Helen WOD — Three Rounds That Test Your True Lactate Threshold
Helen is 3 rounds for time of a 400m run, 21 kettlebell swings (53lb/35lb), and 12 pull-ups. It looks short. It is not short. Helen lives in that brutal zone where your heart rate spikes on the run, does not recover enough on the swings, and the pull-ups arrive when your grip and shoulders are already spent. A well-executed Helen is a honest test of lactate threshold — the ability to sustain high-intensity output without fully recovering between efforts.
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Coach-Written Guide
CrossFit Workout Plan — Stop Winging It and Start Progressing
Most CrossFit athletes do not follow a plan. They show up, do the WOD of the day, and call it training. For general fitness, that works fine. But if you have been doing CrossFit for more than a year and your lifts have stalled, your benchmark times have plateaued, or you feel like you are always tired without getting fitter — the problem is not your effort. It is the absence of a plan. This guide explains how to build a CrossFit workout plan that produces measurable results.
Read the full guide — 10 min readCommon Questions
What is the Helen WOD?
Helen is a CrossFit benchmark workout: 3 rounds for time of 400m run, 21 American kettlebell swings (53lb/24kg for men, 35lb/16kg for women), and 12 pull-ups. It is one of the original CrossFit "girls" named by Greg Glassman. Helen specifically tests lactate threshold — the ability to sustain sub-maximal effort repeatedly with incomplete recovery.
What is a good Helen time?
Beginner: 15–20 minutes. Intermediate: 10–15 minutes. Advanced: 8–10 minutes. Elite: under 8 minutes (sub-7 is competitive CrossFit level). The world record for Helen is around 6:30 for men. The kettlebell weights are prescribed at 53lb men / 35lb women — if you are scaling weight, note the modification.
What is the hardest part of Helen?
For most athletes, the pull-ups in rounds 2 and 3. The kettlebell swings fatigue the posterior chain and grip, so by the time you reach the pull-up bar in round 2, your lats and forearms are already compromised. The run in round 3 is where athletes who went too hard in rounds 1–2 fall apart — the split should be nearly identical across all three rounds.
How should I pace Helen?
The target is even splits across all 3 rounds. Most athletes go 20–30 seconds faster on round 1, which costs them 60–90 seconds in rounds 2 and 3. Run at 85% of your best 400m effort. Go unbroken on the kettlebell swings if possible — the rest between movements provides more recovery than breaking them does. Plan your pull-up breaks before you start.
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