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Top 10 At-Home CrossFit Workouts For Lean Muscle And Heart Health

 Written by 

Julien Raby

 Last updated on 


CrossFit is known for its endless combination of movements that promotes muscle building and cardiovascular enhancement. With over 20 years in the fitness industry, CrossFit has become a staple of functional fitness, community, and healthy living.

Its versatility has helped keep many people fit and healthy, especially those with limited time and constant traveling. Our top 10 at-home CrossFit workouts for lean muscle and heart health will help you stay active wherever you are. Take a quick look at them:

crossfit-at-home-workouts
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  • Loredo
  • Marguerita
  • Painstorm XXIV
  • Bert
  • Zachary Tellier
  • Hey Buddy
  • No Equipment Madness
  • Super Legs
  • Living Room Mash 1
  • Supply Drill

Most of these workouts require zero equipment but your body and sheer will. Whether you are an elite athlete or a humble beginner, these workouts will help you gain lean muscle and improve your heart health.

What Is CrossFit And Why It Works

CrossFit is a training regime consisting of constantly varied functional movements executed at a high intensity. This type of training involves three main disciplines (1)

  • Gymnastic movement
  • Olympic lifting
  • Powerlifting 

These three disciplines are usually performed with a HIIT approach, making it one of the most demanding and challenging training routines.

CrossFit was founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai in California, USA. Ever since, the methodology has grown all over the world, with more than 15,000 gyms across 160+ countries (2)

Some of the reasons why CrossFit training seems to work for building muscle and promoting weight loss is because it integrates the following elements:

  • Functional movements 
  • Total body workouts
  • High-intensity training
  • Training muscle to failure
  • Promoting healthy and balanced nutrition 
  • Enhancing cardiovascular endurance
  • Highly inclusive 

Put all these elements together, and you get a community focused on building a healthy lifestyle while pushing their bodies to the max on every workout. That is something only a few training regimes can say they own. 

Top 10 At Home CrossFit WODs

As we know, CrossFit is known for integrating exercises from gymnastics, Olympic lifting, and powerlifting. However, you can do hundreds of workouts without needing barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or any equipment.

Before we review them, let’s review a few concepts and terms so you can familiarize yourself with all the workouts.

As Many Reps/Rounds As Possible (AMRAP): If you see a workout like “12-minutes AMRAP workout,” you’ll perform the prescribed exercises for 12 minutes without stopping.

Rounds For Time ( RFT): This type of workout will have you perform a specific number of rounds where the total score will be the time it takes to complete all the prescribed games.

For Time: Whenever you see this in a workout, it’s another way to say go as fast as possible. The score here will also be the total time it takes you to complete the prescribed exercises.

Every Minute On The Minute (EMOM): Here, you’ll perform a specific exercise every minute for a certain amount of reps, then rest for the remainder of the minute (3)

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Before attempting any of these workouts, adjust them to your current fitness level. Keep a proper form, and don’t compromise it for any score. Keeping injuries at a minimum should always be your priority. Also, if you need to modify any of these exercises, feel free!

Without further ado, here are the top 10 workouts you can do at home with little to no equipment.

Loredo

The “Loredo” workout was designed by Michelle Benedict of CrossFit Fort Bragg. It’s a tribute to U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edwardo Loredo, who was killed in the line of duty in 2010.

Six rounds for time of:

  • 24 Squats
  • 24 Push-ups
  • 24 Walking lunge steps
  • Run 400 meters (4)

Everytime you finish the 400-meters run it’s a round. The score is total time needed to complete all six rounds.

Marguerita

Marguerita is a terrific option for a CrossFit home/travel workout. It requires zero equipment but a wall to do the handstand push-up. Give it a try!

50 Rounds for Time:

  • 1 Burpee
  • 1 Push-Up
  • 1 Jumping-Jack
  • 1 Sit-Up
  • 1 Handstand

The score is the time on the clock when the last handstand is completed.

Painstorm XXIV

This is a long one. Painstorm XXIV will target not only your muscles but also your mental game. Most people will take 60-90 minutes to finish this challenging workout. Get ready to burn those legs!

For Time:

  • 100-meter Run
  • 50 Burpees
  • 200 meter Run
  • 100 Push-Ups
  • 300 meter Run
  • 150 Lunges
  • 400 meter Run
  • 200 Air Squats
  • 300 meter Run
  • 150 Lunges
  • 200 meter Run
  • 100 Push-Ups
  • 100-meter Run
  • 50 Burpees

The score is the time on the clock when the last 50 Burpees are completed.

Bert

This is another “Hero WOD” named after U.S. Marine Cpl. Albert Gettings, 27, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, died on Jan. 5, 2009, while conducting counter-sniper operations in Fallujah, Iraq (5)

For time:

  • 50 burpees
  • 400-m run
  • 100 push-ups
  • 400-m run
  • 150 walking lunges
  • 400-m run
  • 200 squats
  • 400-m run
  • 150 walking lunges
  • 400-m run
  • 100 push-ups
  • 400-m run
  • 50 burpees

The score is the time on the clock when the last 50 Burpees are completed. As you can see, this is different from your typical workout for beginners, but you can make it so. 

If you find the original version too taxing, try this scaled version:

For time:

  • 20 burpees
  • 200-m run
  • 30 knee push-ups
  • 200-m run
  • 40 walking lunges
  • 200-m run
  • 50 squats
  • 200-m run
  • 40 walking lunges
  • 200-m run
  • 30 knee push-ups
  • 200-m run
  • 20 burpees

The score is the time on the clock when the last 20 Burpees are completed.

