5 CROSSFIT WORKOUTS TO BURN MAXIMUM CALORIES

If you’re ready to amp up the intensity of your workouts, we’re ready to help you.

The following CrossFit-inspired WODs—”workouts of the day,” in CrossFit-speak—are designed to tax your whole body, so come ready to sweat and feel the burn.

“In CrossFit, we don’t adhere to the long, slow, low-intensity ‘fat burn’ workouts,” says Cullen Frazier, the assistant head coach at Sopris CrossFit. “We execute our workouts at high intensity, and one of the benefits of high intensity workouts is a greater energy usage.”

1. Helen

3 rounds, as fast as possible, of:

400-meter run
21 kettlebell swings (25 kg for men / 15kg for women)
12 pullups

“To burn maximum calories, you need to perform a workout at a very high intensity,” says Frazier. “This is how we burn more calories.”

Pace yourself, though. If you come out of the gates too quickly on the 400-meter run, it’ll be almost impossible to get your heart rate down during the rest of the workout, meaning you’ll have to drop to a lower intensity.

2. System Reboot

As many reps as possible, 20 minutes:

3 deadlifts at ~65% of your one-rep max
3 back squats at ~65% of your one-rep max
3 bench press ~65% of your one-rep max
200m run

Cole Sager, a four-time CrossFit Games competitor, suggests this workout, which “will prime your central nervous system and get your cardiovascular system working in unison to burn the most calories.”

3. Great Pyramid of Cal Rows

50 calorie row
1 wall walk

40 calorie row
2 wall walks

30 calorie row
3 wall walks

20 calorie row
4 wall walks

10 calorie row
5 wall walks

“As a CrossFit and a rowing coach, I think the rowing machine is at the top of the list for effective total body training,” says Ryan McCarthy, out of New York City’s Bowery CrossFit. “This pyramid is super spicy, because after getting your muscles and your breathing fired up, you have to work extra hard to stabilize your shoulders and your core on the wall walks. Remember to only walk as far up as you can with control, and to return to the floor with control as well.”

4. Denise Thomas and Dylan Petitt

Do 4 rounds, as fast as possible, of:

30 second sprint on an Assault Bike
30 wallball shots (20 lbs for men /14 lbs for women)
10 reps of burpee box jump overs
Rest 3:00

“The short bursts of intensity will dramatically increase heart rate, followed by a decrease, which trains the heart to operate outside of its normal range and kicks the metabolism into high gear for several hours post-training,” says Dylan Petitt and Denise Thomas, both trainers at Reebok CrossFit One. “This workout may have a lot of volume but can be scaled down to fit anyone’s needs. The goal is to work 2-3 minutes so that the rest time is equal to work time.”

5. Nuno

3 rounds, as fast as possible:

400-meter run
9 front squats (275 lbs for men / 205 lbs for women)

Don’t worry if you have to scale down the weight for this workout, which comes courtesy of CJ Martin from CrossFit Invictus. “Ideally, the first set will be unbroken, and you really have to fight to keep the next two sets unbroken or with as few breaks as possible,” says Nuno Costa, the workout’s namesake. Also: As originally written, the barbell has to start on the ground for the front squats, which means you have to clean it to shoulder-height, not pick it up off the rack.

BY SPENSER MESTEL