Everything You Need to Know

Games athletes Emily Rolfe and Sydney Wells took to the floor to tackle 25.2 shortly after the announcement. The workout – a repeat of previous open workout 22.3 – is a 216-rep mixture of barbell thrusters, gymnastics and double-unders, all with a 12-minute time cap.

Styled by CrossFit as:

21 pull-ups

42 double-unders

21 thrusters (weight 1)

18 chest-to-bar pull-ups

36 double-unders

18 thrusters (weight 2)

15 bar muscle-ups

30 double-unders

15 thrusters (weight 3)

Time cap: 12 minutes

*men’s weights for Rx category: weight 1: 42 kg, weight 2: 52 kg, weight 3: 61 kg

The workout has a time cap, but every rep counts. Many athletes will hear the buzzer with work still left unfinished, so each and every rep will bump you up the leaderboard.

These are the official movement standards directly from CrossFit:

Pull-up

1. Start each rep with arms fully extended and feet off the ground.
2. The rep is credited when the chin clearly breaks the horizontal plane of the bar.

NOTE: Any style of pull-up is permitted as long as the criteria above are met.

Double-under

• The rope passes under the feet twice during a single jump.
• For scaled divisions, the rope passes under the feet once for each jump.
• The rope must spin forward.

Thruster

1. The crease of the hips must clearly pass below the top of the knees in the bottom position (below parallel).
2. The rep is credited when:

• Hips, knees, and arms are fully extended.
• The bar is directly over, or behind, the middle of the body when viewed from the side.

NOTE: Each round of thrusters begins with the barbell on the ground. A squat clean is allowed, but not required, to start a set.

Any time you return to the pull-up bar, the barbell must remain at least 5 feet from the pull-up bar.

Chest-to-bar pull-up

1. Start each rep with arms fully extended and feet off the ground.
• Any style of grip is permitted.
2. The rep is credited when the chest clearly contacts the bar at or below the collarbone.

NOTE: Any style of pull-up is permitted as long as the criteria above are met

Bar muscle-up

1. Start each rep with arms fully extended and feet off the ground.
2. Pass through some portion of a dip before locking out over the bar.
3. The rep is credited when:
• Arms are fully extended in the support position.
• Shoulders are directly over, or slightly in front of, the bar when viewed from the side.

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Weights and Scaling for 25.2

The male weights and scaling prescribed for the workout are as follows:

Rx: (Ages 16-54):

Scaled (Ages 16-54) :

• Scaled gymnastics: Jumping pull-ups, then pull-ups, then chest-to-bar pull-ups
• Single-unders
• Weights: 29, 38, 47 kg

Teenagers (14-15):

Scaled Teenagers (14-15):

• Scaled gymnastics: Jumping pull-ups, then pull-ups, then chest-to-bar pull-ups
• Single-unders
• Weights: 20, 29, 38 kg

Masters 55+:

• Scaled gymnastics: Jumping pull-ups, then pull-ups, then chest-to-bar pull-ups
• Weights: 29, 38, 47 kg

Scaled Masters 55+:

• Scaled gymnastics: Jumping pull-ups, then jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups, then pull-ups
• Single-unders
• 20, 29, 38 kg

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25.2 Tips

Rich Froning and the CrossFit Mayhem coaching team again offered a follow-up video providing tips and tricks for 25.2 to help you optimise your performance.

Pacing Strategy (Avoid Early Fatigue)

• The workout increases in intensity with heavier thrusters and harder gymnastics (pull-ups → chest-to-bar → bar muscle-ups).
• Start at a steady pace, breaking reps early to avoid muscular failure.
• Use an 8, 7, 6 / 7, 6, 5 / 6, 5, 4 rep scheme instead of equal sets to prevent mid-set burnout.
• Double-unders serve as a reset – don’t rush them unless aiming for an elite time (under 6 minutes).

Thruster Efficiency (Save Your Energy)

• Breathe at the top of the thruster where your chest is most open.
• Avoid pausing at the bottom and elasticity. Use momentum to drive straight up.
• If struggling, break into smaller, quicker sets to maintain a high cycle rate rather than grinding through slow reps.
• Ensure a strong front rack position to reduce forearm fatigue and unnecessary wrist strain.

Gymnastics (Manage Fatigue)

• Butterfly vs. Kipping: If proficient, a butterfly kip keeps speed up. If not, tight kipping swings conserve energy.
• For chest-to-bar pull-ups, pull the bar to your chest rather than pulling yourself up to it.
• If bar muscle-ups are new or inconsistent, reset after each rep instead of burning grip trying to string them together.
• Grip fatigue is a limiter, so shake out hands between movements if needed.

Double-unders (Stay Relaxed)

• Use them as a recovery phase rather than speeding through.
• Hand placement is key, keep them in sight in your peripheral vision to prevent drift.
• If you trip, reset quickly and move on rather than panicking.
• Avoid over-jumping. Stay low and efficient to conserve leg energy.

Overall Game Plan

• Don’t go unbroken unless you’re elite. Small, quick sets are better than forced long sets with long rests.
• Know your strengths, if you’re better at gymnastics, push there and pace the thrusters, and vice versa.
• Last set of thrusters is when to push, that’s where you go for broke!


With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.    

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.   

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.   

 You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.