It’s no surprise that some of the most difficult CrossFit WOD’s out there are AMRAPS.
Today we are going to give you 21 AMRAP workouts that will challenge you both mentally and physically.
Let’s get started.
What is an AMRAP?
AMPRAP is an acronym that stands for As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible.
This means you do as many reps as you can in the given amount of time.
An example would be:
10 Minute AMRAP
10 Push-ups
10 Sit-ups
10 Pull-ups
For this workout, you would do 10 push-ups followed by 10 sit-ups followed by 10 pull-ups then repeat this for 10 minutes trying to get as many reps as possible.
However many rounds you finish plus the reps in the unfinished round is your score.
You can take breaks during an AMRAP but you should keep them to a minimum and under 10 seconds if possible since you are trying to do as many reps as you can.
While all workouts are good for you there are some benefits to doing AMRAPS that we should mention.
First off they are a lot less boring than traditional 3 sets of 10 reps workouts. AMRAPS give you a goal and something to think about while you are working out plus there isn’t the rest time between sets like you would have in a regular workout.
Another benefit is that you get strength training and cardiovascular at the same time so you don’t need to do separate workouts for each or one right after the other.
AMRAPS are also time friendly. You can get a full-body workout done in 10-20 minutes generally which beats spending an hour at the gym and only hitting a few body parts.
Lastly, I should mention that AMRAPS can also be very challenging mentally. If you are mentally weak you will likely have a tough time with these workouts. They are not easy and if you are not the type of person who can gut it out it will be tough. The good news is you can build up your mental toughness over time, just keep pushing yourself a tiny bit further mentally with each workout and over time you will see vast improvements in your mental toughness when it comes to AMRAPS and even life in general.
21 Brutal AMRAP Workouts
Here are 21 brutal AMRAP workouts that will challenge you and make you reassess your life choices.
Full transparency: The first AMRAP is for beginners, it’s not that brutal.
These workouts are in order from easiest to hardest, approximately.
#1 AMRAP Workout for Beginners
7 Minutes
10 push-ups
20 walking lunges
30 jump rope singles
This one is a shorter AMRAP at just 7 minutes but it is a pretty good workout for a beginner.
#2 Lower Body AMRAP
10 Minutes
10 squats
10 jump squats
10 lunges
10 jumping lunges
Be ready for your legs and glutes to be fried after this one.
This AMRAP might not look that tough but your body will feel like rubber after 20 minutes of this.
#8 20-minute AMRAP
20 Minutes
5 Handstand push-ups
10 Pistol squats (5 each leg)
This is another workout that doesn’t look like much but 20 minutes of this is a real killer.
#9 Box Jump AMRAP
18 minutes
15 Box Jump Step Downs (24/20 in)
12 Shoulder-to-Overheads (115/75 lb)
9 Toes-to-Bars
Make sure you step down on those box jumps to save those Achilles tendons.
#10 Lower body AMRAP
10 Minutes
25 Mountain Climbers
5 Squat Cleans (40 / 60 kg)
10 Wall Balls
Be prepared to have a tough time walking after this workout, immediately after and for the next few days as well.
Now it’s time to turn it up a notch. The remaining workouts will be more difficult than the ones we have already covered.
These include Hero WODs and “the girls” which are a step above your traditional WOD.
#11 Crossfit Open 20.2 AMRAP
20 minutes
4 Dumbbell thrusters
6 Toes to bar
24 double unders – (50 singles if you can’t do double unders)
Women use 35lb dumbbells, men use 50 lb dumbbells.
Surprisingly this is our first AMRAP that has involved thrusters. The weights on these thrusters are pretty hefty, scale back if you need to.
As with all workouts that involve thrusters, this one sucks.
#12 CrossFit Open 18.1 AMRAP
20 minutes
8 Toes-to-Bars
10 Dumbbell Hang Clean-and-Jerks (50/35 lb)
14/12 calorie row
This is one of those workouts that doesn’t look that bad but by the end, you are a puddle on the floor.
#13 CrossFit Open 18.5
7 minutes
3 Thrusters (100/65 lb)
3 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
6 Thrusters (100/65 lb)
6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
9 Thrusters (100/65 lb)
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
If you complete the round of 9, complete a round of 12, then go on to 15, etc.
This one is brutal but the fact that it is 7 minutes makes it a bit more manageable. The shorter time also makes it tougher to pace yourself correctly.
