How Many Calories Does CrossFit Really Burn?
Is the popular workout doing as much for you as a typical half-hour at the gym? (Illustrations: Elias Stein)
Hurricanes and CrossFit workouts have one thing in common: Some of the most brutal ones are named after women.
When scientists at Kennesaw State University studied Cindy, one of the fitness brand’s benchmark timed workouts, they found that doing total-body moves against the clock can burn 261 calories in just 20 minutes.
(If you’re looking for a calorie-blasting workout you can do at home to lose your belly, try The Anarchy Workout. One guy lost 18 pounds of pure fat in just 6 weeks!)
“The entire workout contains just three bodyweight exercises,” says Brian Kliszczewicz, Ph.D. and lead study author. “But because the exercises incorporate all your muscles and you do them intensely, the workout is impressive in terms of caloric expenditure.”
As the infographic below reveals, that’s nearly as many calories as you’d burn during a more typical half-hour gym session. Here’s how Cindy stacks up against your average workout.
Related: 10 Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running
Sweat with Cindy
Set a timer on your watch or phone for 20 minutes. Do 5 pull-ups, 10 pushups, and 15 squats, in that order. That’s 1 round. Do as many rounds as you can before the time runs out.
Related: The Bodyweight Workout That Burns An Insane Amount Of Fat
Pullup
Use an overhand grip to hang from a pullup bar with your arms straight. Pull your chest to the bar. Pause, and then return to the starting position.
Pushup
Assume a pushup position. With your elbows tucked, lower your chest until it’s just a few inches off the floor. Pause, and push yourself back up.
Squat
Stand with your feet set slightly beyond shoulder width. Now push your hips back and lower your body as far as possible. Stand back up.
By The Editors of Men’s Health
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