6 Cool CrossFit Partner WODs To Spice Up Your Workouts

Unlike the Hero WODs (DT, Murph) and benchmark workouts (Fran, Helen, Grace), there are no “fixed” partner WODs. Or at least there aren’t any named after people. Partner WODs, in a way, help to reinforce the concept of CrossFit as a community. 

Posting blazingly fast times in partner workouts often comes down to the complementary abilities of the teammates. A workout with heavy snatch components and lots of box jumps could be easily shared by a weightlifting beast and a whippet. One partner takes most (or all) of the heavyweights and the whippet does most of the box jump overs (fitness level depending).

The all-rounder aspect of the sport is also reinforced with partner WODs. If the WOD requires all teammates to complete the same number of reps, the team with the best all-rounders wins (depending on the actual exercises).

Sometimes coaches create these partner WODs from benchmark workouts. So Fran could be called Partner “Fran” or Team “Fran”. Creative partner WORs a great way to motivate people and get the ball rolling.

A common question for newbies is “what’s a CrossFit Partner WOD?”. More advanced athletes ask for the details of common partner WODs. Others, such as coaches and gym owners, look for ideas for new workouts to do with a partner. Here are a few workouts that will give beginners and intermediate athletes a tasting of what partner workouts for CrossFit look like.

Apart from the first workout posted below, we came up with some inventive titles for the others. Feel free to use them (and we’d love you to credit WOD tools)

#1 Rich Froning’s Partner Workout

Rich Froning, one of the most famous CrossFit athletes ever, created a killer WOD for two people:

  • 1000m bike
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 50 strict HSPU
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 1000m bike

Rest 

  • 1000m bike
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 75 strict HSPU
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 1000m bike

Rest

  • 1000m bike
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 100 strict HSPU
  • 200-yard partner sled push
  • 1000m bike

This is no ordinary workout, but then again, Rich Froning is not an ordinary man. If you don't have good handstand pushups, this WOD will destroy you. 

#2 The Rainmaker

Lots of barbell work here. And plenty of heart-busting fitness exercises (burpees and box jumps). Nobody likes thrusters so this one's called the rainmaker because it will make you cry. 

20 Min AMRAP:

  • 40 Barbell Thrusters (45/35), 10 Box Jumps (24/20), 10 Burpees
  • 30 Thrusters (75/45), 20 BJs, 20 Burpees
  • 20 Thrusters (95/65), 30 BJs, 30 Burpees
  • 10 Thrusters (115/75), 40 BJs, 40 Burpees
  • Max bike calories in remaining time (shared) or double unders for a spicy finish

Scale this workout by changing the thruster movement to front squats.

#3 The Widowmaker

Working from 10 reps in increments of 10 up to 50 and then starting again from 10. Back to 50. That’s one round. Ouch. But there are only two rounds. Admittedly, two rounds of this is enough. When I first looked at this workout, I thought “piece of cake”.

But like some many CrossFit workouts, especially ones where you’re working against the clock, it’s easy to get gassed quickly. Probably the best way to tackle this WOD is to give certain exercises to the partner with the best ability in each. If you’re good at push-ups, for example, and your partner is an air squat beast, you can take most of the pushups. Your partner can do more of the squats and be fresh for the 2nd round of jumps. 

This workout will blast your upper body, but there are a few lower body movements that you can use as a “rest” between pumping that chest and shoulders.

For time:

  • 10 Handstand Push-ups
  • 20 Box Jump or jump overs
  • 30 Pull-Ups
  • 40 Push-Ups
  • 50 Double Unders
  • 10 Knees to Elbows
  • 20 Ring Dips
  • 30 Burpees
  • 40 Sit-Ups
  • 50 Air Squats

Scale this workout: do knee tucks instead of knees-to-elbows, push jerks with light weights as a substitute for handstand push-ups.

#4 Not A Walk In The Park

20 Min AMRAP:

  • 20 Barbell Power Cleans (185/130)
  • 40m Sled Pull (205/160)

This is one of my favorites. There’s nothing I like better than power cleans and sled pulls. It might seem quite straightforward but pulls and power cleans are exhausting, even if the workload is shared. This will test your fitness and leave you with no doubts as to your abilities.

The only way to make this even more lung-bustlingly hard is to substitute sled pulls for sled pushes.

Give it a try, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Expect two sweat angels on the gym floor after you’ve finished.

Scaling options: try hang power cleans if one partner finds them easier.

#5 Homer Simpson

Who's idea was it to name a CrossFit partner WOD after a Simpsons character? Ours, actually. Why? Because, well, why not?

No doubt, our donut-eating friend would not make it past the first exercise. This is not an easy workout. Be afraid, be very afraid.

15 Min – 5 rounds:

  • 30 HSPU
  • 10 muscle-ups
  • 20-meter single-arm overhead dumbbell walking lunges
  • 1-mile run
  • 20 wall balls

Don't forget your knee sleeves. Walking lunges can be a real killer not only on the knees but the glutes and quads. Prepare to hobble the following day.

#6 Weigh To Go 

There’s a lot of interest these days in home CrossFit workouts and no equipment workouts, so here’s a bodyweight partner WOD for people with minimal gear. All you need is your own body.

This WOD does not include pull ups or any gymnastic ring exercises for obvious reasons. You can do this workout at home or in the gym without any specialized equipment.

For Time:

  • 1000-meter run (together)
  • 10 pushups (PU)
  • 10 sit-ups (SU)
  • 10 air squats (AS)
  • 20 PU
  • 20 SU
  • 20 AS
  • 30 PU
  • 30 SU
  • 30 AS
  • 40 PU
  • 40 SU
  • 40 AS
  • 1000-meter run (together)

So there you go. Just some examples of fun partner WODs to spice up your training. Let us know what you think? Have you done any of these? 

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Creative Crossfit Partner Workout Ideas

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