Top 10 Toughest Bodyweight Crossfit Workouts You Can Do [Full Guide]

While strength training is mostly about moving various weights and progressively increasing the load over time, one of the best ways to improve your stamina and conditioning are, indeed, bodyweight Crossfit workouts.

They don’t even need to be all that complicated, and they can still be a great test for your fitness and endurance.

My top bodyweight Crossfit Workouts:

“Murph”

For time:
1 mile Run (1.6 km)
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Whenever I hear “bodyweight” and “Crossfit” in the same sentence, my mind immediately goes to the CrossFit athlete’s worst nightmare – “Murph”.

Well, at least if it’s combined with a weighted vest and Californian heat.

So, I’d say it’s a good idea NOT to do “Murph” under the direct sun in the middle of summer, but you know – you do you.

Just remember to stay hydrated.

Oh, and you don’t really need a vest to feel how gruesome that workout is, after all – we’re listing bodyweight workouts here and want to offer some bodyweight CrossFit workouts for beginners.

Cindy

Complete as many rounds in
20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

20 minutes can be SUCH a long period of time. If you can’t do a pull-up yet, scale to ring rows. More info

Tabata Something Else

Complete all 32 intervals:
Tabata Pull-ups
Tabata Push-ups
Tabata Sit-ups
Tabata Air-Squats

I can’t think of a more suitable name for this workout – it truly is something else.

Perform each exercise for eight rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest. No breaks in-between.

Angie

For time:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

Each exercise shouldn’t take you more than 8-9 minutes to complete.

If you struggle with any of them, drop the reps, and modify them as needed.

For example, do the push-ups on your knees and ring rows instead of pull-ups. Another option is jumping pull-ups.

Chelsea

Every minute on the minute
for 30 minutes perform:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air-squats

This is the more challenging version of “Cindy”. The meaner sister, if you will.

If you find yourself falling behind the clock, just keep grinding till you reach the 30th minute.

As with the previous workouts, you can always scale it to the level you need with fewer reps and modified movements.

J.T.

21-15-9 reps for time of:
Handstand push-ups
Ring dips
Push-ups

In case that handstand push-ups are still too hard for you, do them with your feet on a box.

There are a few options to scale the ring dips – dips on parallel bars, band-assisted ring dips, or box dips.

Safety first, guys.

If you can’t do the movement correctly, don’t squirm like a worm on those rings, but use the scaled versions to build the strength you need for it. More info

Mary

AMRAP for 20 minutes:
5 Handstand push-ups
10 1-legged (pistol) squats
15 pull-ups

Modify the pistols by using the rings to pull yourself up and keep your balance.

G.I. Jane

For time:
100 Burpee Pull-Ups

Make sure to protect your hands. Torn hands are never fun.

Barbara

5 Rounds, each for time:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Air-squats
3 Minutes Rest

“Barbara”, “Angie” and “Chelsea” are 3 of the original 6 “Girls Benchmark WODs” (along with “Diane”, “Elizabeth”, and “Fran”) and some of the toughest bodyweight Crossfit workouts I have done.

What they have in common is that they are all pretty simple and involve only classic calisthenics movements.

At the same time, each of them is challenging in a different way (with pull-ups being the hardest part of each).

Be ready for some intense rear delt, lat, and bicep soreness.

“PAINSTORM XXIV”

For Time:
100m Run
50 Burpees
200m Run
100 Push-Ups
300m Run
150 Lunges
400m Run
200 Air-squats
300m Run
150 Lunges
200m Run
100 Push-ups
100m Run
50 Burpees

Um… yeah. If you decide to do that and survive it – congrats!

This can very easily be turned into partner bodyweight wod – you go, I go style after each round.

You must be one hell of an athlete!

Many of these CrossFit Workouts can be done at home and is one of the big advantages of bodyweight training in general, especially when we are talking about beginners.