The workout
How Nicole works
Nicole 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.
Nicole 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 Nicole 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 200 reps | from 180 reps |
| Advanced | from 140 reps | from 126 reps |
| Intermediate | from 90 reps | from 81 reps |
| Beginner | from 50 reps | from 45 reps |
| Novice | under 50 reps | under 45 reps |
Tips for Nicole
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 Nicole
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:
- Run: Shorter distance; Walk-run intervals
- Pull-up: Banded pull-up; Jumping Pull-up from a box