Life finds a way. Hopefully your endurance does too.
Because our SmartWOD Workout of the Month “Jurassic Dark” for September has 8 pretty wild minutes in store for you.
Three movements are all it takes this time to properly fatigue your shoulders and send your heart rate through the roof. And since it's an AMRAP, there are of course no relaxed breathers in between.
Want to know what's waiting for you? Then scroll through the article. Further down you'll find the direct link to the workout in the SmartWOD Workout Generator. ⬇️
The SmartWOD Workout for September: “Jurassic Dark”
An 8-minute AMRAP. Three exercises. No rest.
“Jurassic Dark” comes at you non-stop: first you challenge your shoulders with handstand push-ups, then you combine burpees with pull-ups, and at the end of every round the jump rope is waiting for you.
Your task is simple: collect as many rounds and reps as possible in 8 minutes.
What do you need for the workout?
- A wall
- A pull-up bar
- A jump rope
- And of course the SmartWOD Timer (obviously)
Tip: Don't let the low rep counts tempt you into sprinting right from the start. HSPUs and burpee pull-ups in particular can fatigue your shoulders quickly. Find a pace you can hold for the full 8 minutes.
The Different Difficulty Levels of “Jurassic Dark”
Which beast will it be? The choice is yours. Here are the three levels of the workout:
Fitness level Performance (Pros)
AMRAP 8 minutes:
3 Strict HSPU
6 Burpee Pull-Ups
30 Double Unders
Fitness level Fitness (Advanced)
AMRAP 8 minutes:
3 Kipping HSPU
6 Burpee Pull-Ups
30 Single Unders
Fitness level Starter (Beginners)
AMRAP 8 minutes:
3 Push-Ups
6 Burpees
30 Single Unders
Jurassic Dark: Which Level Is Right for Me?
Your HSPU and pull-up skills are the deciding factor here.
- For the Performance level you should be confident with strict handstand push-ups and double unders.
- In the Fitness level you're allowed to kip the HSPUs and switch to single unders — the burpee pull-ups stay, though.
- If handstand push-ups or pull-ups aren't part of your repertoire yet, the Starter level with push-ups, burpees and single unders is the right choice.
Important: pick a level where you can still perform the movements cleanly under fatigue. Eight minutes are short enough to push the pace — but long enough to regret an overambitious start.
The button below takes you straight to the workout in the SmartWOD Workout Generator app. Just tap “Start workout” — and off you go!
Lorenzo Ursini vs. “Jurassic Dark”
Teen CrossFit Games athlete and 3x “Fittest Teen in Italy” Lorenzo Ursini shows you on our YouTube channel how he battles through “Jurassic Dark”. Here you can watch him take on the 8-minute AMRAP in real time.
Who is Lorenzo Ursini?
In case you don't know Lorenzo yet: he's our newest (and at 17 also our youngest) SmartWOD athlete and comes from beautiful Italy. He has already claimed the title of “Fittest Teen in Italy” three times (2022, 2023 & 2025).
We're certain there's a lot more potential in Lorenzo, which is why we're supporting him on his journey to the fittest version of himself. You'll be seeing him regularly in our Instagram story.
SmartWOD “Workout of the Month” — What Is It?
With the SmartWOD Workout of the Month we publish a new workout every month for what is arguably the fittest community in the world — the SmartWOD community.
As always, “Jurassic Dark” comes in three different difficulty levels. That way you can pick the workout to match your skills and still take on the same challenge.
And of course we want to know how you do: share your score with us on Instagram and compare yourself with other SmartWOD athletes from around the world. Every now and then there are premium codes and goodies to win among everyone who takes part.
Off to Isla Nublar — with “Jurassic Dark”
Don't worry: you won't have to outrun a T-Rex this time. Burning shoulders and a pretty high heart rate, however, will be hard to escape.
So grab your jump rope, start the SmartWOD Timer and see how many rounds you can collect in 8 minutes.
And afterwards, be sure to let us know how you liked “Jurassic Dark” — and share your score with us on Instagram!