#14 Cindy – Bodyweight AMRAP
20 minutes
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats
Cindy is one of “the girls” and while it may be a bodyweight amrap it is much tougher than it looks. Pace yourself on this one if you know what is good for you.
#15 Christina – Upper Body AMRAP
20 minutes
9 Pull-Ups
9 Squat Cleans (95/65 lb)
9 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)
9 Toes-to-Bar
9 Push Presses (95/65 lb)
9 Burpees
Christina is our next amrap workout and it is another one of “the girls”. This one is a bit of a step up from Cindy. The nice thing about Christina is that it has 6 exercises to give you some nice variety.
#16 Nate – HERO WOD – Upper Body AMRAP
20 Minute AMRAP
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand push-ups
8 Kettlebell swings (2/1.5 pood)
This workout is done to honor Nate Hardy, a chief petty officer who was killed on February 4, 2008, during combat operations in Iraq.
This is the second AMRAP workout on our list that is mainly an upper body workout and this one is no joke. Your shoulders, chest and back will be completely fried after 20 minutes of this bad boy. If you don’t tap out before the 20 minutes is up that is.
#17 Rankel – HERO WOD – Full Body AMRAP
20 Minutes
225-pound Deadlift, 6 reps
7 Burpee pull-ups
10 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
Run 200 meters
This Hero WOD is done to honor U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant John Rankel, of Speedway, Indiana. He was killed on June 7, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.
By now you are starting to see what I meant when I said these workouts after #10 would be taking it to the next level.
Rankel is no joke. 20 minutes of deadlifts, burpees, kb swings and running will leave you absolutely crushed by the time it is over. This one will have you out of breath quickly and you won’t get your breath back until you are done. Feel free to scale this one back if you need to.
#18 Jenny – HERO WOD – Lower body AMRAP
20 minutes
45-lb. overhead squats, 20 reps
45-lb. back squats, 20 reps
400-meter run
Hero WOD Jenny is done to honor U.S. Army Capt. Jennifer M. Moreno, of San Diego who died Oct. 6, 2013, in Afghanistan when her unit was attacked with an explosive device.
Jenny is another lower-body AMRAP and this one is likely the most difficult of the bunch. Nothing but squats and running. I know the weight is pretty light at 45 lbs but after squatting that for 20 minutes your legs will feel like rubber. Consider bringing crutches with you for after this amrap workout is over.
# 19 Danny – HERO WOD – Full body AMRAP
20 minutes
30 Box jumps
20 Push Press 35 / 52.5 kg
30 Pull-ups
This WOD is done to honor Oakland SWAT Sergeant Daniel Sakai, age 35, who was killed on March 21, 2009, in the line of duty along with other officers.
This amrap is one that will have your entire body feeling like a wet noodle when you are done. The hardest part is the pull-ups, be ready for those.
#20 Zimmerman – HERO WOD – Heavy Deadlift AMRAP
25 minutes
11 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 Deadlifts (315/205 pounds)
10 Handstand push-ups
This WOD is done to honor U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant James R. Zimmerman, 25, of Aroostook, ME, who died on November 2, 2010, while in combat in Helmand province of Afghanistan.
If you want a workout that will kick your butt, this will be one of the best AMRAP workouts on the list.
This AMRAP workout features the heaviest deadlifts of any workout on this list and has a large 25 minute time limit. If you aren’t totally gassed after this workout then you are a better man than me. Feel free to scale it back accordingly.
# 21 McGhee – Hero WOD – Hardest AMRAP Workout
30 Minutes
5 Deadlifts (275/185 lb)
13 Push-Ups
9 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
This beast of a Hero WOD is done to honor United States Army Ranger, Corporal Ryan C. McGhee, 21, who was killed in action on May 13, 2009, by gunfire during combat in central Iraq.
This bad boy is the hardest workout on the list without question. A full half-hour of heavy deadlifts, box jumps and push-ups. That is some serious shit, pardon my French.
If you can get anywhere near 20 rounds on this workout you are a serious beast. Don’t be afraid to scale this one back, most people will need to.
Wrapping it up
There you have 21 of the best AMPRAP workouts. If you did one of these every day it would take 3 weeks to get through all of them. Granted you should definitely have some rest days in there but you know what I mean, it’s a lot of workouts.
Anyhow make sure to scale the workouts as needed, some of them are pretty tough so scaling will be necessary for many people if you hope to finish the workout. Also, be sure to enjoy these AMRAPS. They are much more fun than traditional workouts and anytime you can have fun and get in shape that’s a bonus.
