When I ask most of my clients and readers what they think CrossFit is, they usually envision individuals throwing heavy barbells and swinging kettlebells around and jumping up into impossibly high boxes.
However, that is not the case, as you can perform CrossFit workouts at home.
As a certified fitness trainer with over eight years of experience, I will provide my expertise on the best CrossFit workouts you can do at home, how to program your at-home CrossFit exercise, and the benefits of the at-home CrossFit training.
Quick Summary
- At-home CrossFit workouts include exercises such as Murph, Annie, Cindy, Every Minute of the Minute (EMOM), Karen, JT WOD, Candy, and lunge ball burner, which require you to perform functional motions at a relatively high intensity.
- While WODs (Workout of the Day) are known for requiring a lot of equipment, there are plenty of home CrossFit workouts that are fast-paced, calorie-burning, and compact that you can do in your living room, basement, or driveway.
- According to the National Institute of Health, high-volume workouts like these are linked to increased muscle growth, even outside of a CrossFit gym.
- In my opinion, these at-home CrossFit workouts are a fantastic way to maintain fitness and strength, offering variety and challenge without needing a gym.
The Best At-Home CrossFit Exercise
Murph
Skilled athletes may perform Murph with a 14-pound or 20-pound quality weighted vest. However, doing Murph with only your bodyweight is just as difficult.
Because it is extremely high volume, it is often advised to partition the repetitions to assist you in surviving physically and mentally.
I often advise clients that, due to its high volume, partitioning the repetitions in the Murph workout can help them endure both physically and mentally.
While the prescribed method is to complete all repetitions before moving to the next exercise, athletes frequently break these into smaller sets to minimize exhaustion and maximize movement efficiency.
The workouts:
- 1-mile run
- Pull-up or resistance band lat pulldown
- 100 push-up
- 200 air squats
- 1-mile run
Cindy
A 20-minute workout, like Cindy's, might seem short but it's enough to push your limits. It uses the same three CrossFit bodyweight exercises as Murph, often used to break up Murph's reps.
This AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) lasts 20 minutes, challenging you to complete the maximum number of rounds. AMRAPs, known for their high intensity, boost anaerobic power, enhance weightlifting, HIIT fat loss, and performance.
"Set a timer for 20 minutes and cycle through as many rounds of these workouts as possible. It's not complicated, but it's effective for working your upper and lower body."
- Brooke Ence, CrossFit Games Competitor & Coach
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 air squats
If you don't have a good pull-up bar, try the following instead:
- 5 push-ups
- 10 sit-ups
- 15 air squats
Annie
For this one, you'll do 50 repetitions of each move, then 40, 30, 20, and 10 reps.
Double-unders (which require swinging a jump rope around the body twice with each leap) are a great way to increase your heart rate.
If you can't perform them, count classic jump rope hops or skip without a rope.
The workouts: Rounds for time
- 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 double-unders
- 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 sit-ups
Karen
I recommend Karen for a full-body workout. If you don't have a medicine ball, a textbook or backpack works for thrusters, or you can do 150 bodyweight air squats.
The 6–10 minute routine is straightforward: stand an arm's length from a wall, holding a medicine ball at chest level with elbows bent.
Beginners should use 6–8 pounds, while more experienced individuals can opt for 12–14 pounds. Simply squat, then stand and bounce the ball off the wall above your head.
The workout: Rounds for time
- 150 wall balls
21-15-9
One of the most popular exercises that use this rep pattern is CrossFit's Fran, which consists of 21 thrusters and pull-ups, 15 thrusters and pull-ups, and nine thrusters and pull-ups.
Any exercises can be substituted to make it more home-friendly. Based on how many activities you do — and how tough they are — it may be a rather rapid workout, lasting 10 to 15 minutes.
These quick bursts of high intensity leave little room for relaxation and rev up your body's cardio and other systems that may aid in weight loss.
And, while 21 repetitions may not seem like much on paper, you'll begin to feel tired halfway through.
