1. DT
Five rounds for time of 12 deadlifts, 9 hang power cleans, and 6 push jerks. Prescribed weight is 155 pounds for men and 105 for women. The entire workout is done with one barbell, so you load it up and never let go until the round is done.
DT is a hero WOD that has been around forever, and it remains one of the best barbell-only tests out there. The combination of a hip hinge, a pull from the hang, and an overhead press hits basically every muscle group. Five rounds sounds manageable until you realize you are doing 135 total reps at a weight that is moderate for any single movement but punishing across all three back to back.
The strategy that works for me is unbroken deadlifts, then breaking the hang cleans into sets of 5 and 4, and doing the push jerks unbroken while I still have gas. By round four, everything slows down and the grip starts going. That is fine. Just keep moving.
To scale, drop the weight to something you can clean comfortably for sets of 3 or more. If 155 buries you by round two, it is too heavy. The stimulus here is supposed to be moderate weight at a fast pace, not a strength grind. A good Rogue Ohio Bar↗ makes the hang cleans feel noticeably better thanks to the moderate knurl and good spin on the sleeves.
2. Kalsu
This one is simple on paper and absolutely savage in practice. You load a barbell to 135 pounds (95 for women) and do thrusters. The goal is 100 total reps. At the top of every minute, including the first, you stop and do 5 burpees. Then you go back to thrusters until the next minute starts, at which point you stop again for 5 more burpees.
The math here is what makes Kalsu so brutal. Every minute you lose roughly 20 seconds to burpees, which means you only have about 40 seconds to chip away at thrusters. If you can manage 5 to 8 thrusters per minute, you are looking at a 15 to 20 minute workout. That might not sound long, but the combination of going overhead repeatedly while your heart rate is pinned from burpees is a different kind of suffering.
You do not even need a rack for this one. Just clean the bar to the front rack position and go. Scale by dropping to 95/65 or reducing the burpees to 3 per minute if you want to keep the thruster volume higher. I would not recommend scaling by reducing the total reps since finishing all 100 is part of what makes Kalsu what it is.
3. The Bear Complex
Seven sets of the following complex, performed without dropping the bar: 1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push press, 1 back squat, 1 push press behind the neck. That is one rep. Do 7 reps to complete a set. Rest between sets and increase weight each round if you can.
The Bear Complex is one of those workouts that teaches you the value of barbell cycling efficiency. You learn fast where to rest (hint: front rack and back rack positions) and where to keep moving. The overhead portions are what gas you out, and the squats are where your legs remind you that you have been holding a barbell for two straight minutes.
I usually start around 95 pounds and work up to 135 or 145 by the last set. The goal is not necessarily to go heavy. It is to complete each set unbroken with good positions. If you are dumping the bar every 3 reps, the weight is too high.
This workout pairs really well with bumper plates↗ since you can bail safely if you need to. Iron plates on a garage floor are not ideal for a complex where fatigue can sneak up on you.
4. Lynne
Five rounds, not for time, of max-rep bench press at bodyweight and max-rep strict pull-ups. No clock running, just total reps across all five rounds. This one requires a rack with a bench setup (or at minimum a set of safety arms on your squat rack) and a pull-up bar.
Lynne is different from the others on this list because there is no time component. You rest as long as you want between sets. The challenge is pure muscular endurance and mental toughness. By round three, your chest and lats are screaming and every rep is a negotiation with yourself.
If bodyweight bench is too heavy, scale to 75% of bodyweight. For pull-ups, banded pull-ups work fine, or swap to ring rows if you have rings. The key is picking a load that lets you get at least 8 to 10 reps in the first round. If you max out at 3 reps per set, the stimulus is more strength than endurance and you will not get the intended effect.
I track my total across all five rounds and try to beat it next time. On a good day I will hit 40 to 50 bench reps and 30 to 40 pull-ups total. Your numbers will depend on your strength to weight ratio, but the fun is in seeing them climb over time.
5. Open Workout 20.1 (Variation)
Ten rounds for time of 8 ground-to-overheads (135/95) and 10 bar-facing burpees. The original CrossFit Open version included other elements, but this stripped-down variation works perfectly in a home gym with just a barbell and some floor space.
The ground-to-overhead is the most versatile barbell movement because you choose how to get it there. You can snatch it, clean and jerk it, or clean and push press. Most people settle into a rhythm of muscle snatches or power snatches at this weight since it is faster, but if your shoulders fatigue you can always switch to clean and jerk to shift the load.
Bar-facing burpees are the equalizer. No matter how strong you are, doing 100 burpees in a workout humbles everyone. The key is setting a sustainable pace early. I try to keep each round under 90 seconds for the first five rounds, then hold on for the back half. Total time should land somewhere between 15 and 25 minutes depending on your fitness level.
Scale by dropping the barbell to 95/65 or cutting to 8 rounds. You can also step over the bar instead of jumping if the burpees are what is slowing you down. Whatever you do, pick a modification that keeps you moving for the full workout rather than sitting on the floor gasping every round.
Equipment Notes
All five of these workouts require nothing more than a barbell, plates, and a pull-up bar. Lynne adds a bench into the mix, but you can sub floor press if you do not have one. For the pull-up bar, the one on your squat rack works fine. You do not need a standalone unit.
If you are building out a minimal home gym for CrossFit style training, I would start with the right barbell and a set of bumper plates. A good bar and 250 to 300 pounds of bumpers covers every workout on this list. Add a rack when the budget allows and you have access to almost everything you would do in a box.