These Pull Up WODs will help you build a stronger upper body and improve your skills throughout a variety of modalities, intensities and time ranges.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the kipping pull up, as described by CrossFit themselves.
The Kipping Pull Up
“This “cheat” derives from a powerful and athletic reversal of hip direction — like that of the clean and the snatch — and expands the primary movers from just the back and arms down through the torso and hip to include the power zone.
Far from being a cheat, kipping is a gateway skill with functional utility on the rings, parallel bars, high bar, and floor (the quickest way to get to your feet). Where most athletic communities avoid the kip, we go to great lengths to teach and learn it.”
Pull Up WODs
Now choose your next workout from our Pull Up WODs.
WOD 1 – Fran
21-15-9 Reps For Time
- Thrusters (95/65 lb)
- Pull-Ups
How do you perform the “Fran” workout?
Perform the 21 Thrusters and 21 Pull-Ups, then 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull-Ups, then 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull-Ups, as fast as possible.
How do you score the “Fran” workout?
Score is the time it takes to complete all 90 reps.
What is a good score for the “Fran” workout?
– Beginner: 7-9 minutes
– Intermediate: 6-7 minutes
– Advanced: 4-6 minutes
– Elite: <3 minutes
What are the tips and strategy to use for the “Fran” workout?
Prior to “3…2…1…GO!” pick a tough (yet realistic) rep scheme that allows you to go fast. If unbroken sets isn’t appropriate for your fitness level yet, try this: Break the sets of 21 into 3 sets of 7 reps; break the sets of 15 into 2 sets of 8 and 7 respectively; and go unbroken on the sets of 9. Rest minimally during breaks.
What is the intended stimulus of the “Fran” workout?
“Fran” should be fast and light.
During the WOD, you should (at least once) wonder why the hell you agreed to this.
How do you scale the “Fran” workout?
This WOD is meant to feel light, fast, and evoke pain—the good kind of pain.
Both the thrusters and pull-ups should be done in large or unbroken sets. Scale the movements so you can go FAST—sets of two and three repetitions won’t get your lungs/legs/arms burning in the way they were intended to burn for this WOD.
Intermediate
21-15-9
- Thrusters (75/55 lb)
- Pull-Ups
Beginner
21-15-9
- Dumbbell Thrusters (2×15/10 lb)
- Ring Rows
Pull Up WODs 2 – Murph
For Time
- 1 mile Run
- 100 Pull-Ups
- 200 Push-Ups
- 300 Air Squats
- 1 mile Run
All with a Weight Vest (20/14 lb)
How do you perform the “Murph” workout?
Start and end the workout with a mile Run. Partition the Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats as needed. Women wear a 14 lb. weight vest, and men wear a 20 lb. weight vest.
How do you score the “Murph” workout?
Score is the time it takes to complete all the movements, including both runs.
What is a good score for the “Murph” workout?
– Beginner: 63-71 minutes
– Intermediate: 47-58 minutes
– Advanced: 36-41 minutes
– Elite: <35 minutes
What are the tips and strategy to use for the “Murph” workout?
If you choose to partition the reps (which is the original intent of the workout) partition them as follows: 20 rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats.
In the CrossFit community, this is known as performing 20 rounds of “Cindy.” It’s the most efficient way to partition such a high volume of reps.
What is the intended stimulus for the “Murph” workout?
While this WOD is an endurance-type workout, it should be performed in approximately an hour or less.
If, for example, it takes you 90+ minutes to complete, you’ve altered the stimulus and lost the requisite intensity – meaning you should consider scaling.
How do you scale the “Murph” workout?