The workout: Rounds for time
- 21 jump squats
- 21 push-ups or handstand push-ups
- 15 jump squats
- 15 push-ups or handstand push-ups
- 9 jump squats
- 9 push-ups or handstand push-ups
EMOM
I often incorporate EMOM (every minute on the minute) into training sessions. It involves completing a set number of reps within a minute. If you finish early, you earn rest time; if not, you continue into the next minute.
This challenging, time-driven workout effectively enhances aerobic fitness and power, encouraging you to push hard for that extra rest. EMOM exercises are designed to be quick and efficient.
The workouts: At the top of each minute, perform one exercise. Rest for the remaining minute before beginning the following exercise.
- 15 push-ups
- 10 burpees
- 30-second plank
- Repeat the circuit for 15 minutes
You can also check out this EMOM workout for beginners if you find it too hard.
Death by Burpees
Start a timer for this CrossFit bodyweight WOD and execute the specified number of burpees at the apex of each minute. Continue adding a burpee per minute until you can no longer burpee.
"One of my preferred full-body workouts is death by burpees. It comes as a surprise. You believe the workout is easy for the first 6 to 8 minutes, and then you're out of breath."
- Gabrielle Kassel, CrossFit Coach & Fitness Journalist
It's also quick. If you're crushing it, you'll last 20 minutes. It's an excellent goal to hold out until between 13 and 16 minutes.
The workouts: Until failure
- Minute 1: 1 burpee
- Minute 2: 2 burpees
- Minute 3: 3 burpees
Lunge Ball Burner
Smart med ball workouts can help you burn calories all over your body (including your abs).
Set a timer and determine how quickly you can complete the circuit while maintaining perfect form. Aim for a time of less than 30 minutes.
The workouts:
- 100-m walking lunges
- 100 pull-ups
- 100 medicine-ball cleans
- 100 push-ups
- 100-m walking lunges
Candy
Set a timer and complete 5 rounds of this exercise. Beginners should try to complete the task in 30 minutes.
The workouts: Rounds for time
- 20 pull-ups
- 40 push-ups
- 60 air squats
JT "Jeff Taylor" WOD
JT is great for burning fat in the entire body.
If handstand push-ups aren't for you, try pike push-ups (basically, a push-up to a downward-facing dog).
Place both hands on a stable surface, such as a bench, table, or step, for the dips.
The workouts: Rounds for time
- 21, 15, 9 handstand push-ups
- 21, 15, 9 triceps dips
- 21, 15, 9 push-ups
Bounce
If you already know how to do burpees, try burpee tuck jumps. I found that this plyometric exercise will raise your heart rate while also training your legs.
When combined with running and dips, you have a great all-around exercise.
The workouts: 5 rounds for time
- 10 burpee tuck jumps
- 400-meter run
- 15 triceps dips
The Ladder (10 to 1)
This exercise employs either an ascending or descending repetition plan.
On your first "round," perform 10 burpees and 1 pull-up. In the next round, perform 9 burpees and 2 pull-ups, and so forth, until you reach 10 pull-ups and 1 burpee.
Rest as little as possible in between rounds.
The workouts:
- Burpees: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
- Pullups: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Filthy Fifty Variation
The Filthy 50, a renowned CrossFit WOD, includes 50 reps of 10 exercises, totaling 500 reps. You can adapt it with home equipment like kettlebells or bodyweight.
This intense workout boosts aerobic and muscular endurance.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), high volume is linked to increased muscle growth, showing you can gain muscle outside a CrossFit gym [1].
Typically, you complete all 50 reps of one exercise before moving to the next
The workouts:
- Sit-Ups
- Walking Lunges
- Burpees
- Supermans
- Step-Ups
- Air Squats
- Push-Ups
- Step-Ups
- Resistance Banded Lat Pulldowns or Pull-ups
- Hollow Rocks
- Jump Squats
Programming Your At-Home CrossFit Exercise
I always stress to my clients the importance of having a workout plan, even when exercising at home. Distractions like kids, chores, pets, and TV can make it tough to stay focused.
