You'll Drop to the Floor and Feel Reborn After This 20-Minute CrossFit Workout

By Jenny Sugar
POPSUGAR Photography | Kathryna Hancock
POPSUGAR Photography | Kathryna Hancock

This CrossFit workout is intense, but that's what you'll love about it. It's only five exercises, but it'll target your entire body and leave you breathless. Created by Jade Jenny, head CrossFit coach and owner of Champlain Valley CrossFit, he says there's no loading involved, just your own bodyweight. So that means it's up to you to push yourself as fast and as hard as you want to go.

What's great about this workout is that it's not only physically challenging because of the magnitude of reps (80?!), but also mentally challenging. This workout is for all levels, so just pace yourself, take breaks when you need to, and perform easier modifications to suit your strength and ability.

Directions: Jade says to do this pyramid-style workout AQAP (as quickly as possible), aiming for 18 to 22 minutes as a goal. If running on a treadmill or outside isn't an option because of an injury, bike or row instead.

The Workout

400 meter run
60 ring rows
80 diamond sit-ups
800 meter run
80 box jump overs
60 push-ups
400 meter run

Explanations and modifications for each exercise are given below.

TRX or Ring Rows
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TRX or Ring Rows

  • Stand with your feet hip distance apart, holding a TRX handle or ring in each hand, palms facing each other. If you don't have either, you can do this exercise using the edge of a sturdy table or a low bar.
  • Walk your feet forward until your body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor, arms fully extended, and your body in one straight line. To make this harder, walk your feet further forward so your shoulders are even closer to the ground. The advanced version of this would be to have the body almost parallel to the floor. To make it easier, walk your feet back so your shoulders are farther away fro the ground.
  • Holding the core stable and the legs straight with either the feet or heels planted on the floor, bend the elbows behind you, keeping them close to the body, pulling the chest toward the hands.
  • Straighten the arms to lower the torso, completing one rep.
  • Complete 60 reps.
Diamond Sit-Up
POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone

Diamond Sit-Up

  • Lie on your back and open your legs into a diamond shape (known as Butterfly pose in yoga), with the soles of your feet pressed together and knees out wide. If you have an AbMat, place it under your lower back for support. Extend the arms overhead.
  • Curl the torso up, and tap the floor in front of your feet. If you can't go all the way up, just do a basic crunch.
  • Slowly lower back to the starting position to finish off one rep.
  • Complete 80 reps.
Box Jump Overs
Benjamin Stone

Box Jump Overs

  • Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width distance apart in front of a sturdy box that's six to 24 (or more!) inches tall.
  • Bend your knees and swing your arms back.
  • Jump onto the top of the box with both feet, swinging the arms forward to give you a little momentum.
  • Turn and step one foot at a time down to the floor on the other side of the box. Now you're facing the opposite direction that you started. To make this easier, just step down to the starting position instead of stepping over to the other side of the box.
  • This counts as one box jump over.
  • Complete 60 reps.
Basic Push-Up
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Basic Push-Up

  • Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
  • Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten the arms. This counts as one rep.
  • If this is too difficult, do this exercise with your knees on the floor or place your hands on your box and do incline push-ups.