If you are a Cross Fitter, or if you’ve ever even knocked out a CrossFit WOD (or Workout of the Day) then you know that they are nothing if not memorable. Each workout contains a grueling mix of exercises designed to test your endurance, strength and commitment to getting into the best shape of your life. WOD names like MARGE, FRAN and CINDY sound friendly, but they will quickly seem the opposite once you are a few minutes into knocking out the reps.

Some CrossFit WOD’s become famous not just because of their intensity, but because of their history. As we posted about a few months ago, the MURPH was named for a revered soldier who lost his life in battle. Another WOD that has been making the rounds in boxes all across the US for the last few years has some military roots as well…it is called 1775.

1775 was the year that the United States Army was founded. June 14th, 1775 to be precise. The continental congress enlisted a group of expert marksmen to defend our united colonies for a period of 1 year and this marked the very beginning of what would be come our US Army.

To mark this occasion, in 2016, the Under Secretary of the United States Army contacted CrossFit headquarters to see about the possibility of creating a special workout specifically for this anniversary. Thus, the 1775 WOD was born.

To knock this historic WOD out, set the timer at 60 minutes, then get to work:

17 power cleans (weight scaled at 135lbs or 95lbs.) followed by 75 air squats AMRAP in 60 minutes.

Simple enough, right? Not exactly…

Once you finish one round as above, you must remove all the plates from the bar, then carry the bar 200 meters away! (so, you better have some space to do perform this workout) THEN, one by one, carry each plate back to the bar and reload it and once the bar is loaded, begin again. Because this workout is AMRAP (as many reps as possible) for the 60-minute duration, this seemingly simple feat will add up quickly and make this one grueling hour that you will NEVER forget!

So, whether you wish to commemorate the founding of our great army, or just are just looking to shed some fat and build some rock-hard muscle, the 1775 CrossFit WOD will definitely do the trick. Now, load the bar and GET TO WORK!