A 21-15-9 workout runs three descending rounds of the same movements: 21 reps of each, then 15 of each, then 9. That is 45 reps per movement, so a two-movement couplet comes to 90 reps and a three-movement version comes to 135. The rounds shrink as you go, so the finish looks close from the first rep, but a fast start on the round of 21 often costs you more time than it saves.
The work is fixed before the clock starts, so the only thing left for you to decide is how you break it up.
The arithmetic of 21-15-9
Take the classic pairing of thrusters and pull-ups:
| Round | Reps per movement | Round total | Reps completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 21 | 42 | 42 |
| 15 | 15 | 30 | 72 |
| 9 | 9 | 18 | 90 |
Add a third movement and your rounds become 63, 45 and 27 reps, for 135 in total.
Note that it doesn't matter how many movements you add: when you finish the round of 21, you're almost halfway, and when you finish the round of 15, you're 80% done.
Fran, the workout that made 21-15-9 famous
You probably met this rep scheme through Fran. CrossFit prescribes it as 21-15-9 reps for time of thrusters and pull-ups, at 95 lb (43 kg) for men and 65 lb (29 kg) for women.
21-15-9 · 90 reps
- aThrusters (95/65 lb, 43/29 kg)
- bPull-ups
Your score is the time it takes you to finish. The thruster is a lower-body push and the pull-up is an upper-body pull, so your legs get a break on the pull-ups and your pulling muscles get a break on the thrusters. That lets you keep moving, and what stops you is your breathing.
The same page gives a target for each level: under 3:00 for elite athletes, under 5:00 as prescribed, under 10:00 for intermediate athletes, scaled or as prescribed, and under 12:00 for beginners on a scaled version.
Here's Noah Olsen finishing Fran in 1:49 so you get a sense of what's possible.
Why 21-15-9 feels faster than it is
Each round is shorter than the one before it, so the workout seems to get easier as you go, and that makes it easy to treat the round of 21 as a max set. But then your round of 15 starts before your breathing has come back, and every rep after that is slower. In a six-minute Fran, a fast start can save you 40 seconds on the round of 21 and cost you a full minute on the rounds after it.
Going out fast
The seconds you save on the round of 21 often cost you more on the rounds after it
- −0:40
- Round of 21
- +1:00
- Rounds of 15 and 9
How to choose set sizes
Set size follows the reps you can repeat when you are tired, not the reps you can hit fresh. Here are some plans that add up to 21:
21unbroken11 + 108 + 7 + 67 + 7 + 76 + 5 + 5 + 5
Twenty-one unbroken thrusters save you two breaks, but if they leave you so out of breath that the 21 pull-ups after them turn into singles, someone who broke at 11 and 10 can finish ahead of you.
Plan your breaks before you need them, and keep each break to a few breaths.
The Level 1 Training Guide says you should not need more than three breaks in the round of 21, two in the round of 15, and one in the round of 9. If you need more, the workout is too heavy for you today. The Fran page asks for a thruster load that you could do for at least 15 unbroken reps, so if you cannot, scale the load.
A pacing plan, round by round
Round of 21: run it at a pace you would be happy to repeat, and keep your transitions tight, because a failed set here costs you every round that follows.
Round of 15: hold the set sizes you planned, even if the first round went better than you expected.
Round of 9: spend what is left, because no round after this one needs it.
The opening should still feel hard, because a 21-15-9 is short and the intensity is meant to be high. As a rule of thumb, if your breaks start to grow past about ten seconds, or a planned set breaks before its last rep, you went out too fast. For more on how to choose a pace before the clock starts, see how to pace functional fitness workouts.
21-15-9 variations
The three rounds appear in many formats, and each one changes what limits you, so plan each one on its own:
- Three movements. The workout gets longer, so pace it as a longer effort.
- A load that climbs while the reps fall. The bar in the round of 9 limits you, not your breathing.
- A mirrored ladder such as 21-15-9-15-21. The second round of 21 comes when you are most tired.
Scaled versions of Fran can change the reps as well as the load. The published intermediate option keeps 21-15-9 on the thrusters but cuts the pull-ups to 12-9-6, and the beginner option replaces the pull-ups with ring rows. Record which version you did, because the times do not compare.
How to time and record a 21-15-9
Most 21-15-9 workouts are scored For Time, so the work is fixed and your time varies. Your clock stops on your last rep, or on the time cap if it comes first. Write these down while you still remember them:
- Your finish time, and the cap if there was one
- The movements and the order you did them in
- Loads, and the standard you held to
- How long each round took
- How you broke each set
- Rx, scaled, or your own version
- Any no-reps
When you repeat the workout, compare the round times as well as the score. Ten seconds off your time can come from a faster move from the barbell to the pull-up bar, or from a round of 15 that you finished in two sets instead of three. Your note on how you broke each set shows which one it was, so you know what to keep the next time.
Frequently asked questions
How many total reps are in 21-15-9?
There are 45 reps per movement, which makes 90 reps for a two-movement workout such as Fran and 135 for three movements.
What is the Fran workout?
Fran is 21-15-9 reps for time of thrusters and pull-ups, at 95 lb (43 kg) for men and 65 lb (29 kg) for women, scored on your total time. It is the best known 21-15-9 workout, and CrossFit publishes scaled versions that keep the rep scheme while changing the load or the pulling movement.
Why use 21-15-9 instead of three sets of 15?
21-15-9 makes each round smaller as you tire, so you can keep a high pace to the end. Both come to 45 reps per movement, but in three sets of 15 the last set is as long as the first, and you do it when you are most tired.
Is 21-15-9 always a sprint?
No. Your load, the movement complexity, and the number of movements decide if you finish in two minutes or in twelve.
Download EVERGROUND
The rep scheme hides where your time actually went
Everground times every movement in every round of a 21-15-9 and saves those times with your score. Compare your round times with your previous attempts and you know which sets to break differently.
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