Beginner
“Half Murph”
- 1/2 mile Run
- 50 Pull-Ups
- 100 Push-Ups
- 150 Air Squats
- 1/2 mile Run
(no Weight Vest)
Intermediate (A)
Perform full “Murph” without a weight vest
Intermediate (B)
Perform “Half Murph” with a weight vest (20/14 lb)
Dumbbell Only
For time:
- 1 mile Run
- 100 Dumbbell Bent Over Rows
- 200 Push-ups
- 300 Air Squats
- 1 mile Run
No Equipment
For time:
- 1 mile Run
- 200 Push-Ups
- 300 Air Squats
- 400 Sit-Ups
- 1 mile Run
No room to run?
Substitute the 1 mile run with 500 Jumping Jacks, the 800m run with 250 Jumping Jacks.
Pull Up WODs 3 – Cindy
AMRAP in 20 minutes
- 5 Pull-Ups
- 10 Push-Ups
- 15 Air Squats
How do you perform the “Cindy” workout?
On a 20-minute clock, perform as many rounds and reps as possible (AMRAP) of the work in the order written. 1 round is equal to 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Air Squats.
How do you score the “Cindy” workout?
Score is the total number of rounds and reps completed before the 20-minute clock stops.
What is a good score for the “Cindy” workout?
– Beginner: 11-12 rounds
– Intermediate: 13-17 rounds
– Advanced: 19-22 rounds
– Elite: 24+ rounds
What are the tips and strategy to use for the “Cindy” workout?
Since this WOD is 20 minutes, you’ll need to be at a steady pace throughout most of the workout – a fast pace out of the gate will hurt your score.
Figure out how long it takes you to comfortably do a single round, then try to hold that pace the entire time.
What was comfortable at the beginning will get very uncomfortable about half way through. During the air squats, relax your upper body and hands as much as possible. Use those 15 reps as recovery. But when you see that you have 3 minutes left, put your foot on the gas pedal and go!
What is the intended stimulus of the “Cindy” workout?
By the end of this WOD, you should be wondering what happened to your arms. This lengthy workout is a grind, so stay around 80-85% of your max pace.
The only rest you should take is during the 15 air squats. Put your head down and do work for 20 minutes.
How do you scale the “Cindy” workout?
If Rx pull-ups or Rx push-ups aren’t something you can do yet, choose a challenging scale that still allows you to reach full range of motion. Pull-ups where the chin never actually makes it over the bar or push-ups where the chest never touches the ground will not help you get any closer to an Rx pull-up or push-up. Full range of motion movement is better.
Beginner
- 5 Ring Rows
- 10 Incline Box/Bench Push-Ups
- 15 Air Squats
Pull Up WODs 4 – HOTSHOTS 19
6 Rounds for Time
- 30 Air Squats
- 19 Power Cleans (135/95 lb)
- 7 Strict Pull-Ups
- 400 metre Run
With a running clock, as fast as possible perform 6 rounds of the work in the order written: 30 Air Squats, 19 Power Cleans, 7 Strict Pull-Ups, and then a 400 metre Run.
Score is the time it takes to complete the 6 rounds.
Movement Standards
Strict Pull-Ups: Begin with your hands on the Pull-Up Bar just outside your shoulders, arms fully extended.
Without any help/momentum from the lower body (no kip), pull so your chin gets higher than the bar. Complete at full arm extension.
Good Score for “Hotshots 19” (estimated)
– Beginner: 35+ minutes
– Intermediate: 30-34 minutes
– Advanced: 25-29 minutes
– Elite: <24 minutes
Tips and Strategy
Choose a steady, moderate pace (around 75-80% of your max pace). A fast pace out of the gate will likely lead to burn out and a poor overall score.
When you complete round 1, look at the clock. Aim to complete each of the next 5 rounds at the same pace, +/- 30 seconds.
The crux of this WOD is going from 19 Power Cleans directly into 7 Strict Pull-Ups: They are both pulling exercises, so you’ll experience major fatigue in your grip, biceps, shoulders, and lats.
Break up the Power Cleans early (5+5+5+4 or 8+6+5 for example) to ensure that you don’t get trapped at the Pull-Up Bar for too long.
