Benchmark: Fight Gone Bad

Fight Gone Bad is another classic benchmark CrossFit WOD. In this workout, you’ll get a healthy dose of high-intensity work to test your physical and mental fitness.

The Workout

3 rounds:
1 minute of Wall Balls (20/14 lbs)
1 minute of Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (75/55 lbs)
1 minute of Box Jumps (20 in)
1 minute of Push Presses (75/55 lbs)
1 minute of Row (calories)
1 minute of Rest

Fight Gone Bad is 3 rounds of 5 minutes of work with 1 minute of rest between each round. The five minutes of work is made up of one minute at five different stations: wall balls, sumo deadlift high pulls, box jumps, push presses and rowing.

The clock does not stop or reset in between exercises. After each minute, rotate immediately to the next station.

To score Fight Gone Bad, you get one point for every rep. (For the row, a calorie is one point.) Your score is the sum of your total reps across all three rounds.

The History

Fight Gone Bad is a CrossFit benchmark WOD that simulates a mixed martial arts bout – five minutes of work followed by one minute of rest. The workout first appeared on the CrossFit main site in December 2004.

Fight Gone Bad got its name from professional mixed martial artist, B.J. Penn. Penn had asked CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman, for a workout that would mimic a bout in the Octagon. After completing the workout, Glassman asked Penn how it compared. Penn’s reply? It was like a “fight gone bad.”

Strategy

Ideally, you’ll keep moving for five minutes and save your rest for the minute in between rounds. Try to pace yourself so that you don’t end up taking any additional rest.
The clock doesn’t stop for five minutes, so transition quickly between stations.
Identify your strengths and strategize around those so that you maximize your time (and score) for those movements.
Have a partner count your reps for each round and tally up your points for your final score.