What is The Crossfit Hero Workout 'Chad'?
The CrossFit ‘Hero’ workouts, or WODs in CrossFit parlance, are among the hardest and most gruelling challenges that CrossFit offers. They are also the most purposeful, with each Hero WOD dedicated to a member of the armed forces or police who has given their life in the line of duty or lost their life due to circumstances related to their profession.
The Hero WOD “Chad”, despite appearing simple on the surface, is one of the longest and most demanding of the bunch. It is a high-volume workout designed to honour U.S. Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, who served for 22 years and died by suicide on 29 October 2018.
As with all Hero workouts, Chad is a chance for reflection and deference, but it was also designed to raise awareness about veteran suicide and mental health issues. The official website for the workout states: ‘CHAD1000X has brought together thousands of registered participants, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars raised since 2020, looking to be a part of something greater than themselves.’
On paper, it’s an incredibly straightforward yet mentally and physically demanding workout that tests both endurance and mental toughness. The task is simple: strap on a weighted vest or backpack weighing around 20kg (for men) and step up onto a 20-inch box, then step back down again. Now all you need to do is repeat this 1,000 times, As quickly as possible.
"Chad" CrossFit Hero Workout:
For Time:
Weighted box step-ups x 1,000 reps
Stand in front of a box, with your feet hip-width apart, wearing a weighted vest or weighted backpack (A). Step one foot up onto the box and drive your foot into it to stand up. Lean forward slightly to keep your balance, but keep your torso as vertical as possible and avoid excessive rounding of the lower back (B). Once at the top, stand up fully by extending your knees and hips. Slowly step backward off the box and repeat with the opposite leg.
Box Height:
20 inches / 50cm (for both men and women)
Weight:
The Rx weight (CrossFit speak for ‘as prescribed’, essentially denoting a standard to aim for) is 20kg for men. However, the weight should be scaled to match your abilities to avoid injury and ensure the intended stimulus. The workout should be hard, but you should be able to finish it within 90 minutes.
Chad Variations and Scaling
Partitioning:
The 1,000 step-ups can be partitioned as needed. Some people break it into manageable sets with rest in between.
Scaled Version:
If 1,000 step-ups are too challenging, even unweighted, you can scale the number down.
The official Chad 1000x website lists their scaling recommendations as:
Slick/Beginner: 1,000 reps. No rucksack. You pick the height of the step-ups.
Standard/Intermediate: 15kg rucksack. You pick the height of the step-ups.
Expert: 20kg rucksack. Use a 20″ box for step-ups.
Chad Tips
This workout is as mentally taxing as it is physically demanding. A combination of fatigue and boredom can make the work feel much harder than it is. Try to avoid getting caught up in distracting thoughts by keeping your mind busy. Count your steps (obviously), but also pay attention to your form and the sensations in your body on each rep.
Try to match your breathing to a certain cadence of steps, and break the steps up into convenient batches, such as sets of 50. You can use these arbitrary ‘breaks’ to make slight form adjustments, such as switching which leg to lead with in order to keep things fresh. Try 50 reps leading with your left leg, followed by 50 with your right. Ten of these sets see you done.
While your lower body will take the brunt of the punishment in this workout, it will pay dividends to keep an eye on what your upper body is doing. Try to maintain a relatively upright torso throughout, avoiding slumping over or excessively arching your lower back. Over 1,000 reps, this will wear you down.
Readjust your backpack straps or weighted vest at regular intervals to move the load around your upper body and avoid overly fatiguing any one area.
Stay hydrated: While CrossFit workouts like Fran are fast and furious, often taking less than five minutes, Chad is most definitely an endurance workout. You can expect to be on (and off) your box for over an hour, so you need to fuel and hydrate accordingly. Keep a bottle of water close by, and ensure you’ve consumed adequate carbs and calories beforehand. Don’t be afraid to sip on an energy gel anywhere after the 45-minute mark.
What Is a Good Time for Chad?
The CrossFit website Beyond The Whiteboard has examined the data from thousands of athletes' registered times for Chad, concluding that the mean average time for a male athlete to complete Chad (Rx) is 69:37, while the median time is 67:44, with a standard deviation of 14:27. So, it’s safe to say that you should scale to a weight that allows you to complete the workout in under ninety minutes. If you can complete the workout in under an hour with Rx conditions, you can consider yourself a pretty advanced athlete.
Chad At The 2024 Crossfit Games
The workout Chad was performed as part of the 2024 Crossfit Games. A slight variation on the regular 1000 x box step-ups format was included, where athletes had to step up and over a series of boxes arranged in a podium fashion, stepping back down to the ground on the other side.
Athletes had to step over the boxes and back, 250 times, accumulating a total of 1000 step-ups.
This event was won by American James Sprague with a time of 43:58.
More Crossfit Hero Workouts
A Dumbbell Hero WOD You Can Do at Home (If You Can Handle It)
This 650-rep CrossFit Hero WOD Delivers a Brutal Bodyweight Workout
This CrossFit ‘Hero WOD’ Delivers a Wicked Chest Pump Alongside a Fitness Boost
Big Weekend Workout: Can You Handle This Odd-Object Upgrade Of The Hero WOD ‘Murph’?
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