CrossFit Girl Workout – Introduction
What are the best CrossFit girl workout benchmark WODs?
It’s hard to believe that CrossFit has been around for over 20 years.
Initially labeled as a fitness fad, CrossFit training has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon, and there are now CrossFit gyms or boxes in almost every major city.
CrossFit borrows from many training disciplines and methods to create hybrid and functional whole-body workouts designed to maximize all-around fitness, strength, and power.
This includes fundamental weightlifting movements, calisthenic elements, powerlifting, gymnastics, kettlebell training, and athletics.
The workouts are called CrossFit WODs, or just WOD, which is short for Workout of the Day.
These workouts change day by day and are very varied.
That said, there are several benchmark workouts in the WOD rotation that come up time and time again.
These workouts have remained relatively unchanged since their inception and provide a way for CrossFitters to measure their progress and test their fitness against other participants.
There are two benchmark CrossFit workouts:
- the hero workouts WODs, named after fallen military personnel, and
- the CrossFit girls WODs.
The reason for the choice of girls names for workouts is somewhat vague.
For example, some people think they were named like meteorological organizations name storms.
Alternatively, it may simply be because it makes the workouts easy to remember.
Regardless, the girl workouts are CrossFit classics and provide a fun and effective way to test and develop your all-around fitness.
How Many CrossFit Girl Workouts Are There?
So, how many CrossFit girl workout WODs are there?
That’s a hard question to answer!
CrossFit HQ has their original CrossFit girls list, many of which date back to 2002-2004, and other CrossFit boxes have created their own, which have come into the main WOD rotation.
It seems that there could be anywhere between 21 and 46 CrossFit girls WODs.
To that end, here are our 20 favorite CrossFit girl workouts!
Note: all of these workouts are against the clock. Time your performance and compare it to your previous best or against your fellow CrossFitters. Try to beat your time when you repeat each workout.
Additionally, while the workouts can be performed as presented below, they can also be scaled down for less fit participants.
So, if the official CrossFit girl workout looks too daunting, you can make it more manageable for your fitness level by using lighter weight or doing fewer rounds or number of reps.
The Best CrossFit Girl Workouts List
- Amanda
- Annie
- Angie
- Barbara
- Cindy
- Diane
- Elizabeth
- Eva
- Fran
- Grace
- Gwen
- Helen
- Isabel
- Jackie
- Karen
- Kelly
- Linda
- Lynne
- Marguerita
- Nancy
20 Best CrossFit Girl Workout Descriptions
#1. Amanda
Amanda combines two high-skill exercises to test and develop strength, power, endurance, stability, and control.
Despite its brevity, Ananda is a very challenging CrossFit WOD that’s perfect for experienced exercisers.
Do 9-7-5 reps of the following exercises as fast as possible:
- Muscle-ups
- Snatches (135lbs)
#2. Annie
This is a descending ladder workout.
There are five rounds, and each one is a little easier than the last.
As such, you should be able to go full speed for the entire workout.
Do 50-40-30-20-10 reps of the following exercise pairing:
#3. Angie
This bodyweight workout trains all your major muscle groups.
Storm through the following four exercises as fast as you can.
Do all the reps for the first exercise before moving on to the next.
- 100 pull-ups
- 100 push-ups
- 100 sit-ups
- 100 air squats
#4. Barbara
Barbara is a good home workout for CrossFitters.
All you need is a suitable pull-up-up bar.
Your time for Barbara starts when you do your first pull-up and finishes when you do your final set of squats.
Do not include the last three minutes of rest in your score; however, the other rest periods are included in your final time.
Do five laps of:
- 20 Pull-ups
- 30 Push-ups
- 40 Sit-ups
- 50 Squats
- Rest three minutes (do not count this time on your last lap).
#5. Cindy
Cindy is a great full-body workout for time-pressed exercisers.
Although it only involves three simple bodyweight exercises, Cindy manages to work every major muscle in your body while delivering an effective cardiovascular workout.
Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 air-squats
#6. Diane
Diane is a short but brutally tough workout that will develop strength and mental fortitude.
This one is best left to experienced CrossFitters.
Do 21-15-9 reps of the following pairing as fast as you can:
- Deadlift (225lbs)
- Handstand push-ups
#7. Elizabeth
Like her sister Diane, Elizabeth provides a short but intense full-body workout with just two exercises.
However, the exercises are more technically demanding, so this one is really best left to more experienced exercisers.
Do 21-15-9 reps of the following pairing as fast as you can:
- Cleans (135lbs)
- Ring dips
#8. Eva
If you like to run, you’ll probably enjoy Eva.
Well, maybe enjoy is too strong a word, but with 800-meter run (half-mile) intervals, this workout will test and develop your cardiovascular fitness like no other girl WOD.
