CROSSFIT FRAN: THE WHO, WHAT & WHY

You’ve probably heard the question “What’s your FRAN time?” if you have spent more than a few passing minutes in a CrossFit box.

If you’ve done a FRAN in your time, you probably proudly rattle off your score while absent-mindedly rubbing your shoulder muscles, somehow still sore even though you did the workout 3 months ago.

If you are still new to CrossFit and haven’t heard of a FRAN, you will probably ask something along the lines of “Who is Fran, and why should I ask her the time?”

Either way, let’s break down what the name “FRAN” means in the CrossFit world.

Who Is FRAN?

Well, first of all, FRAN is not a person.

Well, we’re sure “Fran” is a person - Fran is actually probably a lot of people, but this particular FRAN is not a person, and therefore should not be referred to as ‘who’.

We’re sorry, but grammar matters.

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Alright Then… What Is FRAN?

FRAN is a CrossFit workout.

More importantly and intimidatingly, FRAN is a named CrossFit workout, putting it in the surprisingly rare category of CrossFit workouts that have their own name.

Usually, a name means the CrossFit WOD has withstood the test of time and traveled far and wide, spreading across the world’s CrossFit boxes line a certain unnamed sickness that shall remain unnamed for everyone’s sanity.

Because all CrossFitters are secretly masochists (or not so secretly, we’re not here to judge), the fact that FRAN has a name and has stuck around probably also means it is unusually hard, even for a CrossFit WOD.

That is true. FRAN is hard. And guess what?

We love it.

FRAN, in its simplest terms, is a little workout that consists of some barbell thrusters and some pull ups.

That’s it.

Wait, but I thought you said it was hard?

Oh, it is.

How Do I Do FRAN?

When we said “some barbell thrusters and some pull ups” we may have been selling FRAN a little short.

That’s like saying The Lord of the Rings film franchise ‘is a mediocre movie series’, that certain unnamed sickness ‘is a bit of a pain in the behind’, or Ronald McDonald ‘is slightly terrifying’.

FRAN is tough, there’s no way of getting around it.

It consists of alternating sets of barbell thrusters and pull ups, descending in reps from 21 to 15 to 9.

For an official FRAN, the barbell is set at 95 pounds and the pull ups are done using just your bodyweight.

All of this is done for time, and those first sets of 21 do a fairly good job of sapping all of that “Oh boy, this silly-named WOD could be a lot of fun!” energy from your body.

Why Do I Do FRAN?

Because you are a CrossFitter, and that is what CrossFitters do.

But, more specifically, there are a few MAJOR benefits you get from FRAN:

1. Explosive Power

Barbell thrusters are highly explosive movements.

When done correctly, they are almost like plyometrics, using the power from your legs in a jumping motion to propel the bar over your head.

If you strictly use your shoulders, you are neither doing the exercise right nor getting the most out of your body.

In a different way, pull ups are also an explosive movement.

FRAN is all about getting it done as fast as possible, and that requires fast movements, not strict, slow pull ups.

In short, getting a good FRAN time requires fast, explosive movements, and the willingness to go to a dark place and not stop for 1 second.

Power is key, because if you try to rely on good ol’ slow strength, you are going to be running on fumes before you know it.

2. Burns Fat

Everyone likes to look sleek in the mirror, and the FRAN certainly does not hurt in that department.

FRAN can be described as “high-intensity” - combining a cardiovascular component and a strength component - which makes it a great way to burn fat.

As you alternate between the two exercises at break-neck speed, the body realizes it needs a high amount of energy over a short period of time to feed all of the muscles being worked, and switches over from burning carbs to burning more fats in order to get the huge amount of energy needed.

This results in you burning all the fats that you would in a slow cardiovascular exercise or traditional weight-training exercise, but in half - or in this case, one-tenth - of the time!

3. FRAN Increases Mental Strength

FRAN is mentally draining, there is no question about that.

