The workout
| Reps | Movement | Rx men | Rx women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Handstand Push-up | – | – |
| 30 | Deadlift | 60 kg | 42.5 kg |
| 40 | Sit-up | – | – |
| 50 | Double Under | – | – |
Women: 5 rounds, each for time: 20 HSPU, 30 Deadlifts 42.5 kg, 40 Sit-ups, 50 Double Unders; exactly 3 min rest between rounds (time includes rest)
How Barbara Ann works
Barbara Ann is done for time: all rounds and reps as fast as possible, in the order given. Your score is the time to your last rep.
Barbara Ann is one of the Girls. The Girls are the best-known benchmark workouts in functional fitness and come from CrossFit® training. Short, with just a few movements, and built so you can repeat them every few months and read your progress straight off the clock.
What's a good Barbara Ann time?
The standards apply to Rx, meaning with the prescribed weights and no scaling. They're a rough reference, not statistics across all athletes. For women, times are set about 10% longer and rounds about 10% lower.
| Level | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Elite | up to 30:00 | up to 33:00 |
| Advanced | up to 35:00 | up to 38:30 |
| Intermediate | up to 41:00 | up to 45:05 |
| Beginner | up to 48:00 | up to 52:50 |
| Novice | over 48:00 | over 52:50 |
Tips for Barbara Ann
A long workout. Start slower than feels right and break high-rep movements into small, even sets from the very beginning. Staying hydrated and breathing steadily pay off here.
How to scale Barbara Ann
If part of it is still too hard, scale it so the workout keeps its pace and intended stimulus. Log it as "Scaled". Possible options:
- Handstand Push-up: Pike push-up with feet on a box; HSPU to a raised stack of mats
- Deadlift: Kettlebell Deadlift; Deadlift from raised blocks
- Sit-up: Crunch; Sit-up with feet anchored
- Double Under: Single Unders, usually two to three times as many; Singles mixed with one Double Under at a time