Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

This is an ultra-high volume, long-duration grind. Expect 6–12 bike intervals interspersed with 150-rep bodyweight sets that accumulate well over 1,000 total reps for most athletes. There’s no heavy loading or advanced skill, but the sheer volume, repeated upper-body pressing fatigue, and prolonged work time make it extremely demanding.

Benchmark Times for Highway to Hell

• Elite: <70:00
• Advanced: 80:00-90:00
• Intermediate: 100:00-110:00
• Beginner: >150:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High-rep squats, push-ups, and sit-ups repeated many times test local muscular endurance and fatigue resistance, especially in the chest, triceps, hip flexors, and midline.
• Endurance (8/10): Sustained cardio output on the bike across many intervals demands a robust aerobic base and recovery between repeated efforts over an extended time domain.
• Speed (3/10): Limited by volume; quick transitions help, but most time is spent in steady, sustainable sets rather than true sprint cycling.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic range of motion: full-depth squats and sit-up reach. No advanced mobility positions required beyond standard CrossFit movement standards.
• Power (2/10): Some sprint-like efforts on the bike, but the dominant stimulus is steady grinding rather than explosive power output.
• Strength (1/10): No external loading and no heavy barbell; demands are muscular endurance rather than maximal force production.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 3-mile total • 25-25-25 after each interval • Push-Ups to incline/knees and Sit-Ups to 30 reps

Scaling Explanation

Reducing distance and penalty reps preserves the interval structure and stimulus while cutting overall volume and protecting shoulder stamina for sustainable, high-quality movement.

Intended Stimulus

A brutal, sustained grind. Bike hard but sustainable, then chip steadily through large bodyweight sets without redlining. Expect muscular fatigue in the push-ups and a deep aerobic burn. The best results come from controlled pacing, short breaks, and consistent movement quality that keeps you progressing for a long time.

Coach Insight

Pace the first two rounds conservatively. Find a repeatable bike output and break push-ups early (e.g., 10s or 5s) to avoid failure. Key tip: Protect your push-ups. Small, planned breaks beat big, unplanned blow-ups later. Common mistakes: Sprinting the bike early, doing huge first push-up sets, and ignoring transitions. All three can add 10–20 minutes by mid-workout.

Benchmark Notes

Times assume steady 2-minute bike efforts with consistent 50/50/50 penalties between. Faster athletes cover more distance per interval (fewer penalty rounds). Slower athletes accumulate many penalty rounds, driving times upward. If you hit the time cap before 5 miles, record total miles and completed reps.

Modality Profile

Most of the work is high-volume bodyweight gymnastics (squats, push-ups, sit-ups). The bike is significant but occupies shorter bursts relative to the repeated penalty sets, so gymnastics dominates total training time with monostructural as a strong secondary element.

Similar Workouts to Highway to Hell

If you enjoy Highway to Hell, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Start Today (92% similar) - 2 Rounds for Time 25 Toes-to-Bars 50 calorie Row 75 Kettlebell Swings (16/12 kg) 100 Burpees...
• Bradley (90% similar) - 10 Rounds For TIme 100 meter Sprint 10 Pull-Ups 100 meter Sprint 10 Burpees 30 seconds Rest...
• Hyrox Physical Fitness Test (90% similar) - For time: 1000m Run (outdoor or treadmill at 2% incline) 50 Burpee Broad Jumps (90 cm) 100 Stationar...
• Ghost (89% similar) - 6 Rounds for Total Reps in 23 minutes 1 minute of Rowing (calories) 1 minute of Burpees 1 minute of ...
• Kelly (89% similar) - For time: 5 rounds: 400 meter Run 30 Box Jumps (24/20 in) 30 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb to 10/9 ft ta...
• Rosenbloom (89% similar) - AMRAP in 28 minutes Buy-in: 1,971 meter Row Then, AMRAP of: 2 Thrusters (115/95 lb) 9 Burpee Box Ju...
• Jack Stanley (89% similar) - For Time 2,012 meter Run Directly into, 4 Rounds of: 8 Burpees 26 Jumping Lunges 8 Hand Release Pus...
• Battleground 24 (89% similar) - AMRAP in 24 minutes 24 calorie Assault Air Bike 24 Thrusters (95/65 lb) 24 Bar-Facing Burpees 24 Kne...

These WODs similar to Highway to Hell share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.