This 12 Days of Christmas WOD is the perfect CrossFit workout to test all areas of fitness before you unwrap presents underneath the tree.
For Time:
- 1 Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (75/55 lb)
- 2 Thrusters (75/55 lb)
- 3 Push Presses (75/55 lb)
- 4 Power Cleans (75/55 lb)
- 5 Power Snatches (75/55 lb)
- 6 Kettlebell Swings (53/35 lb)
- 7 Pull-Ups
- 8 Knees-to-Elbows
- 9 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
- 10 Double-Unders
- 11 Burpees
- 12 Overhead Walking Lunges (45/25 lb Plate)
Add one movement per round, starting at “day” 1.
What’s In This Guide?
How to Follow the 12 Days of Christmas WOD
12 Day of Christmas WOD for Beginners
How to Scale the 12 Days of Christmas CrossFit Workout
How to Follow the 12 Days of Christmas WOD
When doing the 12 Days of Christmas CrossFit WOD, be sure to:
- Start at day 1, and build: The 12 days of Christmas WOD starts with one sumo deadlift high pull. Then two thrusters and one sumo deadlift high pull, etc. Don’t go out of order on movements.
- Limit transitions: Because there are so many rounds and a dozen movements, there are well over 100 movement transitions in this workout. That means even a one second difference in time between rounds will add up! Set equipment up in a manner that makes sense, and try recovering while moving through the round of 9 through 12.
- Don’t put the bar down: Setting the bar down adds time, and requires at least a clean to get back to the exercise you’re on. It’s low enough rep that you shouldn’t have to relax in the middle of a set.
Most importantly, follow correct form for all of these exercises. If there’s a movement you can’t do safely (for example, if you can only jerk and not push press the weight , scale or decrease the difficulty of the exercise.
And if you’re new to CrossFit entirely, consider the beginner variation of the WOD. Also, you can reference various WODs here if you are not familiar with some of these WODs.
12 Day of Christmas WOD for Beginners
If your fitness/strength won’t allow you to do this workout as Rx’d, try this beginner variation:
For time:
- 1 Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (45/35 lb)
- 2 Thrusters (45/35 lb)
- 3 Push Presses (45/35 lb)
- 4 Power Cleans (45/35 lb)
- 5 Power Snatches (45/35 lb)
- 6 Kettlebell Deadlifts (53/35 lb)
- 7 Ring Rows
- 8 V-ups
- 9 Box step ups (24/20 in)
- 10 single unders
- 11 Burpees
- 12 Walking Lunges
How to Scale the 12 Days of Christmas CrossFit Workout
Alternatively, if you’re looking to really up the ante this Christmas season, here’s an advanced variation of the WOD:
For Time:
- 1 Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (115/90 lb)
- 2 Thrusters (115/90 lb)
- 3 Push Presses (115/90 lb)
- 4 Power Cleans (115/90 lb)
- 5 Power Snatches (115/90 lb)
- 6 Kettlebell Swings (70/53 lb)
- 7 Chest to bar Pull-Ups
- 8 Toes to bar
- 9 Box Jumps (30/24 in)
- 10 Double-Unders
- 11 Burpees with 12 inch jump
- 12 Barbell overhead Walking Lunges (115/90lb Plate)
This one will obviously push even fit athletes, so make sure you’re strong enough to do all the exercises with proper form before saying 3-2-1 go.
As a precautionary measure, you also may want to use a Percussion Massage gun after each workout so you prevent injuries and keep those muscles nimble. Use it for a few minutes immediately after the workouts on the affected muscles to get the most out of it. Last thing you want is to be injured, and derail your 12 day WOD routine, and your holiday times.
You can easily scale or change this workout based on need. If you’re traveling and need to make it a bodyweight WOD, for example, use other exercises like push-ups and air squats. Double up on the burpee or lunge portions if you need to, or make it a partner WOD.
However you do it, you’re sure to have a memorable Christmas workout!
For more CrossFit WODs like this one, check out the rest of our website. Happy holidays and good luck!