Intended Stimulus
“Hotshots 19” should feel long and exhausting. The Power Clean load should feel relatively light. If this workout were 4 rounds, it would probably be “enjoyable;” the 6 rounds make this WOD brutally hard.
Scaling Options
This Hero WOD is long and high volume. Reduce the volume, the load, and or skill level (see: Pull-Up Scaling) to keep this workout under 40 minutes.
Intermediate Option
6 Rounds for Time of:
- 30 Air Squats
- 19 Power Cleans (115/75 lb)
- 3 Strict Pull-Ups
- 400 metre Run
Beginner Option
4 Rounds for Time of:
- 15 Air Squats
- 10 Power Cleans (75/55 lb)
- 5 Ring Rows
- 400 metre Run
Pull Up WODs 5 – The Seven
7 Rounds for Time
- 7 Handstand Push-Ups
- 7 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
- 7 Knees-to-Elbows
- 7 Deadlifts (245/165 lb)
- 7 Burpees
- 7 Kettlebell Swings (2/1.5 pood)
- 7 Pull-Ups
Complete 7 rounds of the movements in the order written. Each round is made up of 49 repetitions: 7 Handstand Push-Ups, 7 Thrusters, 7 Knees-to-Elbows, 7 Deadlifts, 7 burpees, 7 Kettlebell Swings, and 7 Pull-Ups.
Score is the time it takes to complete all 7 rounds.
Good Times for “The Seven” (estimated)
– Beginner: 40-49 minutes
– Intermediate: 33-39 minutes
– Advanced: 25-32 minutes
– Elite: <24 minutes
Tips and Strategy
This WOD, like many Hero WODs, is a grind. And whenever you’re faced with a grinding sort of workout, it’s best to start slowly. A fast pace out of the gate will likely result in burnout.
For pacing: As soon as you’re done with round 1, look at the clock. If it took you 5 minutes, then work hard to complete each of the remaining 6 rounds in 5 minutes, +/- 30 seconds.
Intended Stimulus
“The Seven” is meant to be a long, brutal workout that challenges your mental toughness alongside your physical fitness.
The load should feel moderate, but not so heavy that you can’t go unbroken on the barbell movements.
Scale the gymnastics movements so you can do unbroken sets of 7 reps. Get this thing done in an hour or less. “The Seven” should be a workout that you never forget.
Scaling Options
This workout is meant to be relatively long—30+ minutes for most athletes.
The load should feel moderate—not maximal. Scale the volume, the load, and/or the skill level so you can complete this workout in under an hour.
The rest in this WOD is during the transitions—when you move, for instance, from the thrusters to the knees-to-elbows. If you have to break up the sets of 7 reps into smaller bits, then either the load is too heavy and/or the skill level is too high.
Intermediate
5 Rounds
- 7 Push-Ups
- 7 Thrusters (95/65lb)
- 7 Knees-to-Elbows
- 7 Deadlifts (155/105 lb)
- 7 Burpees
- 7 Kettlebell Swings (53/35lb)
- 7 Pull-Ups
Beginner
5 Rounds
- 7 Box/Bench Push-Ups
- 7 Thrusters (45/35lb)
- 7 Hanging Knee Raises
- 7 Deadlifts (95/65lb)
- 7 Burpees
- 7 Kettlebell Swings (35/26lb)
- 7 Ring Rows
Pull Up WODs 6 – Angie
For Time
- 100 Pull-Ups
- 100 Push-Ups
- 100 Sit-Ups
- 100 Air Squats
Complete all reps of each exercise in the order written before moving to the next.
Score is the time it takes to complete all 400 repetitions.
Good Times for “Angie”
– Beginner: 26-35 minutes
– Intermediate: 21-25 minutes
– Advanced: 15-20 minutes
– Elite: <14 minutes
Tips and Strategy
Break the pull-up and push-up reps into small sets to avoid burnout. A big set of pull-ups right out of the gate will hurt your score more than help it. When you get to the squats, go hard and go fast–your lower body hasn’t been worked up until now, so it’s time to fly.
