Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Twenty minutes of cyclic work mixing gymnastics and monostructural rowing drives sustained effort with little rest. While movements are approachable, cumulative volume (especially push-ups and rowing) taxes muscular endurance and breathing. Pull-ups each round add grip/upper-body fatigue. Pacing, transitions, and rowing efficiency determine success, placing this solidly in the Hard category for most athletes.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Twenty minutes of continuous work with a large rowing component emphasizes aerobic capacity and steady breathing under fatigue, requiring sustained heart rate control and efficient pacing throughout the entire AMRAP.
• Stamina (7/10): Repeated sets of push-ups, pull-ups, and air squats each round accumulate significant muscular fatigue, demanding stamina in upper body pressing/pulling and lower body cycling without long breaks.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions and fast but controlled sets help; however, pure sprinting is limited by the 20-minute duration and the need to preserve form and consistency.
• Power (3/10): Some power expression occurs on the rowing drive and quick squat cycles, but the workout primarily rewards sustainable output more than short, explosive efforts.
• Flexibility (2/10): Standard ranges of motion for squats, push-ups, and pull-ups; mobility requirements are basic with emphasis on full depth and lockout rather than extreme flexibility positions.
• Strength (2/10): No external loading or maximal efforts; strength demands are limited to bodyweight capacities for pull-ups and push-ups rather than heavy lifting or near-maximal force production.

Movements

• Push-Up
• Air Squat
• Row
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Scale to: Ring Rows + Elevated Push-Ups (box) + Air Squats + 14 Cal Row • Jumping Pull-Ups + Knee Push-Ups + Air Squats + 12 Cal Row • Banded Pull-Ups + Push-Ups (5-5) + Air Squats + 16 Cal Row

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the movement patterns and time-under-tension while adjusting pulling difficulty, pressing volume, and rowing calories to keep round times consistent and the stimulus aerobic with sustainable sets.

Intended Stimulus

A steady, sustainable grind with fast transitions. You should feel continuous aerobic pressure from the row and accumulating muscle burn in push-ups and pull-ups. Goal is consistent round times, unbroken or near-unbroken sets, and a rowing pace you can hold without dropping off late. Finish feeling spent but not blown up early.

Coach Insight

Open with a controlled row you could hold for 20 minutes, then quick, tidy sets on the gymnastics with minimal transition time. Most important: keep push-up sets from hitting failure—break early into 6/4 or 5/5 if needed to maintain pace. Avoid yanking the row early and sprinting transitions only to redline by minute six. Smooth is fast here.

Benchmark Notes

Score is total rounds (and reps) in 20 minutes. Beginners aim for 3–5 rounds by moving steadily and minimizing rest. Intermediate athletes should target 6–9 rounds with quick transitions and consistent rowing pace. Advanced athletes push 10–12 rounds by holding unbroken sets and an aggressive but sustainable row.

Modality Profile

About half the time is spent on the rower (monostructural), especially as fatigue rises. The remaining work is gymnastics—pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats—cycled frequently each round. No external loads are used, so weightlifting contributes 0% of the modality profile.

Similar Workouts to Row Cindy Row

If you enjoy Row Cindy Row, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• It's a Trap! (92% similar) - For Time 100 Burpees 200 meter Run to start then again every 2 minutes...
• Nicole (92% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 400 meter Run Max Rep Pull-Ups...
• Icarus (91% similar) - For time: 100 Double-Unders 30 Toes-to-Bars 100 Double-Unders 40 Pull-Ups 100 Double-Unders 50 Burpe...
• Holloway (91% similar) - AMRAP (with a Partner) in 23 minutes 200 meter Partner Run 94 Double-Unders 29 Burpees 3 Rope Climbs...
• Sisson (91% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 1 Rope Climb (15 ft) 5 Burpees 200 meter Run Wear a weight vest (20/14 lb)...
• Open 18.1 (90% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 8 Toes-to-Bars 10 Dumbbell Hang Clean-and-Jerks (50/35 lb) 14/12 calorie Row...
• Open 23.2A (89% similar) - AMRAP in 15 minutes: 5 Burpee Pull-Ups 10 Shuttle Runs (25 ft out, 25 ft back) *Add 10 shuttle runs ...
• Lem (89% similar) - For Time Buy-In: 52 Air Squats Then, 4 Rounds of: 300 meter Run 15 Navy SEAL Push-Ups 23 Sit-Ups 7 ...

These WODs similar to Row Cindy Row share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.