Cindy Workout20-Minute AMRAP Benchmark
5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats - as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes. The classic bodyweight benchmark that tests your engine. No equipment needed, just you and the clock.
The Perfect Bodyweight Benchmark
Simple movements, brutal volume
The Cindy Protocol
Each round: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats. Repeat for 20 minutes. Count your rounds and reps. Simple movements, but the clock doesn't stop.
Automatic Round Counting
EVOX counts your rounds automatically. Tap when you complete each round. See your pace, know when you're falling behind, push harder when needed.
No Equipment Needed
All you need is a pull-up bar. No weights, no fancy equipment. Do Cindy at home, in a hotel, at the park - anywhere with something to hang from.
Pacing Strategy
20 rounds = elite (1 round per minute). 15+ rounds = competitive. The key is consistent pacing - don't burn out in the first 5 minutes.
Why Athletes Love Cindy
The workout that travels with you
Anywhere, Anytime
Traveling? At home? No gym access? Cindy only requires a pull-up bar. It's the perfect benchmark you can do anywhere and still compare to your gym performance.
True Endurance Test
Cindy tests your muscular endurance and cardiovascular capacity over 20 minutes. It's long enough to require pacing but short enough to hurt the entire time.
What's a Good Score?
20+ rounds is elite. 17-20 is competitive. 14-17 is solid. 10-14 is good for beginners. Your score will improve quickly as you find your pacing strategy.
Start Your Cindy
20 minutes of work, a lifetime of gains
Load Cindy
Find Cindy in the workout library. The 20-minute AMRAP timer is pre-configured with round counting ready to go.
Find Your Pull-Up Bar
That's literally all you need. Clear some floor space for push-ups and squats. Get a drink of water nearby.
Pace Yourself
Start the timer and settle into a rhythm. Don't go out too fast - you have 20 minutes. Consistent rounds beat a fast start and a slow finish.
Cindy Workout FAQ
Questions about the 20-minute AMRAP classic
Still have questions?
Contact us →The Complete Cindy Workout Guide: Strategy, Scoring & How to Hit 20+ Rounds
Cindy is the ultimate bodyweight benchmark in CrossFit: 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats, scored by total rounds completed. It requires zero equipment beyond a pull-up bar, scales naturally to any fitness level, and reveals your true engine capacity. Whether you are chasing your first 15 rounds or pushing for 25+, this guide will help you get there.
Understanding Cindy: Scoring and What Good Looks Like
Cindy is an AMRAP — As Many Rounds As Possible — set at exactly 20 minutes. Each round consists of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats, totaling 30 reps per round. Your score is the total rounds completed plus any extra reps. A score of 18+15 means eighteen full rounds plus fifteen additional reps into the nineteenth round (5 pull-ups and 10 push-ups). For context, here is what scores typically indicate: 10-13 rounds is a solid beginner score and means you completed the workout with consistent effort. 14-17 rounds puts you in the intermediate range with strong calisthenics endurance. 18-20 rounds is advanced and requires efficient movement and excellent pacing. 20+ rounds is elite — reaching this level means completing a round every 60 seconds for 20 minutes straight, which demands exceptional muscular endurance and cardiovascular capacity. The current world-class scores exceed 30 rounds, achieved by athletes with lightning-fast butterfly pull-ups and sub-30-second round times.
Pacing Strategy: Sprint vs Sustainable Effort
The biggest decision in Cindy is your pacing strategy. Sprinting the first five minutes and hoping to hold on is tempting but almost always leads to a lower score. The math is straightforward: if you want 20 rounds in 20 minutes, each round must average 60 seconds. That includes the transition time between rounds. Starting at 45-second rounds means you are banking time, but the metabolic debt from that pace will force 75-90 second rounds later. A better approach is to start at a pace you can sustain — for most athletes targeting 20 rounds, that means disciplined 55-60 second rounds from the start. The critical moments in Cindy come at rounds 10-14, when accumulated fatigue from hundreds of push-ups begins to slow you down. If you paced correctly, your round times should increase by no more than 5-10 seconds through this stretch. Save a final push for the last 2-3 minutes. EVOX tracks your round times automatically, giving you data to refine your pacing on future attempts.
Movement Tips: Efficiency Wins in Cindy
In a 20-round Cindy, you perform 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats. At that volume, small inefficiencies multiply into minutes of lost time. For pull-ups, kipping is standard and far more efficient than strict for this workout. Focus on a smooth rhythm — five unbroken reps should take about 8-10 seconds. Keep your grip relaxed between reps and avoid a death grip on the bar. For push-ups, lock out fully at the top and touch your chest to the ground at the bottom. Find a hand width that lets you cycle quickly without shoulder fatigue — slightly wider than shoulder width works for most athletes. Keep your core tight to avoid energy leaks. For air squats, the key is hip crease below the knee at the bottom and full extension at the top. Develop a bouncing rhythm out of the bottom of the squat to maintain speed. Transitions matter too: drop from the bar and immediately hit the floor for push-ups, then pop up to squats without pausing. Every saved second compounds across 20 rounds.
Cindy vs Mary: The Bodyweight Benchmark Progression
Mary is often called the advanced version of Cindy, and understanding the comparison helps frame your progression as an athlete. Mary uses the same 20-minute AMRAP format but replaces the movements with 5 handstand push-ups, 10 single-leg squats (pistols), and 15 pull-ups. The shift from Cindy to Mary represents a massive jump in skill, strength, and mobility requirements. Handstand push-ups demand pressing strength and overhead stability that regular push-ups do not. Pistol squats require single-leg strength, ankle mobility, and balance beyond what air squats test. And the pull-ups in Mary increase from 5 per round to 15, more than tripling the pulling volume. Elite Mary scores hover around 15-18 rounds compared to 25-30+ for Cindy. A practical progression path is to master Cindy at 20+ rounds consistently, then begin training the individual Mary movements before attempting the full workout. Both workouts are available in EVOX with automatic round counting and scoring, making it easy to test either benchmark whenever you are ready.
Ready to Test Your Engine?
Download EVOX and take on Cindy. 20 minutes, bodyweight only, pure endurance. Count your rounds and track your improvement over time.