Benchmark WOD
Fran
Twenty-one thrusters and twenty-one pull-ups, then fifteen of each, then nine. Forty-five reps of each movement, for time — the most famous benchmark in CrossFit, and one of the shortest.
Opens a 10-minute cap with the rep scheme listed. Your score is the time on it at your last pull-up. No account needed.
- Reps
- 21 - 15 - 9
- Movements
- Thrusters and pull-ups
- Barbell
- 95 / 65 lb (43 / 29 kg)
- Cap
- 10 minutes, commonly
- Score
- Total time
Where it comes from
Fran is one of the original CrossFit “Girls” — short benchmark workouts given women’s names and meant to be repeated, so that progress shows up as a single number. It was published in 2003 and has become a kind of shorthand in the sport: ask someone their Fran time and one number tells you a lot.
Why it hurts so much
Forty-five thrusters and forty-five pull-ups sounds modest. The trouble is density: both movements use the whole body, no rest is built in, and the lungs give out before the muscles do. The burning throat afterwards is common enough to have its own name — the “Fran cough”.
Pacing
| Round | Reps | Common splits |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 21 thrusters, 21 pull-ups | Thrusters unbroken or 11 + 10; pull-ups 7 + 7 + 7 or 11 + 10 |
| 15 | 15 + 15 | Thrusters unbroken if you can; pull-ups 8 + 7 |
| 9 | 9 + 9 | Unbroken — this is where the time is won |
The biggest lever is short rests between sets, not faster reps. A three-second break taken on purpose beats a fifteen-second one forced by failure.
What a good Fran time is
| Level | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner, scaled | 8–12 min | Lighter bar, banded or jumping pull-ups |
| Intermediate, Rx | 5–8 min | Pull-ups broken into small sets |
| Advanced, Rx | 3–5 min | Thrusters mostly unbroken |
| Elite | Under 3 min | World-class times are around two minutes |
These are rough ranges from what athletes commonly report, not standards. The benchmark that matters is your own previous Fran.
Scaling
Keep the stimulus: it should hurt for minutes, not half an hour. If Rx would take you past ten minutes, drop the bar to a weight you can thruster fifteen times unbroken — many people use 30/20 kg — and use banded, jumping or ring-row pull-ups. A 10-minute cap keeps the workout honest either way.
Why the clock should keep time for you
In a workout this short, even a glance at a screen costs you. Start the clock from this page, put the phone down, and let it keep time over your music — it counts the final seconds out loud, keeps the screen awake, and needs no account.
Common questions
What is the Fran workout?
21-15-9 reps, for time, of thrusters and pull-ups: 21 thrusters, 21 pull-ups, then 15 of each, then 9 of each. The Rx barbell is 95 lb (43 kg) for men and 65 lb (29 kg) for women.
What is a good Fran time?
Under 5 minutes at Rx is a strong result; under 3 is elite. Most people’s first Rx Fran lands between 6 and 10 minutes.
What weight is Fran?
95 lb (43 kg) for men and 65 lb (29 kg) for women. Many metric gyms round to 40 and 30 kg.
Can beginners do Fran?
Yes, scaled: a light bar and banded or jumping pull-ups, with a 10-minute cap. The point is a short, very hard effort — not grinding through a weight that turns it into a strength session.
Why does Fran make you cough?
The “Fran cough” is commonly reported after short, all-out efforts that push breathing to its limit, especially in dry or cold air. If it lasts, or comes with chest pain, see a doctor.