Welcome to the 20min Upper Body CrossFit Workout.
The training session today will be all about the upper body and I implemented an exercise that requires some skill work on your part.
But we will get to that.
What can you expect from this workout:
- The complete duration of this training session is 35 minutes including a full warm-up and cool-down.
- You will be performing three exercises (two bodyweights and one weighted with either a dumbbell or kettlebell).
- The workout approach is an AMRAP. (What is an AMRAP?)
- A guide on how to approach the workout and how you can scale it if needed can be found further below.
Let’s get to the workout.
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Warm-Up
Before we start, I want to remind you to never skip your warm-up!
It’s just as important as your actual workout.
Just to give you a few important facts on why you should warm up:
- Increases blood flow
- Reduces the chance of injury
- Increases range of motion
- Improves performance
I could go on and keep rambling about the importance of warming up but I already did that in a different article. (click below to learn more)
If you feel a little more stiffness in your body after a long day of work, use this warm-up routine:
20min Upper Body CrossFit Workout
As many reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 x Burpees
15 x Strict Dips
10 x KB/DB Turkish Get-Ups (5 per side) – see video below
(Click on the link to see a movement demonstration)
Turkish Get-Up (Turn Adblock off)
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How to approach it?
This workout is a long one and it will become quite challenging because you are going to tax your shoulders a lot.
I mentioned earlier that this is an upper-body workout but from my own experience, I felt the burn in my shoulders the fastest.
Before you start, remember that you will be performing these exercises for 20 minutes, so pace and plan accordingly.
I have two suggestions on how to approach this workout.
Beginner:
- Before you start this session, make sure to practice the Turkish Get-Up with a few different weights and see what feels good for you.
- After choosing your weight, start the workout and pace yourself from the beginning.
- Break the sets up early and go with something like 8/7 on the dips and one rep at a time for the Turkish Get-Up, ideally, switch hands every rep.
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Advanced:
- Before you start this session, make sure to practice the Turkish Get-Up with a few different weights and see what feels good for you.
- The goal for the advanced athlete is to perform each set unbroken.
- Try to take breaks only after each round, if needed.
- Stay with the same arm for the Turkish Get-Up until you reach the 9 reps.
How to scale?
Before you scale any of the prescribed movements, try reducing the number of reps first.
In case you need to adjust the movement because of for example an injury, this is what I would suggest to you:
Burpees: a good alternative is doing the “no push-up” burpee
Strict Dips: a good alternative is performing chair dips instead
Turkish Get-Ups: a good alternative would be single dumbbell/kettlebell overhead walking lunges or single dumbbell/kettlebell front rack lunges
(Click on the links for movement demonstration)
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Cooldown
After a long workout like that make sure to have a proper cool-down to avoid injuries and give your body time to recover:
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