Pull Up WODs Intended Stimulus
“Angie” should feel really difficult during the push-ups and the pull-ups (your upper body should be totally fatigued), and then fast and fun during the sit-ups and air squats.
Unlike many CrossFit-style workouts, “Angie” actually gets easier as the time ticks on. Scale the volume so you can finish in under 30 minutes; but don’t scale the feeling where you’re questioning “how many pull-ups do I have left?” out of this workout.
Scaling Options
“Angie” is all about muscular fatigue. If needed, scale the volume; but not so much to where you never feel the exhausting sensation of muscle overload.
If Rx pull-ups and/or push-ups aren’t available to you yet, pick a challenging scale that allows you to complete unbroken sets of 5, at least. (See: Push-Up Scaling | Pull-Up Scaling)
Pull Up WODs Intermediate
For Time
- 60 Pull-Ups
- 60 Push-Ups
- 100 Sit-Ups
- 100 Air Squats
Pull Up WODs Beginner
For Time
- 50 Ring Rows
- 50 Knee Push-Ups
- 50 Sit-Ups
- 50 Air Squats
Pull Up WODs 7 – Barbara
5 Rounds for Time
- 20 Pull-Ups
- 30 Push-Ups
- 40 Sit-Ups
- 50 Air Squats
- 3 minutes Rest
Complete 5 rounds of the repetitions in the order written. After each set of 50 Air Squats, you must take a 3-minute Rest. Time each round for reference and pacing purposes.
Score is total time to complete all 5 rounds, including the prescribed rest. (Note: Do not include the last 3-minute Rest period after Round 5 in your overall score.)
Good Times for “Barbara”
– Beginner: 50+ minutes
– Intermediate: 40-49 minutes
– Advanced: 30-39 minutes
– Elite: <29 minutes
Pull Up WODs Tips and Strategy
Go fast and as unbroken as possible. If you need to break the reps into sets, do a descending/cascading rep scheme so the volume decreases as you go through the sets. For example, during the sets of Push-Ups: 12, 8, 6, 4.
Intended Stimulus
When athletes see that there is built-in Rest in “Barbara,” they mistakenly believe that this workout will be easier than others; but in fact, “Barbara” is harder, because you can (and should) go uncomfortably fast during the “working” portion of the WOD.
You should feel your arms, legs, and lungs burn deeply every time you enter a 3-minute Rest period, which should fly by, making you question whether or not your clock is working properly.
Scaling Options
“Barbara” is meant to be done fast and relatively unbroken. This WOD is a true interval-style workout with built-in rest, which allows you to go hard during the “working” portion and recover during the 3 Minute Rest period.
To maintain the integrity of Barbara, scale the volume and/or the skill level so you can speed through the movements.
Pull Up WODs Intermediate
5 Rounds for Time
- 10 Pull-Ups
- 20 Push-Ups
- 30 Sit-Ups
- 40 Air Squats
- 3 minutes Rest
Pull Up WODs Beginner
5 Rounds for Time
- 10 Ring Rows
- 15 Bench/Incline Push-Ups
- 20 Anchored Sit-Ups
- 25 Air Squats
- 3 minutes Rest
Pull Up WODs 8 – Chelsea
EMOM for 30 minutes
- 5 Pull-Ups
- 10 Push-Ups
- 15 Air Squats
Every minute on the minute (“EMOM“) for 30 minutes, perform 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Air Squats. If there is any time left in each minute, rest until the next minute starts.
Score is the number of rounds finished in 30 minutes, with the best possible score being 30 rounds. For the rounds to count, they must be performed every minute on the minute.
If you fall behind the clock, keep going and get as many rounds as possible (AMRAP-style) in the remaining time. Bear in mind, though, that your “Chelsea” score will only count the number of rounds you completed as an EMOM.
