CrossFit Hero WODs are one of my workout genres. They’re dedicated to service men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty. As such, in order to invoke some reflection and remembrance, they’re often longer, harder or heavier than standard CrossFit fare. But they’re also often simpler and more accessible – which I think is fantastic.
I’ve become a little bit of a specialist in them, having tackled several 24-hour gauntlets involving Hero WODs. Training for one such event that’s on the horizon, I programmed three of the workouts in a row, with some running in-between, on a particularly long, hot and gruelling Saturday training session.
First up was 'Jones', dedicated to Lance Corporal Michael Jones of the Special Boat Service who lost his life on operation in 2007. I put it at the front end of the session, looking at it and thinking that it might form a great full-body 'warm-up'.
I got a lot more than I bargained for.
Midway through the workout, I realised what a powerful, but basic, full-body dose this WOD was. In fact, Jones is now one I’ll keep in my back pocket for days when I want to leave no stone unturned, but don’t have much time and want zero faff.
It only requires a single barbell. But between the six movements, you’re going to train multiple body parts and multiple capacities.
What to read next
The Workout
Warm up thoroughly, then start a running clock and perform the following for time:
10 x Strict Overhead Press
15 x Overhead Squat
20 x Push Press
25 x Front Squat
30 x Push Jerk
35 x Back Squat
The RX (prescribed weight) for this workout is 52.5kg, which put up a major challenge for me. Your best bet is picking a weight that makes those 10 strict presses at the beginning a real challenge.
From there, the movements get progressively 'easier' in the sense of mechanics, but more difficult in the sense of reps. This is what makes this such a pernicious workout, you're always working close to your threshold.
You’re primarily hitting your shoulders and your legs, with those overhead squats demanding a huge amount in terms of mobility. But the overall conditioning effect, if you try to get through the workout as quickly as possible – while maintaining good form – is not to be trifled with. It took me around 12 minutes to get through, but it was a brutal 12 minutes.
It’s simple. It’s sinister. And it gets the job done. I was absolutely torched by the end and I still had three workouts and 10k of running left to tackle.
'Jones' is definitely one I'll be retesting, and MH suggests you give it a try, too.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.
