Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines heavy barbell cycling with progressively more challenging gymnastics movements. The descending rep scheme provides some relief, but the combination of grip-intensive movements (deadlifts into cleans into snatches, followed immediately by pull-ups/C2B/MU) creates severe forearm fatigue. Bar muscle-ups under fatigue require significant skill and strength, making this accessible only to experienced athletes.

Benchmark Times for 21-15-9 Complex

• Elite: <5:00
• Advanced: 6:00-7:00
• Intermediate: 8:00-9:00
• Beginner: >16:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Descending rep scheme across multiple rounds challenges grip endurance and upper body stamina through combined pulling movements and Olympic lifts.
• Power (8/10): High-skill Olympic lifts and explosive gymnastics movements like bar muscle-ups require significant power output throughout.
• Endurance (7/10): High-skill gymnastics and Olympic lifts performed for multiple rounds creates significant cardiovascular demand through continuous work with minimal natural rest points.
• Flexibility (7/10): Olympic lifts and advanced gymnastics demand good mobility in shoulders, hips, and ankles, particularly for snatches and bar muscle-ups.
• Strength (6/10): Moderate loads for Olympic lifts combined with advanced gymnastics movements require significant strength, especially in pulling patterns.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions between movements and efficient cycling of Olympic lifts and gymnastics required for optimal performance.

Movements

• Deadlift
• Clean
• Snatch
• Pull-Up
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
• Bar Muscle-Up

Scaling Options

Barbell weight: Scale to 135/95 or 115/75 to maintain power and technique. Gymnastics modifications: Regular pull-ups → Ring rows, C2B → Regular pull-ups, BMU → Negative pull-ups or C2B. Volume option: Remove the middle round (8-7-6, 4-3-2 only). Consider reducing snatch weight more than clean/deadlift weight to account for technical demands. Time cap at 25 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 3+ unbroken bar muscle-ups when fresh, or if your 1RM snatch is less than 185/125. The goal is to keep moving with minimal extended breaks while maintaining safe technique on Olympic lifts and gymnastics. Athletes should be able to cycle through pull-up variations without failing mid-set. Target time domain of 12-20 minutes - if you're projecting longer, reduce load or modify movements to hit this window. Prioritize movement quality over speed, especially on snatches and bar muscle-ups.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (12-20 minutes) combining Olympic lifting technique with gymnastics progression. Primary focus is skill development under fatigue while maintaining quality movement patterns. The descending ladder format tests both strength-skill and gymnastics progression with decreasing volume but maintained intensity.

Coach Insight

Break up the barbell work early - singles on snatches from the start. Quick but controlled transitions between movements. For gymnastics, use small sets (2-3 reps) to maintain quality as fatigue builds. The pull-up progression (regular to C2B to BMU) gets technically harder while reps decrease - this is intentional. Rest as needed between gymnastics movements to maintain proper form. Don't rush transitions between barbell and rig - take time to chalk and reset.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to DT (5 rounds of barbell cycling) and Amanda (descending rep scheme with gymnastics progression). Analysis: Barbell Complex (per round): - Deadlifts: 2.5s/rep - Cleans: 3s/rep - Snatches: 3.5s/rep Round 1 (8-7-6): ~65s for barbell work Round 2 (6-5-4): ~50s for barbell work Round 3 (4-3-2): ~35s for barbell work Gymnastics Progression: - Pull-Ups: 1.5s/rep - Chest-to-Bar: 2s/rep - Bar Muscle-Ups: 4s/rep Round 1 (8-7-6): ~55s for gymnastics Round 2 (6-5-4): ~40s for gymnastics Round 3 (4-3-2): ~25s for gymnastics Transitions: ~5s between movements Fatigue multiplier: 1.2x for later rounds Base calculation: Round 1: 120s + 30s transitions Round 2: 90s + 30s transitions × 1.1 fatigue Round 3: 60s + 30s transitions × 1.2 fatigue Projected elite times (L10): 5:00-5:30 male / 6:00-6:30 female Intermediate (L5): 9:00-9:30 male / 10:30-11:00 female Beginner (L1): 16:00-16:30 male / 18:00-18:30 female Cross-referenced with DT and Amanda benchmarks, adjusted for lower load but higher skill requirement in gymnastics progression.

Modality Profile

Of the 6 movements: Pull-Up, Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up, and Bar Muscle-Up are gymnastics (G) movements. Deadlift, Clean, and Snatch are weightlifting (W) movements. 3 gymnastics + 3 weightlifting = 50/50 split between G and W, with no monostructural movements present.