Do five rounds of:
- Run 800 meters
- 30 kettlebell swings (55lbs)
- 30 pull-ups
#9. Fran
Fran is a classic CrossFit girl workout.
It’s often featured in the CrossFit Games, and top fitness athletes can charge through Fran in a matter of minutes.
However, for lesser mere mortals, Fran is a real killer!
Do 21-15-9 reps of the following pairing as fast as you can:
#10. Grace
Grace is a simple girl WOD comprising of just one exercise.
However, that means you have no way to rest other than stopping and letting the clock run.
So, while Grace is over in a matter of minutes, this WOD will definitely leave you feeling tired and sore!
30 reps as fast as possible of:
- Clean and jerk (135lbs)
#11. Gwen
Gwen is a time-efficient against-the-clock workout built around a single exercise – the clean and jerk.
The aim is to do all the reps as unbroken sets, so you must adapt your rest periods to ensure you don’t need to rest mid-set.
Do 15-12-9 reps as fast as you can:
- Clean and jerk (135lbs)
#12. Helen
Helen is one of the few CrossFit girl WODs to involve running.
This one will challenge your lungs, legs, back, and biceps!
Do three rounds as fast as possible of:
- Run 400 meters
- 21 kettlebell swings (55lbs)
- 12 pull-ups
#13. Isabel
Isabel is a companion workout to Grace.
The only difference is that you’ll be doing Olympic snatches instead of the clean and jerk.
The snatch is a complex exercise so make sure you master it before attempting this girl WOD.
30 reps as fast as possible of:
- Snatch (135lbs)
#14. Jackie
Jackie is a straight three-exercise sprint.
It is one of the few CrossFit girls to include rowing.
Just do one set of each exercise in turn, resting as necessary:
- Row 1000 meters
- 50 thrusters (45lbs)
- 30 pull-ups
#15. Karen
Karen is another single exercise girl WOD.
These are particularly tough because doing the same exercise for high reps is mentally and physically challenging.
The wall ball exercise is a front squat and push-press with a medicine ball that ends with an overhead throw at a target ten feet above your head.
You must hit the target, or the rep doesn’t count.
Do 150 reps as fast as possible of:
- Wall ball (20lbs)
#16. Kelly
Kelly will crucify your lungs and legs!
This is a very challenging workout, so resist the temptation to set off too fast.
Even experienced CrossFitters need to pace themselves for this girl workout!
Do five rounds are fast as possible of:
- Run 400m
- 30 box jumps (24-inch box)
- 30 wall balls (20lbs)
#17. Linda
Linda is also known as the three bars of death.
That should give you an idea of just how challenging this workout is.
You’ll be using heavy weights and doing a lot of reps, so don’t expect to storm through this one in a matter of minutes!
As fast as possible, do 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 and 1 of:
- Deadlift 1.5 x bodyweight
- Bench press 1 x bodyweight
- Cleans 0.75 x bodyweight
#18. Lynne
Lynne is another heavy-strength workout.
However, instead of racing against the clock, your job is to clock up as many reps as possible and then try and beat that cumulative score next time.
Do five rounds for max reps of:
- Bench press 1 x bodyweight
- Pull-ups
#19. Marguerita
Marguerita is one of the lesser-known girl workouts.
Requiring no weights or training equipment, this one’s ideal for home exercisers.
However, just because it’s a bodyweight-only workout doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy!
Do one set of 50 reps of each exercise as fast as possible:
- Burpees
- Push-ups
- Jumping jacks
- Sit-ups
- Handstands
#20. Nancy
Nancy is a simple girl WOD, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy!
Five rounds and an unfavorable exercise pairing means that this girl will kick your butt!
Do five rounds of:
- Run 400 meters
- 15 overhead squats (95lbs)
CrossFit Girl Workout WODs – Wrapping Up
One of the main criticisms often leveled at CrossFit is the lack of progression in the WODs.
Weights and reps remain the same, which, according to the principle of progressive overload, should mean the workouts are not very effective.
However, by keeping the workouts unchanged, CrossFit athletes can focus 100% on doing them faster.
Completing the same volume of work in less time is another form of progression.
While the weights and rep scheme are unchanged, the workout density increases.
While racing against the clock is not an ideal long-term training strategy, as it’s too easy to lose focus on things like technique or muscle tension, it is an excellent way to liven up your workouts and test your overall fitness and conditioning.
It’s the sort of thing that works well a couple of times a week and when accompanied by a more traditional strength training program.
So, the next time you want a fast-paced, time-efficient workout, give one of the CrossFit girls a try.
Don’t let their feminine names deceive you – each one of them is a killer!
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),