Zachary Tellier

This is a “Hero WOD” designed by Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, was a combat infantryman with the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Bragg. He died Sept. 29, 2007, of wounds sustained while on a ground patrol in Afghanistan (6)

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Source: WODwell

It’s an endurance workout, so go your pace through the entire training, and remember to breathe!

For Time:

  • 10 Burpees
  • 10 Burpees
  • 25 Push-Ups
  • 10 Burpees
  • 25 Push-Ups
  • 50 Lunges
  • 10 Burpees
  • 25 Push-Ups
  • 50 Lunges
  • 100 Sit-Ups
  • 10 Burpees
  • 25 Push-Ups
  • 50 Lunges
  • 100 Sit-Ups
  • 150 Air Squats

The score is the time on the clock when the last 150 Air Squats are completed.

Hey Buddy

This hero workout is dedicated to Patrolman Christopher Mark Goodell of Waldwick, NJ, who died on July 17, 2014, due to a collision between a truck and his stationary unmarked police car (7)

For Time:

– Buy-In: 250 meter Run

Then, 5 Rounds of:

  • 10 Lunges
  • 10 Air Squats
  • 10 Sit-Ups
  • 8 Burpees

Cash-Out: 250-meter Run

With a running clock, as fast as possible, perform the prescribed work in the order written. Athletes must accomplish the buy-in of 250-meter Runs before moving on to 5 rounds of 10 Lunges, 10 Air Squats, 10 Sit-Ups, and 8 Burpees. To complete the workout, the athlete must complete the cash-out of 250 meter Run (8)

The score is the time on the clock when the cash-out of 250 meter Run is completed.

No Equipment Madness

This home workout will take you to the pain cave, both physically and mentally. When you’re on the ten push-ups, you’ll find your muscles barely responding and multiple thoughts of giving up.

For Time:

50-40-30-20-10 reps of:

  • Burpee Jumping Air Squats
  • Push-Ups

The score in this workout is based on the amount of time taken to complete the prescribed work.

Super Legs

This terrific stimulus home WOD will take your leg gain to the next level. Zero equipment is needed for this workout, but bring all your mental drive to the battle. 

5 Rounds for Time

  • 20 Air Squats
  • 20 Alternating Lunges
  • 20 Alternating Split Squat Jumps
  • 10 Squat Jumps

Score is the time on the clock when the last round of Squat Jumps is completed.

Living Room Mash 1

This is a fun, beginner-friendly workout that anybody can do virtually anywhere.

50-40-30-20-10 Reps for Time:

  • Burpees
  • Air Squats
  • Push-Ups
  • Sit-Ups

With a running clock, as fast as possible, perform the prescribed work in the order written. The athlete must accomplish 50 Burpees, 50 Air Squats, 50 Push-Ups, and 50 Sit-Ups before moving on to 40 repetitions of each movement, etc. (9)

The score is the time on the clock when the last round of Sit-Ups is completed.

Supply Drill

Supply Drill is one of the workouts that meet beginner fitness levels. This workout format allows the athletes to keep a steady pace without fatiguing the muscles that much.

10 Rounds for Time

  • 20 Push-Ups
  • 20 Air Squats
  • 20 Mountain Climbers (Left+Right=1)
  • 20 Jumping Jacks

The sequence of this workout is 20 reps of each exercise to complete one round. Perform ten rounds to complete the workout (10) Take breaks as needed.

Score is the time on the clock when the last round of Jumping Jacks is completed.

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Honorable Mentions

Our top CrossFit home workouts should be enough to keep you busy and fit while at home or traveling. However, we couldn’t leave without offering two honorable mentions that you will simultaneously love and hate.

Cindy

The Cindy workout is a benchmark CrossFit workout comprising 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats for as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes. This is a perfect workout for anyone starting on CrossFit or in fitness in general. 

Although you’d need a pull-up bar, that should be easy to get their hands on and try this workout. Expect your full body to go through some muscle fatigue.

Angie

Angie is another benchmark workout famous for its mental inducing pain. This is a full-body workout with nothing more than bodyweight movements. 

For Time:

  • 100 Pull-Ups
  • 100 Push-Ups
  • 100 Sit-Ups
  • 100 Air Squats

Exercises are meant to be performed in order. Complete your pull-ups before your push-ups, push-ups before sit-ups, and all your sit-ups before your air squats.

The score is the time on the clock when the last rep of the 100 air squats is completed.

FAQs

Is CrossFit Harder Than HIIT?

Yes, CrossFit is harder than HIIT. This may be due to the multiple elements involved in a CrossFit workout. For example, a HIIT workout is usually limited to bodyweight exercises such as air squats, push-ups, jump ropes, etc. They tend to last between 10-30 min. A CrossFit workout can include those same elements but will also use a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, running, cardio machines, etc. It covers a more complete range of functional movements.

Is CrossFit Enough To Get Ripped?

Yes, for most people, CrossFit is enough to get ripped. The combination of functional movements that are constantly changing and executed at a high-intensity tempo will make for a grueling workout that, if persisted over time, will help you get ripped. Pair this with a healthy, balanced diet and at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Does CrossFit Build Muscle Fast?

CrossFit has been shown to build muscle faster than other training modalities such as bodybuilding, calisthenics, and powerlifting. The reason might be related to the variety of muscle groups recruitment per exercise and the fact that these high-intensity workouts are usually done to muscle failure.

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