A chipper is a workout where you "chip away" at a long list of exercises, completing all the reps of one movement before moving to the next, often with high rep counts across many different movements. This is the fourth and final workout in my Dad Bod Destroyer Blueprint on Physical Friday. Chippers are infinitely variable, brutally effective, and a great way to use a lot of equipment in a well-stocked gym. Consistency is king and boredom kills progress.
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A chipper is a format where you chip away at a long list of exercises, completing all the prescribed reps of one movement before moving on to the next. They are very popular in CrossFit and can be infinitely varied. Chippers usually move through many different movements in a single workout, which is part of what makes them both challenging and a great way to use a lot of equipment.
The most iconic chipper is the Filthy 50: 50 box jumps, 50 jumping pull-ups, 50 kettlebell swings, 50 walking lunge steps, 50 knees-to-elbows, 50 push press, 50 back extensions, 50 wall ball shots, 50 burpees, and 50 double-unders. You complete all 50 reps of each movement before moving to the next. It is a long, demanding workout that hits nearly everything.
Chippers follow a few common styles. You can use the same number of reps for every exercise, like 50-50-50-50. You can use pyramid reps such as 10-20-30-20-10. You can use increasing reps like 10-20-30-40, or decreasing reps like 50-40-30-10. The rep scheme changes how the work is distributed, but you always finish one movement completely before starting the next.
Yes. A chipper does not have to be a marathon. A shorter one might use declining reps with increasing difficulty, like 60-calorie row, 50 double-unders, 40 wall balls, 30 push-ups, 20 Turkish get-ups, 10 overhead squats, and five muscle-ups. That structure front-loads the easier high-rep work and saves the hardest, low-rep movements for the end.
Yes, a chipper can be part of a partner or team workout. But make no mistake — they are still very challenging whether you tackle them individually or split the work with a team. Sharing the reps lets you move through a long list faster, but the volume and variety keep it tough no matter how many people are working.
The only way to lose a dad bod is through consistency, and the chipper is one more format that keeps things interesting so you keep showing up. Consistency is king and boredom kills progress, so having a format that uses a lot of equipment and movements lets you build endless fresh workouts. Be creative, have fun, and get jacked — then keep coming back.
We have moved through Rounds for Time, AMRAP, and EMOM, and the chipper is the finale. It is the format that lets you throw everything you have at a single workout — a long list of movements you simply chip away at, one at a time. If you find yourself in a well-stocked gym, this is how you use all of it in one session.
The Filthy 50 is the famous example, but chippers are flexible. You can keep the reps constant, build a pyramid, climb up, or count down — and the rep scheme completely changes the feel of the workout. I walk through each style in the episode so you can build your own. Press play to hear how to lay one out.
It can be a marathon like the Filthy 50, or a tighter session that front-loads the easy high-rep work and saves the muscle-ups for the end. That flexibility is why the format never gets stale. I share a shorter declining-rep version in the full episode. Listen in for it.
That wraps the Dad Bod Destroyer Blueprint. Four formats — Rounds for Time, AMRAP, EMOM, and the chipper — give you a nearly infinite supply of workouts so you never get bored and never stop progressing.
Be creative, have fun, and get jacked. Text CHIPPER to me at 305-930-7346 and I will send you five of my favorite chipper workouts for free. The only way to lose a dad bod is consistency.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
Chipper · Filthy 50 · box jumps · kettlebell swings · wall ball shots · double-unders · Turkish get-ups · muscle-ups · Dad Bod Destroyer Blueprint · Physical Friday · Tom Rowland Podcast
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series where I help fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen build the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay strong and stay in the game for life.
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