOD.

Intermediary
21-15-9
Thrusters (75/55 lb)
Pull-Ups

Beginner
21-15-9
Dumbbell Thrusters (215/10 lb)
Ring Rows 

2. Cindy

• AMRAP in 20 minutes
• 5 Pull-Ups
• 10 Push-Ups
• 15 Air Squats

How do you perform the "Cindy" workout?

On a 20-minute clock, perform as many rounds and repetitions (AMRAP) of the workout as possible in the order written. 1 round equals 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Air Squats.

How do you score the "Cindy" workout?

Score is the total number of rounds and reps completed before the 20-minute clock stops.

What is a good score for the "Cindy" workout?

- Beginner: 11-12 rounds
- Intermediate: 13-17 rounds
- Advanced: 19-22 rounds
- Elite: 24+ rounds

What are the tips and strategies to use in the "Cindy" workout?

Since this WOD is 20 minutes long, you’ll need to be at a steady pace for most of the workout—a sudden fast pace will hurt your score. Figure out how long it takes you to comfortably do a single round, and try to maintain that pace the entire time. What felt comfortable at the beginning will feel very uncomfortable by the halfway point. During the air squats, relax your upper body and hands as much as possible. Use those 15 reps as recovery. But when you see that you have 3 minutes left, put the pedal to the metal and go!

What is the intended stimulus of the "Cindy" workout?

By the end of this WOD, you might be wondering what happened to your arms. This long workout is tough, so aim for around 80-85% of your max pace. The only rest you should take is during the 15 air squats. Focus on it and keep going for 20 minutes.

How do you scale the "Cindy" workout?

If Rx pull-ups or Rx push-ups aren’t something you can do yet, choose a challenging range that still allows you to reach a full range of motion. Pull-ups where your chin never goes past the bar or push-ups where your chest never touches the floor won’t help you get closer to an Rx pull-up or push-up. A full range of motion is best.

Beginner
5 Ring Rows
10 Incline Box/Bench Push-Ups
15 Air Squats

3. Murphy

We've already done a super special about this benchmark here! If you're curious to know who "Hero Murph" was, come check out the super complete story of soldier Murph .

• 1 mile run
• 100 Pull-Ups
• 200 Push-Ups
• 300 Air Squats
• 1 mile run
• All with Weight Vest (20/14 lb)

How do you perform the "Murph" workout?

Start and end your workout with a 1-mile run. Break up your Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats as needed. Women wear a 14-pound weight vest, and men wear a 20-pound weight vest.

How do you score the "Murph" workout?

Score is the time it takes to complete all moves, including both runs.

What is a good score for the "Murph" workout?

- Beginner: 63-71 minutes
- Intermediate: 47-58 minutes
- Advanced: 36-41 minutes
- Elite: <35 minutes

What are the tips and strategies to use in the "Murph" workout?

If you choose to split your reps (which is the original intent of the workout), break them up like this: 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats. In the CrossFit community, this is known as doing 20 rounds of “Cindy.” It’s the most efficient way to break up such a high volume of reps.

What is the intended stimulus for "Murph" training?

Although this WOD is an endurance workout, it should be completed in approximately one hour or less. If, for example, it takes you longer than 90 minutes to complete, you have altered the stimulus and lost the required intensity - which means you should consider upgrading.

How do you scale the "Murph" workout?

Beginner
"Half Murph"
1/2 Mile Run
50 Pull-Ups
100 Push-Ups
150 Air Squats
1/2 mile Run
(Without Weight Vest)

Intermediate (A)
Perform full "Murph" without a weight vest.

Intermediate (B)
Perform " Half Murph" with a weighted vest (20/14 lb)

Dumbbell Only
For time:
1 Mile Run
100 Dumbbell Bent Over Rows
200 Push-ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run

No Equipment
For time:
1 Mile Run
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
400 Sit-Ups
1 Mile Run

No room to run?
Replace the 1 mile run with 500 Jumping Jacks , the 800m run with 250 Jumping Jacks

4. Grace

• 30 Clean-and-Jerks (135/95 lb)

How do you perform the "Grace" workout?

