I know they’re not for everyone, but I like a vacation workout. I feel under less time pressure than in my regular pre-work sweat sessions, and they never fail to improve my mood. But every time I search for kit-free CrossFit workouts to tackle al fresco, I’m recommended WODs like Mary, Annie and Cindy.
While these are technically bodyweight workouts—you won’t need to lift weights in any of the movements—they still require some sort of gear like a skipping rope or pull-up bar, neither of which tend to make it into luggage.
To solve this recurrent conundrum I recruited the help of CrossFit athlete Lucy Campbell, who secured the title of UK’s fittest woman in 2022 following her 16th-placed finish and two event wins at last year’s CrossFit Games.
Read on to find four no-equipment CrossFit workouts you can tackle any time, anywhere—just don’t confuse equipment-free with easy.
1. AMRAP 20
Exercises
- Burpee: Reps 5
- Push-up: Reps 10
- Unweighted squat: Reps 15
How To Do This Workout
Start a 20-minute timer, then perform five burpees, 10 push-ups and 15 unweighted squats, resting as little as possible between movements. Repeat this sequence, completing as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.
Campbell says: The key to this workout is pacing. Remember, you’re going to be working for 20 minutes so you don’t want to come out hot and burn out early. Instead, try to go at a pace that allows you to keep moving steadily for the full duration without too much rest.
The push-ups are likely to accumulate the most muscular fatigue so break these up into two or three sets from the start, then try to maintain that rep scheme from start to finish. If you can’t yet perform a full push-up, or the volume is too much for you, then either do them on your knees or with your hands on an elevated surface, such as a chair.
2. 21-15-9
Exercises
- Handstand push-up: Reps 21, 15, 9
- Triceps dip: Reps 21, 15, 9
- Push-up: Reps 21, 15, 9
How To Do This Workout
While the last workout will test your muscular endurance, this session puts your pushing power and strength on trial. Following the 21-15-9 format, you’ll tackle 21 reps of each exercise in the first round, followed by a round of 15 reps and a final round of nine reps.
You will need a wall to support your back for the handstand push-up and a chair or bench for the dips, but since neither are pieces of equipment you need to carry in your luggage, we’ve allowed them.
Aim to complete all moves “for quality”, focusing on your form and muscle activation rather than rushing to get the workout done as fast as possible.
Campbell says: This is a very upper-body-dominant workout with a lot of pushing. It’s very important that you don’t rush through the movements and don’t let your form deteriorate, so break up the rep scheme into smaller sets to make it more manageable.
If you can’t do handstand push-ups, perform a pike push-up [where your hands and feet are on the floor, your legs and back are straight, and your hips are raised to place more emphasis on your shoulders] instead.
You can make the dips more challenging by elevating your feet, or easier by bending your knees with your feet flat on the floor to offer more support.
3. Five Rounds For Time
Exercises
- Walking lunge: Reps 40
- Mountain climber: Reps 30
- Unweighted squat: Reps 20
- Burpee: Reps 10
How To Do This Workout
This workout is a race against the clock. It’s also heavily leg-based, so make sure you warm up your wheels before stepping on the gas.
Start a stopwatch then perform 40 walking lunges, 30 mountain climbers, 20 air squats and 10 burpees. As soon as you finish the last burpee, stop the clock and note down your time. After this, rest for two minutes and then do it all over again.
Intensity is the name of the game here, so aim to finish each round as quickly as possible, slashing seconds off your times from previous rounds as you progress through the workout.
Campbell says: The aim of this workout is to complete each round as quickly as possible, with minimal rest within the round. Try to keep the intensity high, aiming to complete the reps of each movement without a pause.
If getting down to and then up off the floor in the burpees really slows the pace down for you, keep the intensity up by performing the movement without the chest-to-floor element.
4. Mini Murph
Exercises
- Run: 1 mile
- Push-up: Reps 100
- Sit-up: Reps 100
- Run: 1 mile
How To Do This Workout
The hero WOD Murph is one of the best-known CrossFit workouts there is, with thousands of people completing it each Memorial Day to in honor of members of the military who have lost their lives, including Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P Murphy, who the workout is named after.
The full version involves 300 unweighted squats, 200 push-ups and 100 pull-ups, sandwiched between two one-mile runs, with the option of taking things to the next level by adding a weighted vest.
Campbell’s version is shorter, but don’t let the “mini” moniker fool you—this will still put your fitness on trial.
You can partition the push-ups and sit-ups however you want, so you could break them into 10 alternating sets of 10 reps, or 20 rounds of five reps to make the workload more manageable.
Campbell says: Again, it’s crucial to pace yourself here. Remember you have to complete all four tasks, so don’t empty the tank early on!
Taking on 100 push-ups is no small task, so break them up early on and stay a few reps from failure throughout. Don’t forget to time yourself so that you can try to beat your time when you repeat the workout.
Lucy Campbell was named the UK’s fittest woman in 2022 after she placed 16th at the CrossFit Games. She is only the second ever UK athlete to qualify for the competition’s elite female edition—all the more impressive considering she had only started in the sport four years prior.
Alongside her athletic career, Lucy coaches at CrossFit Nottingham. Before starting CrossFit, she was a gymnast and swam at international level until she was 20.
