We thought it was time for a blog that just paid homage to the functional fitness ‘WOD’ (workout of the day) in all its glory. Though athletes take their strength training very seriously, and often argue it’s more important than any other type of training they do, it is the WOD that’s most unique to our favourite sport, and for which its known to (and feared by) non-functional fitness athletes.
What’s the WOD?
This is perhaps the most affectionately-mocked phrase in functional fitness along with “is this Paleo?” But functional fitness athletes have good reason for asking “What’s the WOD” because it changes daily. Understandably, every time an athlete walks across the threshold of their box in readiness to train they’re full of curiosity, trepidation and excitement over what will be at the bottom of that whiteboard. After all, it’s probably going to be the hardest part of their day.
" Any workout that leaves you flat on your back, staring up at the sky, wondering what the hell just happened… must involve a woman "
Just to be clear - the WOD usually refers to that bit that comes after the warm up, mobility and strength training segments in any workout. Sometimes it’s more of a ‘finisher’ that lasts about 10 minutes and really takes your muscles to the max. Sometimes it lasts longer - as in the extended ‘Hero WODs’ (which we’ll be covering in the second part of this blog series) and even replaces that day’s strength training component. That’s not to say the WOD itself doesn’t involve strength work - of course it does, and it’s usually based around the same movement patterns as what came before but is more metabolic conditioning - usually high reps and low(ish) weight and involving a mixture of movements that usually leads to the flat-out gasping-for-breath type of training where athletes show their mettle.
The Original ‘Girls’
The most renowned WODS, particularly those created early in the sport’s life, are generically termed ‘the girls’. The reason for this, according to Greg Glassman went something along the lines of: “Any workout that leaves you flat on your back, staring up at the sky, wondering what the hell just happened… must involve a woman.” Others say it’s because storms are named after women and one of these WODS is like a storm passing through you. Whatever you think the reason they’re given female names, there’s no doubt these workouts will test you to the max.
Benchmark Time.
The six original ‘girl’ workouts were outlined in the September 2003 edition of The Journal, by Greg Gassman himself. They are named Angie, Barbara, Chelsea, Diane, Elizabeth and Fran. Since, as functional fitness continues to expand and grow as a sport, other ‘girls’ have been added to the mix. But these six Wod-Women remain a popular benchmark in functional fitness gyms around the world, an easy way of measuring improvements in performance across a broad variety of athletic domains.
Show me the Girls
Just in case you don’t already have the details of these lovely ladies etched across your brain (if you’ve tried them, you probably will) see below and enjoy! The first three are comprised of push ups, pull ups, sit ups and squats and the second three involve a weightlifting and gymnastics move. Each is scored by time.
Angie: 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats - For Time
Barbara: 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, 40 sit ups, 50 squats - 5 rounds for time, 3 mins rest between rounds - total time is score.
Diane: Deadlift (RX = 102kg for men and 52.5kg for women) and Handstand push ups in succession. First round 21 repetitions of each. Second round 15, third round 9. For time.
Elizabeth: Clean (RX = 60kg for men and 43.5KG for women) Ring dips. 21, 15, 9 (as in Diane) for time.
Fran: Thruster (RX = 42.5kg for men and 30kg for women) and Pull ups. 21, 15, 9 (as in Diane and Elizabeth) for time.
To read the full article about these Benchmark WODS see: www.crossfit.com/journal/library/13_03_Benchmark_Workouts.pdf