Planning your workouts is crucial for maintaining motivation. The first step is to decide on your workout schedule and plan it accordingly.
With high-intensity CrossFit workouts, you don't have to spend your whole lunch break training.
How Long Should You Do CrossFit Exercise?
According to the NIH, working out for 150 minutes per week at a moderate intensity or 75 minutes per week at a higher intensity may assist in lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality [2].
This equates to roughly 10 minutes of high-intensity activity daily or about 20 minutes of moderate-intensity daily exercise.
Quick as many reps as possible (AMRAPs), every minute on the minute (EMOMs), and other timed CrossFit activities are ideal for meeting your weekly activity objectives.
After breakfast, a ladder workout might be a terrific way to start your day. Based on the ladder you chose, it may take you 10 minutes.
Choosing Your CrossFit Exercise
Remember that CrossFit emphasizes functional movement while selecting exercises.
According to the NIH, functional exercises can help you live a better life since these motions against resistance or with intention may help you enhance your daily strength and endurance [3].
While an exercise such as the biceps curl might help you gain muscle, it is not always a daily movement pattern. Use full-body workouts that stress moving many joints at once to get the most out of your CrossFit exercise.
Benefits of At-Home CrossFit Workout
Aside from the convenience of not leaving your residence, doing CrossFit at home offers health benefits that will keep you healthy and happy.
Increased Maximum Rate of Oxygen Consumption (VO2 Max)
Workout regimens that are consistent and hard, such as CrossFit exercising at home, can help you boost your VO2 max.
That is your maximum aerobic capacity, which means you will improve your cardio health.
According to a study by the NIH, because your VO2 max can predict cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, CrossFit may benefit your long-term heart health [4].
Changing Body Composition
CrossFit combines cardio and resistance training, which, according to the NIH, may help your strength and general health [5].
Along with these advantages, you may notice that your abs begin to show or that your apparel fits differently.
That can benefit people who want to work toward those objectives through their training.
Even two days of CrossFit weekly exercise can help you reduce your body fat percentage while growing lean body mass and muscle mass.
Better Endurance
CrossFit workouts, in general, are connected with increased endurance.
The greater your endurance, the better you will do in the gym with greater volume of exercises.
More Mobility and Flexibility
During typical, everyday motions, people frequently experience a limited range of motion or discomfort.
According to the NIH, by only exercising 2 to 6 days a week, the functional movements commonly used in a CrossFit workout can increase flexibility and mobility [6].
CrossFit Nutrition and Hydration Tips
To optimize performance during at-home CrossFit workouts, focus on a balanced diet rich in proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
- Prioritize lean protein sources like chicken, fish, and plant-based options for muscle repair and growth.
- Include complex carbs such as whole grains and vegetables for sustained energy.
- Healthy fats from avocados, nuts, and olive oil support overall health.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day, aiming for at least 2–3 liters.
- During intense workouts, consider isotonic drinks to replenish electrolytes.
- Post-workout, consume a mix of protein and carbs within 30 minutes to aid recovery and muscle synthesis.
FAQs
Can I Do CrossFit if I’m Out of Shape?
Yes, you can do CrossFit if you're out of shape. It is very typical for an out-of-shape individual to start CrossFit. The workouts will be scaled to your skills by your coach, and the team will support you irrespective of your fitness level.
Is 20 Minutes of CrossFit Enough?
Yes, 20 mins of CrossFit is enough. A few minutes of intense exercise is always preferable to nothing, which can have significant, long-term advantages.
What Are the 7 CrossFit Exercises?
"The seven" CrossFit exercises are the hero CrossFit WODs. Athletes must do seven rounds for time: seven handstand push-ups, seven thrusters, seven deadlifts, seven knees-to-elbows, seven burpees, seven pull-ups, and seven kettlebell swings.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6950543/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21979806/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6873136/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836566/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322789/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6784068/
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