Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The partner format provides some built-in rest, but several factors make this challenging: 1) The heavy partner carry buy-in pre-fatigues legs 2) Wall balls become increasingly difficult while accumulating 150 reps 3) The GTOs require significant power/technique under fatigue 4) The 20-minute time cap creates sustained intensity with no true breaks. Most average CrossFitters will need to scale weights or modify movements.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Twenty minutes of continuous work with partner rotations creates significant cardiovascular demand. Wall balls and burpees particularly tax the aerobic system.
• Stamina (7/10): High-volume wall balls combined with repeated rounds of KB swings and burpees challenges local muscular endurance, especially shoulders and legs.
• Power (7/10): Dynamic hip extension in KB swings, explosive wall balls, and ground-to-overheads all require significant power output.
• Flexibility (6/10): Wall balls and ground-to-overheads demand good overhead mobility. KB swings require hip mobility. Partner carry tests positional strength.
• Speed (5/10): Quick transitions between partners and cycling moderate-weight movements at sustainable pace. Not max-effort sprinting.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate loads in KB swings and ground-to-overheads test strength endurance. Partner carry requires good relative strength.

Movements

• Partner Carry
• Kettlebell Swing
• Burpee
• Ground-to-Overhead
• Wall Ball

Scaling Options

Reduce kettlebell weight to 35/26 lbs for American swings. Scale ground-to-overhead to 75/55 lbs or substitute with dumbbell movements. Wall balls can be scaled to 14/10 lb ball and/or lower target height. For partner carry, reduce distance to 100m each or use farmer's carry with dumbbells. Consider reducing total wall ball target to 120 reps for newer athletes. The 15/10/5 complex can be reduced to 12/8/4 while maintaining relative ratios.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to maintain proper hip extension on KB swings or if ground-to-overhead technique breaks down under fatigue. Wall ball target height should allow consistent chest-to-target contact without excessive jumping. Athletes should be able to complete at least 3 rounds of the 15/10/5 complex in the remaining time after wall balls. Priority is maintaining safe movement patterns and consistent work rate over total volume. Target effort level should feel sustainable for full 20 minutes with intensity building in final 5 minutes.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-to-long duration (20 min) mixed modal workout targeting primarily oxidative energy system with glycolytic bursts. The partner format creates natural work-rest intervals. Primary challenge is maintaining consistent output while managing fatigue across multiple movement patterns. The buy-in creates early fatigue that must be managed throughout.

Coach Insight

Start the partner carry at a sustainable pace - this isn't a sprint. For the wall ball portion, Partner A should aim for sets of 5-7 reps on the 15/10/5 complex while Partner B maintains steady wall ball pace of 10-12 reps per set. Don't rush transitions between partners. Break up American KB swings into sets of 5-7 to maintain proper hip extension. For burpees, focus on consistent rhythm over speed. Ground-to-overheads can be power cleaned or muscle snatched - choose most efficient method. Save larger wall ball sets for early rounds before fatigue sets in.

Benchmark Notes

Breaking down this 20-minute AMRAP partner workout: 1. Buy-in (150m partner carry each): - Elite: 45-60 seconds total - Intermediate: 60-90 seconds - Beginner: 90-120 seconds 2. Wall Ball accumulation phase (150 total): Using Karen (150 wall balls) as anchor, but accounting for partner rotation and active rest: - Elite: 7-8 minutes - Intermediate: 9-10 minutes - Beginner: 11-12 minutes 3. Remaining AMRAP portion: One partner's round (15/10/5): - KB Swings (15): 25-30s - Burpees (10): 35-40s - G2OH (5): 20-25s - Transition: 5-10s Total per round: ~90s elite, ~120s intermediate Projected rounds after wall balls: - Elite (L10): 8-9 rounds in remaining ~11 min - Intermediate (L5): 5-6 rounds in remaining ~9 min - Beginner (L1): 2-3 rounds in remaining ~7 min Final L10/L5/L1 targets: Men: 8.1/5.3/2.5 rounds Women: 7.0/4.6/2.2 rounds Women's levels adjusted down ~15% due to heavier relative loading on KB swings and G2OH, plus wall ball fatigue factor.

Modality Profile

Of the 5 movements: Burpee is Gymnastics (G), Partner Carry is Monostructural (M), while Kettlebell Swing, Ground-to-Overhead, and Wall Ball are all Weightlifting (W). This gives us 1G, 1M, and 3W movements, which rounds to 20/20/60 split.