The workout
How Cindy works
Cindy is an AMRAP: as many rounds and reps as possible in the set time. You work through the movements in order and start again from the top after the last one. Your score is the completed rounds plus the reps of the round you started.
Cindy 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 Cindy 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 | from 30 rounds | from 27 rounds |
| Advanced | from 23 rounds | from 21 rounds |
| Intermediate | from 17 rounds | from 15 rounds |
| Beginner | from 11 rounds | from 10 rounds |
| Novice | under 11 rounds | under 10 rounds |
Tips for Cindy
Find a pace you can hold for the whole time. If you go out too fast in the first few minutes, you'll lose more rounds at the end than you gained at the start. Plan short breaks before you need them.
How to scale Cindy
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:
- Pull-up: Banded pull-up; Jumping Pull-up from a box
- Push-up: Push-up with hands on a box; Push-up on your knees
- Air Squat: Squat to a box; Squat holding on to a rack