Time Score

Use this when the score for your workout is the total time to complete a fixed amount of work. The quintessential example of this is Fran:

21–15–9

95 lb thrusters Pull-ups

Rounds Score

As many rounds as possible (aka the dreaded AMRAP) in a fixed amount of time. Cindy is a common example:

AMRAP in 20 minutes of: 5 pull-ups 10 push-ups 15 squats

Reps Score

This is where you do exercises for a fixed amount of time and add up the total number of reps completed.

Max Weight

Several sets of a fixed number of reps where the goal is to work up to the heaviest weight you can do. Common examples of this include:

1–1–1–1–1–1–1 back squat (i.e. 7 sets of 1 rep max attempts)

or

5–5–5–5–5 shoulder press (i.e. 5 sets of 5 rep max attempts)

“That’s all?”, you may ask. Yes, that’s all. Be sure to do a good warm-up before you start, including some several lighter reps of the lifts in the workout. Don’t worry if this feels too easy. It’s a valuable strength building tool that is very important to other areas of fitness. There is no time limit on these workouts. Rest as much as you need so you can obtain maximal loads, but not so long that your muscles get cold. Many people suggest 2–5 minutes between sets.

Atheletes with very little strength training experience may not feel very stressed by workouts like this. This is because they haven’t developed the ability to significantly tax their body. However, the beginner will experience faster strength gains. Athletes experienced in strength training can be severely taxed by as (seemingly) little as 5–5–5 deadlift.