Today I decided to give the Crossfit Barbara WOD (a benchmark WOD) another shot because I like it so much. Since I have done this routine several times and have noticed improvements in my ability to do the pull ups and push ups, I decided to make things a little bit tougher. Instead of just doing the routine “as is” I decided to throw on my 25 lb. weight vest. I have been using the weight vest for many other workouts lately including Plyo Legs, the Crossfit Severin WOD, as well as for some occasional resistance rollerblading. The reason I’m so addicted to using the weight vest is because I know that it makes the pull ups and push ups a lot tougher and my arms get absolutely fucking obliterated by the time I’m done with these routines.
Box Weight Vest Universal Camo in the house... swag
You would be very surprised at how much resistance 25 lbs. actually is while you are doing pull ups and push ups. The first round of this routine isn’t really anything crazy, but near the end of the first 30 push ups, your arms will be begging you to rip that vest off to make things easier. As the workout progressed today, I honestly thought about taking the vest off and finishing without it, but I kept it on for the entire 5 rounds just to be a badass and prove to myself that I could do it…haha. In order to do this workout properly though, I did have to remove it for the sit ups because the weight vest and sit ups don’t really mix.
Essentially I modified this routine so that I was doing 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, and then 50 squats with the weighted vest before moving onto the 40 sit ups. Each round I would finish with the 40 sit ups because I couldn’t wear my vest during the sit ups. The reason I couldn’t wear it is because you can’t effectively do a sit up if you have weights propping up your lower back – they wouldn’t have been legitimate and in fact would have been easier than without the vest because the range of motion would be less. So what I did was the exercises in this order: 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, and 50 squats all with the 25 lb. vest followed by the 40 sit ups to end each round.
I would quick undo the vest, rip it off, and do the 40 sit ups at the end of each round. As soon as the round ended, I put my vest back on (during my break) so that I would be ready to roll for the next round. Having done this routine in order without the 25 lb. vest, I honestly think that doing the 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, and then the 50 squats with the 40 sit ups last is tougher than their original order. I may be wrong, but getting up to do those squats after just getting raped by the push ups is straight up wicked. Anyways, below is a recap of the Barbara instructions as well as my time (and times by round). Side note: I have come a long ass way since doing my first Barbara workout.
Crossfit Barbara WOD Rules:
Repeat the following for 5 rounds:
- 20 Pull Ups
- 30 Push Ups
- 40 Sit Ups
- 50 Squats
Note: In most cases, the rule is that you are supposed to take 3 minute breaks in between each round. I personally think that 3 minutes is too long of a break. When I first started this routine, 3 minutes seemed to fly by and was tough enough. However, I am in better shape than when I first did this routine back in 2010.
2 Minute Breaks Between Rounds
Today I decided to take 2 minute breaks in between each round with the weighted vest and it was actually pretty tough, but that’s what I want it to be – tough. When I take 3 minutes, it seems like it gives my arms too much time for recovery. Even for the Upper Body Massacre, I don’t really take more than a minute in between rounds. I usually just do it for speed. In case you were wondering, I can only make it through the first 2 rounds of the U.B.M. routine with the vest before I have to take it off.
The normal break in between rounds is supposed to be 3 minutes, but I have read about some Crossfitters doing it for time without taking any breaks. If you are hardcore enough and want to step up to the challenge, try this routine without breaks. I took breaks today because I’m not strong enough to handle 25 lb. weight vest with no breaks, but at least I was still able to cut the 3 minutes down to 2 minutes. In my opinion, 3 minutes gives your arms too long of a break and slows the routine down too much. I’m sure there are people out there that could do this routine with a 50 lb. vest and no breaks, but I’m not one of those people… yet…haha.
How did I know a weight vest would work? I tested it a couple weeks ago.
If I wouldn’t have worn a weight vest, I probably could have done this routine for speed and tried it without any breaks – I’m sure that would have been tough too. The last time I did this routine which was like 2 weeks ago, I used the weight vest for half of it just so that I could gauge whether I’d be able to handle it. What I did last time too was started out with a 3 minute break in between the first and second round, and between the second and third round – I cut it down to 2 minutes. Between the third and fourth round, I only took 1 minute for break. Lastly, between the fourth and fifth round, I didn’t take a break.
Crossfit Barbara Time (with Weight Vest) = 41 Minutes 22 Seconds
Round #1: 5 Minutes 16 Seconds
Barbara time round by round...
Round #2: 6 Minutes 9 Seconds
Round #3: 6 Minutes 40 Seconds
Round #4: 7 Minutes 23 Seconds
Round #5: 7 Minutes 54 Seconds
How to time the Barbara WOD?
I’m not entirely sure how this workout is supposed to be timed because I always keep the clock running during my breaks so that I know when my break time is up. In my time above, I kept the 8 minutes of break time included into the final time of 41 minutes and 22 seconds. My guess is that you are supposed to include the time for your breaks in your final time. If you don’t take breaks though, your time is going to look freakishly fast. Even wearing the vest for half of the routine last time, I was able to do it in about 31 minutes. Without a vest, my guess is that I’d be around 25 minutes or less on this routine – especially without breaks.
Barbara WOD with Weighted Vest (Conclusion)
Wearing my BOX weighted vest universal camo with 25 lbs. was ideal for getting more resistance and making this routine tougher. By the time I finished, I could tell that my arms were more pumped up than they would have been without the vest. Not only does the extra weight provide good resistance for the pull ups and push ups though – it really helps make the squats more difficult as well. I would have liked to have some resistance during my sit ups, but due to the way that this particular vest holds the weight, it wouldn’t have been safe for my spine and back to keep it on during the sit ups.
If you are thinking about giving the Barbara WOD a shot with a weight vest, I would definitely encourage you to do so. If you are currently still struggling to get through this routine without a weight vest, I don’t really recommend adding one until you are able to do the routine with ease. Even without a vest, the routine should seem pretty darn tough, but to make it tougher, you can always opt to take zero breaks in between rounds or shorten them. If you don’t have access to a weight vest and want to make the Barbara more advanced, I’d recommend trying a countdown for breaks like: 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, and no break.
I know a lot of people that find 3 minutes to be a total buzzkill – if you are one of those people, it’s probably time to make the Barbara more badass. Heck if you’re up for the challenge, maybe even throw in 10 dips before the 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, 40 sit ups, and 50 squats… The modification possibilities are endless – do what works best for you.