Good Scores for “Chelsea”
“Chelsea” is an EMOM type of WOD, which means the goal is to just finish the prescribed work in under a minute for 30 minutes straight. Intermediate and advanced athletes should be able to finish all 30 rounds as prescribed.
Pull Up WODs Tips and Strategy
This workout is all about balance: You’ve got to find the perfect pace where you can get all of the work done in under 1 minute without ever “redlining”–going so hard that you hit a wall you can’t come back from.
Go slow in the first round and aim to have the same amount of rest each subsequent round (for example 10 or 20 seconds of rest) for the entire workout.
Intended Stimulus
“Chelsea” is meant to feel both mentally and physically exhausting.
You’re up against the ticking clock for 30 minutes.
If you scale “Chelsea,” make sure you scale it to where you “work” for approximately 40-50 out of the 60 seconds for each minute; the best part of this workout is the (brutal) fact that you barely make the interval happen in the 1-minute cap.
Scaling Options
This benchmark has a built-in scale by requiring you to continue after you fail to meet the interval. Newer athletes should modify the volume and/or skill level but maintain the same interval structure.
Pull Up WODs Beginner
Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes perform:
- 3 Jumping Pull-Ups
- 6 Incline Push-Ups
- 9 Air Squats
If you fall behind the clock, keep going for 20 minutes and see how many rounds (AMRAP-style) you can complete. Again, your score will only be the number of rounds you completed as an EMOM.
Pull Up WODs Advanced
If you’ve finished “Chelsea” as prescribed in the past, try adding more volume: Add 1 rep to each exercise—i.e., 6 Pull-Ups, 11 Push-Ups, and 16 Air Squats each minute—and see if you can go the full 30 minutes.
Pull Up WODs 9 – MARY
AMRAP in 20 minutes
- 5 Handstand Push-Ups
- 10 Pistols (alternating legs)
- 15 Pull-Ups
On a 20-minute clock, complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible (AMRAP) of the prescribed work in the order written: 5 Handstand Push-Ups followed by 10 Pistols followed by 15 Pull-Ups.
Score is the total number of rounds and repetitions completed before the 20-minute clock stops.
Good Scores for “Mary”
– Beginner: 7-8 rounds
– Intermediate: 9-12 rounds
– Advanced: 13-16 rounds
– Elite: 17+ rounds
Tips and Strategy
“Mary” is a WOD where you should go mostly unbroken.
The workout is nicely divided into upper body pushing (Handstand Push-Ups), lower body (Pistols), and upper body pulling (Pull-Ups), making major muscle fatigue less of a factor. (In contrast, you’d need to do several small sets in a WOD like “JT” where the three exercises all require upper body pushing: Handstand Push-Ups, Ring Dips, and Push-Ups.)
Intended Stimulus
“Mary” should feel really physically challenging. You’ve got 3 difficult gymnastics movements to perform and even though there aren’t any monostructural cardiovascular movements in this WOD (Running, Rowing, Jump Rope, etc.) you should feel your lungs burning thanks to your speed.
Don’t use “Mary” as a time to work on your gymnastic skills–you’ll lose “Mary’s” benefit if you stare at the wall for minutes at a time, waiting for a Handstand Push-Up to happen.
Scaling Options
“Mary” is a WOD that requires above-average gymnastics skills: Handstand Push-Ups, Pistols, and Pull-Ups.
Scale the skill level of these movements so you can move smoothly throughout this WOD.
You’ll lose the intended stimulus of “Mary” if you treat the workout like a skill session.
Intermediate Option
20 Minute AMRAP
- 2 Handstand Push-Ups
- 6 Pistols (alternating legs)
- 10 Pull-Ups
Beginner Option
20 Minute AMRAP
- 5 Push-Ups
- 10 Alternating Stationary Lunges
- 15 Ring Rows
Pull Up WODs
If you enjoyed these Pull Up WODs, try these L Sit, Front Squat and Plank WODs.