Complete 30 Clean-and-Jerks to gain time. Power Cleans or Full Cleans are acceptable. You may reset after the Clean, or pick up the bar in the rack position for the Clean and go directly into the Jerk without pausing. Push Jerks or Split Jerks are acceptable. Snatches are not allowed.

How do you score the "Grace" workout?

Score is the time it takes you to complete all 30 repetitions.

What is a good score for the "Grace" workout?

- Beginner: 6-7 minutes
- Intermediate: 4-5 minutes
- Advanced: 3-4 minutes
- Elite: <2 minutes

What are the tips and strategies to use in the "Grace" workout?

Elite athletes complete “Grace” in one big set of 30 reps. If this isn’t possible for you yet, decide before you start your workout how you’ll break up your reps. For example, 6 sets of 5, a cascade/ladder rep scheme like 12-8-6-4, or even 30 singles with little to no rest in between. Stick to your game plan, even when it starts to hurt.

Intended Stimulus

"Grace" should feel light. You should be able to perform the reps quickly without taking long rests. This WOD should leave you breathless and sweaty - as if you just ran a really fast mile.

How do you scale the "Grace" workout?

“Grace” is one of the fastest CrossFit workouts to complete. Reduce the weight so that you can perform multiple reps without stopping and complete all reps in under 5 minutes. Athletes less familiar with Olympic lifting should take the time to practice the mechanics of each movement and reduce the weight drastically.

Intermediary
30 Clean-and-Jerks for Time ( 115 / 75 lb )

Beginner
30 Clean-and-Jerks for Time ( 75/55 lb )

5. Helen

• 3 Rounds at a time
• 400m Race
• 21 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)
• 12 Pull-Ups

With a running clock, perform the 3 rounds of work in the written order as quickly as possible.

Score is the time it takes to complete 3 rounds.

Good Times for "Helen"
- Beginner: 15-17 minutes
- Intermediate: 11-14 minutes
- Advanced: 9-10 minutes
- Elite: <8 minutes

Tips and Strategy

“The first goal for Helen is to push herself to do uninterrupted sets in the box. To do this, we’re looking at the pace of her runs to make sure she can hit those numbers in large, consistent chunks across all three rounds. Like Nancy, we’re more likely to slow down the runs if it allows her to do the barbell and pull-up. If we’re doing uninterrupted sets inside the box, it’s definitely the opposite approach—it’s a question of how much we can speed up the run. For athletes with previous scores, doing the math on what splits they need to maintain across all three rounds will help them feel like they’re on track when they leave the building after the first round.” – Ben Bergeron

Intended Stimulus

Helen is meant to feel light and fast. The volume in this workout is relatively low, so the movements should be non-stop. If you have to rest for long periods of time or break up the Pull-Up/Kettlebell Swings into more than 2 sets, you will lose the intended intensity. Scale up as needed to achieve a fast pace throughout the WOD.

Scaling

This benchmark workout is an all-out sprint. The swings and pull-ups should be easy enough that you’ll still be able to push your pace into sprints. Intermediate athletes can complete this as prescribed.

Beginner Option
3 Rounds at a time:
200m Race
15 Kettlebell Swings ( 1/0.75 pood )
9 Jumping Pull-Ups

6. Annie

• 50-40-30-20-10 Reps For Time
• Double-Unders
• Sit-Ups

Complete the work in the order listed: 50 Double-Unders, followed by 50 Sit-Ups. Then 40 Double-Unders, followed by 40 Sit-Ups. Then 30 of each. Then 20 of each. Then 10 of each.

Score is the time it takes to complete all 300 repetitions.