It sounds so short and sweet when you hear the reps and exercises, but there is nothing easy about getting 45 reps of barbell thrusters and pull ups done in as little time as possible.

To make things even worse, the WOD is front loaded, with 21 reps of each exercise right off the starting blocks.

Mental strength is a huge part of getting a great time.

Pushing through the pain and tiredness can make or break your score, and the difference between a new PR and last in the class can often be a matter of seconds.

In general, CrossFit is perfect for training you to push through when you do not feel like pushing through.

FRAN is no exception.

The Movements of FRAN

Just to give you a bit more of an in-depth feel for the FRAN, we will quickly go through a brief overview of the two movements that make up the WOD.

Barbell Thrusters

Barbell thrusters primarily work the quads and the shoulders, as they are basically an explosive barbell shoulder press.

The barbell thruster can be broken down into 5 easy steps:

Hold the bar on the collarbone like you would for the jerk portion of the clean and jerk. Hands and feet shoulder-width apart.
Slightly bend at the knees like you are going to jump. Bring the elbows up in front of you. Engage your core and chest.
Drop your glutes lower, press heels into the floor, and explosively push upwards.
Extend the bar overhead, straightening the arms and extending head forwards so that ears are in front of biceps.
Carefully lower the bar back onto shoulders. Reset for next rep.

Pull Ups

Pull ups primarily engage the back, with the biceps and core also getting a good workout. If you have somehow never heard of them, they basically involve you pulling your chin up above a bar by engaging the back.

The pull up can be broken down into 4 steps.

Stand directly below the pull up bar. Place hands in an overhand grip slightly farther apart than the body.
Lift your feet off the floor. Engage the core and back so that your shoulders are pulled back and down.
Pull through your back and arms until your chin is over the bar. To make this movement easier to imagine, think about bringing your elbows to your hips.
Drop back down to the starting position. Reset for next rep.

The Top FRAN Times

To really compare yourself to the best of the best in the CrossFit world, let’s take a look at the time it takes some of the most dominant CrossFitters to complete the FRAN:

Mat Fraser

Mat Fraser dominated the FRAN at the 2017 CrossFit Games for a blistering time of 2:07. That put him in at over twice the speed of the average CrossFit Open competitor, who had an average time of 4:46.

Now, because Mat Fraser is Mat Fraser and also possibly not human, he also likes to do something called a ‘Friendly FRAN’, which is a lot like FRAN except it also doubled as torture during the Spanish Inquisition.

The Friendly FRAN follows the same general pattern as the FRAN, except the bar moves up to 115/85 pounds, you need to get your chest to the bar during your pull-ups, and instead of a descending number of reps, you simply do 3 sets of 21 reps.

Ya, it’s a lot.

Fraser did that in 3:08.

Tia-Clair Toomey

Toomey, who has been known as the fittest woman on Earth roughly since the time you were born, also finished the Friendly FRAN with a sub-4-minute time, completing the 3 rounds in 3:40 at the 2020 CrossFit Games.

What About Us Normal Humans?

Fraser and Toomey are the best at what they do on the entire planet and put countless hours into CrossFit. It is their full-time job.

So, while it is good to look at how they work, comparing our results to theirs may not be incredibly accurate or realistic.

For the average CrossFitter, a 5-minute FRAN is a great goal to have.

If that seems unattainable right now, then set the best goal there is in CrossFit: beat your old time.

CrossFit is all about improving yourself and pushing yourself to be better than you were the day before. It’s about mental toughness and grit, but it is also about enjoying the process of finding out more about yourself through something you love.

So as long as you are pushing yourself in the right direction, you are reaching your goals.

Wrapping It Up

What the FRAN lacks in longevity, it makes up for in brutality.

You are going to be sore and tired after this WOD, and because you’re a CrossFitter…

You’re going to LOVE it!

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Disclaimer:
All hemp-derived products
contain 0.0% THC