Benchmark workouts are designed to test your skills. They might look simple at first glance, but make no mistake; these workouts take things to a whole different level.
Benchmark Workouts
The Girls
The benchmark girls are bodyweight workouts that can be done without any equipment. Your body is more than enough. The only piece of “equipment” you’ll need is a pull-up bar, which you can easily find at a park, so these WODs are great if you’re looking to take your training outside. To be honest, these workouts are meant to be hard, but they can be as easy as you want them to be. If you approach them with a laid-back mentality, you might consider these long and boring, but the truth is that they are meant to be short and super intense, so these will push you to your limits. Why are they all named after girls? This is what Greg Glassman had to say about that:
I think anything that leaves you laying on your back gasping for air wondering what just happened to you should be named after a girl.
Here are a some of the most common Crossfit Benchmark Girl WODs, courtesy of crossfit.com:
Angie
For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
Fran
21-15-9 reps –
3 rounds for time:
Thruster 95 lbs [42.5 kg] Pull Ups – rounds for time
Grace
30 reps for Time:
Clean and Jerk – 135 lbs [60 kg]
There’s also Barbara, Chelsea, Cindy, Diane, among others.
The Heroes
Hero workouts are named after fallen military and law enforcement personnel.
Be impressed by intensity, not volume.
-Greg Glassman
Again, here are a couple of the most common Crossfit Benchmark Hero WODs, courtesy of crossfit.com:
Murph
This is a Crossfit Games classic.
For time: Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
1 mile run
DT
For time:
155 pound Deadlift – 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean – 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk – 6 reps
Check out the full list at crossfit.com
