Partner and team WODs: formats, splitting the work and scaling.

• In a partner WOD the work or the clock is shared and there is a single score.
• There are three splits: free, alternating (fixed turns) and synchronised (at the same time).
• Any base format works: For Time, AMRAP, chipper…
• Before starting you need to agree who goes first, how you switch and what counts as the score.
• Each person scales their own part, and you log who did what.

It is a WOD that two people do together. The work or the clock is shared and the score is logged for the pair, not for each person. A team WOD is the same thing with three or more people.

In Spanish it is also called "WOD por parejas" or "WOD en parejas".

Free split

The total work is fixed and you divide it however you like: while one person works, the other rests, and you switch when it suits you. It gives flexibility, but you need to agree beforehand.

Alternating

Each person does a turn fixed in advance, which can be a round, a set or a stretch of time, and you switch when it ends. It is the easiest to organise.

Synchronised

Both of you do the same movement at the same time. In some WODs a rep only counts if both complete it; check what yours says.

All three can be combined with any base format, such as a For Time, an AMRAP or a chipper, which are defined in the WOD formats glossary.

1. Decide the base format: a fixed time (AMRAP) or fixed work (For Time or chipper).
2. Choose movements you can both do.
3. Choose the split: free, alternating or synchronised.
4. Agree who starts and what signal you switch on.
5. Agree what is added as the score and what you do with an incomplete rep.
6. When you finish, log the score, the split and each person's version.

• Decide before the clock who starts and what signal you switch on: a word or a tap.
• Split according to what each of you does best, as long as the WOD does not require an exact split. Whoever is better at a movement can do more reps of it.
• Choose blocks of reps that do not waste switches: too many switches eat time, and too few leave one person exhausted and the other standing around.

A single score for the pair is the usual way. In a For Time it is the time at which the last person finishes; in an AMRAP, the rounds and reps of both are added into one count. What matters is agreeing beforehand on what is added.

A made-up example: in an AMRAP with a 24-rep set (6 burpees, 8 air squats and 10 push-ups), if together you do 5 full rounds and 12 reps, the score is "5 + 12", which is 5 × 24 + 12 = 132 reps. How an AMRAP is scored is in the AMRAP guide.

Each person scales their own part in the usual order, which the guide to scaling a WOD explains: load, movement, volume and, last, time. What matters is that both versions keep the stimulus of the WOD.

• If one person is faster, they can take more of the reps in the split, but decide that split before starting and log it.
• Log who did which version: a score with one person scaled and another with both on the written version are not comparable.

These examples are our own and are illustrative: they show how a partner WOD is written, not how much or how long you should train. Swap the numbers to suit your level.

Free split, For Time

Between the two of you: 100 air squats, 60 push-ups and 40 lunges, divided however you like. That is 200 reps. Score: the time at which the last person finishes.

Alternating, AMRAP

12 minutes: one person does the set of 6 burpees, 8 air squats and 10 push-ups while the other rests, and you switch after each set. One set is 24 reps. Score: rounds plus reps, added together.

Synchronised, For Time

5 rounds at the same time of: 10 air squats and 10 push-ups. Each person does 5 × 20 = 100 reps, 200 between you. Score: the time you take together.

Team of four

120 jump-rope skips and 80 air squats, in a relay. That is 200 reps, 50 per person if the split is exact. Score: the time at which the team finishes.

The splits are the same, but with more people waiting. If one person works at a time, each person rests longer between turns; choose turns that do not leave anyone cooling down for too long, and fix the relay order before starting.

Zoku Athletics brings together a multimodal timer (For Time, AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata and mixed) that times the WOD so you do not have to watch the clock while you move. How to set it up step by step is in the WOD timer guide. The app is in closed testing on Android.

You can create your Free account on the website, no card needed; how the account and the subscription are managed is covered in account and subscription on the Zoku site.

The app is not public on the stores yet. It is in testing and there is no launch date.

The Free plan is free, with no card and no expiry. Pro and Elite are paid; what each includes is shown in the plans section of the home page.

Who is behind the website and the app: About Zoku Athletics.

• What is a WOD? Formats and meaning: What a WOD is and how to read one: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata, what Rx and scaled mean and how to log the result to compare it.
• WOD formats glossary: RFT, chipper, AFAP: Glossary of WOD formats: For Time, RFT, chipper, AFAP, AMRAP, EMOM and Tabata. What each one means, how they differ and which guide to read next.
• AMRAP workout: meaning and how to score: What an AMRAP workout is and how to score it: full rounds plus extra reps, a worked example, the types and examples with no equipment.
• How to scale a WOD: Rx vs scaled: What Rx and scaled mean, when to scale a WOD and how to adjust load, movements and volume without losing the stimulus or your technique.
• WOD timer: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata: What a WOD timer is and how to use it: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata formats, how to choose one, set it up and log the result.