Good Times for "Annie"
- Beginner: 10-12 minutes
- Intermediate: 8-10 minutes
- Advanced: 7-8 minutes
- Elite: <6 minutes

Tips and Strategy

Go fast, but stay efficient. Use good form to avoid burnout and tripping on Double-Unders. Rest if necessary in the first few rounds, but try to speed up and stay uninterrupted in the last three rounds.

Intended Stimulus

This quick workout is a set of increasing repetitions, intended to be a sprint. By the end of "Annie," you should feel like you just ran a very fast 2km. Do it in under 10 minutes to maintain the integrity of the WOD. This is not a time to practice moving from Double-Unders to Single-Unders if you are not yet proficient at the Double yet.

Scaling Options

This WOD should be relatively short - most athletes should finish "Annie" in 10 minutes or less. The reps should be quick and mostly uninterrupted.
If large, uninterrupted sets of Double-Unders still aren't okay for you, switch to Single-Unders. If large, uninterrupted sets of Sit-Ups still aren't okay for you, reduce the volume.
When it comes to scaling the movement, prioritize range of motion: Go hard on the first set of 50 sit-ups, for example, then decrease the volume to 25 perfect, full-motion reps. 50 crunches or half sit-ups aren’t as beneficial as a full range of motion of sit-ups.

Intermediary
30-25-20-15-10
Double-Unders
Sit-Ups

Beginner
30-25-20-15-10
Single-Unders
Anchored Sit-Ups

7. Angie

• 100 Pull-Ups
• 100 Push-Ups
• 100 Sit-Ups
• 100 Air Squats

Complete all repetitions of each exercise in the order written before moving on to the next.

Score is the time it takes to complete all 400 repetitions.

Good Times for "Angie"
- Beginner: 26-35 minutes
- Intermediate: 21-25 minutes
- Advanced: 15-20 minutes
- Elite: <14 minutes

Tips and Strategy

Break up your pull-up and push-up reps into small sets to avoid burnout. A big set of pull-ups right off the bat will hurt your score more than it helps. When you get to the squats, go all out and move fast—your lower body hasn’t been worked yet, so it’s time to go fast.

Intended stimulus

“Angie” should feel really hard during the push-ups and pull-ups (your upper body should be totally exhausted), and then fast and fun during the sit-ups and squats. Unlike many CrossFit-style workouts, “Angie” gets easier as time goes on. Scale the volume so that you can finish in under 30 minutes; but don’t focus on the feeling where you’re wondering “how many pull-ups do I have left?”

Scaling Options

"Angie" is about muscle fatigue. If necessary, increase the volume; but not so much that you never feel the exhausting sensation of muscle overload.

If Rx pull-ups and/or push-ups still aren't working for you, choose a challenging scale that allows you to complete uninterrupted sets of 5 at least.

Intermediary
60 Pull-Ups
60 Push-Ups
100 Sit-Ups
100 Air Squats

Beginner
50 Ring Rows
50 Knee Push-Ups
50 Sit-Ups
50 Air Squats

8. Jackie

• 1,000m run
• 50 Thrusters (45/35 lb bar)
• 30 Pull-Ups

Complete the work in the order written: 1,000 Meter Row, then 50 Thrusters, then 30 Pull-Ups.

Score is the time it takes to complete the entire wod.

Good Times "Jackie"
- Beginner: 10-12 minutes
- Intermediate: 7-10 minutes
- Advanced: 6-7 minutes
- Elite: <6 minutes

Tips and Strategy

To achieve a "Jackie" time of 10 minutes or less, your Run should be around 85%-90% of your fastest 1K Run time, and your Thrusters and Pull-Ups should be either non-stop or completed in a few large sets. If you still can't do them non-stop, try one of these rep schemes:

Thrusters: 25/15/10 or 13/13/12/12

Pull-Ups: 15/10/5 or 8/8/7/7

If you don’t know your 1km race pace, you’ll want to figure it out before attempting this workout. Beginners can aim to complete the race in 4:00-4:30; intermediate athletes can aim for something closer to 3:15-3:30.

