I’m not part of CrossFit (which is a fitness club that’s become trendy in the last few years) but I do know that many CrossFit workouts have human names.
The first set of named workouts — Angie, Barbara, Chelsea, Diane, Elizabeth, and Fran — were introduced by CrossFit founder Greg Glassman in September 2003. Next came Grace and Helen. In late 2004, Isabel, Jackie, Karen, Linda, Mary, and Nancy were added to the lineup.
Here are the workouts that correspond to each name:
- Angie: 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 air squats
- Barbara: 5 rounds of 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups and 50 air squats
- Chelsea: 30 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats
- Diane: 3 rounds of 21-15-9 reps of deadlifts (225 lb.) and handstand push-ups
- Elizabeth: 3 rounds of 21-15-9 reps of cleans (135 lb.) and ring dips
- Fran: 3 rounds of 21-15-9 reps of thrusters (95 lb.) and pull-ups
- Grace: 30 reps of clean and jerks (135 lb.)
- Helen: 3 rounds of a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings (52 lb.) and 12 pull-ups
- Isabel: 30 snatches (135 lb.)
- Jackie: a 1,000-meter row, 50 thrusters (45 lb.) and 30 pull-ups
- Karen: 150 wall ball shots (20 lb.)
- Linda: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of deadlifts (1.5x body weight), bench presses (1x bw) and cleans (.75x bw)
- Mary: as many rounds as possible of 5 handstand push-ups, 10 pistols and 15 pull-ups (for 20 minutes)
- Nancy: 5 rounds of a 500-meter run and 15 overhead squats (95 lb.)
Man, I’m exhausted just typing that.
Many more named workouts have since been introduced, but these 14 “girls” were the first.
What inspired Glassman to give his workouts female names? Hurricanes, actually. (Here’s more on the history of hurricane names.) Glassman was born in the mid-1950s, so it doesn’t surprise me that many of the names he chose (including my own!) sound a bit dated.
Now for the question of the day: Which is your favorite CrossFit workout name? Why?
And, if you’re a CrossFitter, which workout do you like best?
Sources:
- Glassman, Greg. “Benchmark Workouts.” CrossFit Journal Sept. 2003.
- Glassman, Greg. “The New Girls.” CrossFit Journal Nov. 2004.