CrossFit skills
18 skills, beginner to advanced. 17 of them you can film on a phone and get measured. No fake scores.
Skills by level
You can film17 of 18 skills
Beginner 5
- Air SquatThe bodyweight squat — the foundation of CrossFit and the movement everything else builds on. The CrossFit standard is clear: you squat until the crease of your hips drops below the top of your knees (below parallel).
- Push-UpThe classic upper-body pressing movement, and a CrossFit staple. The secret is that a push-up is a moving plank: your whole body stays rigid and straight from head to heels while your arms do the work.
- The DeadliftLifting a loaded barbell off the floor — a foundational CrossFit lift and the safest way to learn to pick heavy things up. It's a hip hinge: you brace a neutral spine and drive with your legs and hips, never your lower back.
- Shoulder PressThe strict overhead press — bar from your shoulders to overhead using only your upper body, no leg drive. It's the first of CrossFit's pressing progression (strict press, then push press, then push jerk) and it builds the raw shoulder strength and stability that the faster overhead movements rely on.
- Box Step-UpStepping up onto a box and back down — the beginner-friendly foundation before box jumps. It builds single-leg strength and teaches you to fully open your hips at the top.
Intermediate 5
- The ThrusterA front squat flowing straight into an overhead press, in one fluid motion — one of CrossFit's most iconic (and most punishing) movements. The secret is to blend the two: you drive explosively out of the bottom of the squat and let that leg power launch the bar overhead.
- Wall BallA front squat combined with throwing a medicine ball up to a target on the wall — a simple-looking movement that becomes brutal at high reps. Like the thruster, the power comes from your LEGS, not your arms: you squat deep, then drive up and propel the ball to the target, catch it, and flow into the next squat.
- Kettlebell SwingAn explosive hip hinge that swings a kettlebell up using a powerful snap of the hips. CrossFit typically uses the 'American' swing, taking the bell all the way overhead, which adds shoulder and core demand on top of the hip power.
- Box JumpJumping onto a raised box — an explosive plyometric that builds power and coordination. The technique is simple, but one safety habit matters above all: step DOWN from the box rather than rebounding off it.
- Toes-to-BarHanging from a pull-up bar and bringing your toes all the way up to touch it — a demanding gymnastics movement that tests your core, grip, and shoulders. In workouts it's done with a 'kip': a controlled swing between two body shapes (hollow and arch) driven by your SHOULDERS and lats, not a loose pendulum from the…
Advanced 5
- Kipping Pull-UpA dynamic, full-body version of the pull-up that uses a rhythmic swing to cycle reps fast. The swing is driven by your SHOULDERS and core — a controlled alternation between two body shapes (hollow and arch) — not a loose leg kick.
- Push JerkAn explosive way to drive a barbell overhead by using your legs, then dropping UNDER the bar to catch it locked out. Unlike a push press (where you press the bar the rest of the way up), the push jerk has you re-bend your knees and punch yourself under the bar, so you can put much more weight overhead.
- Power CleanExplosively lifting a barbell from the floor to your shoulders, catching it in a partial squat. The 'power' means you receive the bar above parallel — a higher, quicker catch than a full squat clean.
- Double-UndersJumping rope so the rope passes under your feet TWICE per jump — a deceptively tricky conditioning skill. The secret is that the power comes from fast WRIST rotation, not your arms, paired with a low, relaxed jump.
- Wall WalkStarting in a push-up at the base of a wall, then walking your feet up the wall and your hands toward it until you're in a near-handstand against the wall — and back down. It's a full-body pushing and core movement that builds overhead strength and comfort being inverted.
Insane 3
- Muscle-UpThe pinnacle CrossFit gymnastics skill: pull yourself up to a bar (or rings), then transition OVER it and press to a locked-out support on top — a pull-up and a dip joined by a tricky turnover. The transition is the hard part, and pulling unevenly (the 'chicken wing') is a real shoulder-injury risk.
- The SnatchThe most technical barbell lift there is — taking the bar from the floor to locked out overhead in ONE explosive motion, catching it in a squat. In CrossFit it's often a 'power' snatch (caught above parallel) and done for reps under fatigue, which makes flawless overhead positioning and mobility essential.
- Handstand Push-UpAn upside-down press: kick into a handstand against a wall, lower until your head lightly touches the floor, and press back up. It builds serious overhead and core strength and demands comfort being inverted.