Intended Stimulus

The intensity of the “Jackie” is high. The combination of 1 km of running and continuous or large sets of Thrusters and Pull-Ups should be a great cardiovascular challenge. The load should feel light on the Thrusters. The volume of Pull-Ups should be low enough that you can do most (if not all) of the reps in a set. The only time you should really rest during the “Jackie” is when you finish the workout.

"Jackie" should be easy and should be done quickly. The intensity should be high. Reduce the load and/or skill level so that you can complete this WOD in about 10 minutes or less.

Scaling Options

Intermediary
For time:
1,000m run
50 Thrusters (35/22 lb)
30 Pull-Ups

Beginner
For time:
800m race
35 Thrusters (22/12 lb)
20 Ring Rows

9. Linda

• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps
• Deadlift (1 + 1/2 body mass)
• Bench Press (body mass weight)
• Clean (3/4 of body mass)

Use three separate barbells. Perform the movements in the order listed and follow the "ladder" rep scheme - 10 deadlifts, 10 bench presses, 10 cleans, 9 deadlifts, 9 bench presses, 9 cleans, 8 deadlifts, 8 bench press, 8 cleans, etc. until the last round of 1 deadlift, 1 bench press, 1 clean is completed.

The score is the total time it takes to complete all repetitions.

Good Times for "Linda"
- Beginner: 28-32 minutes
- Intermediate: 19-25 minutes
- Advanced: 14-17 minutes
- Elite: <13 minutes

Tips and Strategy

The biggest challenge of this workout is the bench press. Have a spotter on the bench so you can lift heavy without fear of getting caught on the barbells mid-rep.

Intended Stimulus

The load in this workout should be moderately heavy, but not maximal. Scale the load/volume so that you can complete this WOD in approximately 30 minutes or less. Avoid scaling to the point where "Linda" becomes "The Three Bars of Fun" instead of "The Three Bars of Death."

Scaling

This benchmark workout contains a high volume of moderate-weight lifting. Reduce the weights and/or eliminate some of the first few rounds to decrease the total volume.

Intermediate option
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps:
1 + 1/4 Body Mass Deadlift
3/4 Body Mass Bench Press
1/2 of Clean body mass

Beginner Option
8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps:
3/4 Body Mass Deadlift
1/2 Body Mass Bench Press
1/3 of Clean body mass

10. Diane

• 21-15-9 Reps
• Deadlifts (225/155 lb)
• Handstand Push-Ups

Using a running watch, do as quickly as possible 21 Deadlifts and 21 Handstand Push-Ups, then 15 Deadlifts and 15 Handstand Push-Ups, then 9 Deadlifts and 9 Handstand Push-Ups.

The score is the time it takes to complete all 90 repetitions.

Good Times for "Diane" (estimate)
- Beginner: 10-14 minutes
- Intermediate: 6-9 minutes
- Advanced: 5-6 minutes
- Elite: <4 minutes

Tips and Strategy

If possible, do all sets of Handstand Push-Ups and Deadlifts uninterrupted. If uninterrupted sets aren't yet an option for you, break up the reps into as many sets as you can perform throughout the workout. Rest as little as 3-7 seconds between sets during "Diane" - this WOD is basically a sprint.

Intended Stimulus

“Diane” should feel uncomfortably fast and moderately heavy. The deadlift weight shouldn’t feel too heavy or too light—it’s somewhere in between. It’s common to see athletes take over 20 minutes to complete this workout because the load was too heavy and the skill level required was too high. Scale it so that you can perform this WOD as it was intended to be performed: very fast and virtually uninterrupted.

Options for Scale

"Diane" should be done quickly (try in 10 minutes or less) and relatively uninterrupted. Deadlifts should be moderate. Scale the load and/or skill level so that you can move quickly through this WOD.

Intermediary
21-15-9
Deadlifts ( 155/105 lb )
Push-Ups

Beginner
21-15-9
Deadlifts (95/65 lb)
Incline Push-Ups