Death By

• 1: Overview
• 2: Configuration
• 3: Operation

1 - Overview

The “Death by…” workout is a specific type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) format commonly found in CrossFit. It’s known for its relentless progression and extreme physical and mental challenge. The name “Death by…” is hyperbolic, emphasizing the difficulty of the workout rather than any literal danger. These workouts are designed to push athletes to their limits by increasing the workload every minute, leaving little to no time for rest as the rounds progress.

Structure of “Death by…” Workouts

Minute-by-Minute Progression:

• Each minute, you perform an increasing number of repetitions of a specific exercise.
• For example:
  • Minute 1: 1 rep
  • Minute 2: 2 reps
  • Minute 3: 3 reps
  • And so on…

Goal:

• Complete the required number of reps within each minute.
• Any remaining time in the minute is your rest period.
• If you fail to complete the reps within the minute, the workout ends, and your score is the last round you successfully finished.

Example:

• “Death by Burpees”:
  • Minute 1: 1 burpee
  • Minute 2: 2 burpees
  • Minute 3: 3 burpees
  • Continue until you can no longer complete the required reps within the minute.

Common Exercises:

• Burpees
• Wall balls
• Thrusters
• Kettlebell swings
• Pull-ups
• Double-unders
• Rowing meters or calories

Why Is It Called “Death by…”?

The name is dramatic and reflects the intense physical and mental fatigue that builds as the workout progresses. By the later rounds, the increasing reps leave almost no time for rest, making it feel nearly impossible to continue. While the name is not meant to be taken literally, the workout can feel overwhelming due to the exponential increase in effort required.

Key Features of “Death by…” Workouts

Progressive Overload:

• The workload increases every minute, forcing athletes to manage their energy and pace themselves early on.
• This creates a unique challenge because the difficulty compounds over time.

Mental Toughness:

• These workouts test mental resilience as much as physical endurance. Athletes must push through discomfort and fatigue to survive as many rounds as possible.

Short Rest Periods:

• As the reps increase, the rest time decreases. By the later rounds, there may be only seconds—or no time at all—to recover before starting the next set.

Scalability:

• Coaches often modify the exercises or cap the number of rounds to make the workout accessible for different fitness levels. For example, beginners might use lighter weights or fewer rounds.

Example of a “Death by…” Workout

“Death by Wall Balls”

• Equipment: A medicine ball (typically 20 lbs for men, 14 lbs for women).
• Movement: Squat down, then explosively stand up and throw the ball to a target (usually 10 feet high).
• Progression:
  • Minute 1: 1 wall ball
  • Minute 2: 2 wall balls
  • Minute 3: 3 wall balls
  • Continue until failure.

If you fail to complete the required reps within a minute, your score is the last round you successfully completed. For instance, if you finish 15 reps in Minute 15 but can’t complete 16 reps in Minute 16, your score is 15.

Benefits of “Death by…” Workouts

Cardiovascular Endurance:

• The constant movement and decreasing rest periods improve heart and lung capacity.

Mental Grit:

• Pushing through fatigue and discomfort builds mental toughness.

Work Capacity:

• These workouts train your body to handle higher workloads over time.

Versatility:

• The format can be adapted to almost any exercise, making it highly customizable.

Challenges and Risks

Fatigue-Induced Form Breakdown:

• As the workout progresses, form may deteriorate due to exhaustion, increasing the risk of injury. Proper scaling and coaching are essential.

Overtraining:

• These workouts are extremely taxing and should not be performed frequently without adequate recovery.

Pacing Mistakes:

• Starting too fast can lead to burnout early in the workout. Learning to pace yourself is critical.

Tips for Success

Scale Appropriately:

• Modify weights, movements, or reps to match your fitness level. For example, use a lighter medicine ball or substitute air squats for thrusters.

Focus on Form:

• Prioritize proper technique over speed to avoid injury.

Pace Yourself:

• Start conservatively to conserve energy for the later rounds.

Listen to Your Body:

• Stop if you feel pain or excessive fatigue that compromises safety.

Final Thoughts

“Death by…” workouts are a hallmark of CrossFit programming, combining physical endurance with mental resilience. They are challenging, scalable, and versatile, making them suitable for athletes of all levels when approached with care. While the name may sound intimidating, these workouts are safe and effective when performed with proper technique, pacing, and coaching. Always prioritize safety and smart training practices to get the most out of these intense sessions.

2 - Configuration

Click the Settings tab of the timer.

Changing Settings

To change settings, manipulate the scroll wheels, dropdown boxes and choice buttons to adjust the timer settings. The timer will automatically update to reflect the new settings.

The timer will internally remember the current settings until you change them again or load a stowed configuration (see below).

You do not need to click any buttons to apply the settings. The timer will automatically update to reflect the new settings.

Stowing and Loading Settings

You can easily stow your preferred timer settings for future use. With one click, you can load your stowed settings to quickly configure the timer for your workout.

To stow your settings, click the Stow button and enter a name for the stowed configuration.

To load your stowed settings, click the Load button and then click the entry that you want to load. The timer settings will automatically update with the stowed settings.

To delete a stowed setting configuration, click the Load button and then click the trash can icon of the entry that you want to delete.

If you make changes to the configuration, the timer will not overwrite any of your named stowed configurations. However, it will internally remember the current settings until you change them again or load another stowed configuration.

Work Phase Duration

Move the scroll wheels to select the desired duration of one work phase.

The wheels are arranged in the familiar hours : minutes : seconds format.

If set to zeroes, the work phase duration will be unlimited.

Time To Prepare Before Workout

If you need a few seconds between pressing the Start button and actually beginning the workout, move the scroll wheel to the desired number of seconds.

The “Play 5 second countdown at start of each phase”, if activated, will count down before the workout starts regardless of the configuration of this setting.

Sound Signals

Here you can configure what type of sound prompts you want, to help you with executing your workout without having to look at the screen the whole time.

All sound prompts are optional.

Play sound at end of preparation time

This sound will tell you to get ready because the workout is starting.

Play sound at end of work phase

This sound will tell you that the workout phase is done.

Voice Signals

Here you can configure what type of voice prompts you want, to help you with executing your workout without having to look at the screen the whole time.

All voice prompts are optional.

Play 10 second warning at start of each phase

This voice prompt will tell you that there are ten seconds left before the end of the current activity (workout or rest) and the start of the next activity (workout or rest).

Play 5 second countdown at start of each phase

This voice prompt will count down from 5-4-3-2-1 and beep at 0, starting at 5 seconds before the start of the next activity (workout or rest).

Play voice at start of the work phase

This voice prompt will announce “Go!” at the start of each work phase.

Theme Seed Color

Tap the colored button to change the theme color of the timer. The theme color of the rest of the app and/or timers will not be affected.

Tap the Reset button to reset the timer color back to the default theme color for the app.

3 - Operation

Click the Timer tab of the timer.

Starting, Pausing, Resuming, and Stopping

Click the Start button to start the timer.

At any time you can click the Pause button to pause the timer, which will then change to Resume that you can click to continue the timer.

Click the Stop button to end the timer.

Skipping Phases

At any time during the workout, you can skip the current activity by clicking the button directly below the time display.

For example, to start the next round click the Work button. That will immediately start the next round.

Actual Workout Stats

Pressing the button to skip ahead to the next activity will increment the actual workout stats.

Pressing the Stop button to abort the workout will not add the interrupted activity to the actual workout stats.

Notes

Click the Notes button to open a text box where you can store free-form text notes, up to a maximum of 1,000 characters.