Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The combination of heavy push presses and overhead squats at 135/95 creates significant shoulder fatigue, especially in the descending rep scheme that encourages faster pacing. The box jumps between barbell movements provide minimal rest while adding leg fatigue. The skill demands of overhead squats under fatigue, plus the continuous nature of the couplet, makes this challenging for the average CrossFitter to complete as prescribed.

Benchmark Times for Karl Joseph

• Elite: <4:00
• Advanced: 4:30-5:00
• Intermediate: 5:45-6:30
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High total volume (135 reps) across three demanding movements tests muscular endurance in shoulders, legs, and core through varied positions.
• Power (8/10): Box jumps are pure power movements, while push press requires explosive drive. Even overhead squats benefit from dynamic execution.
• Endurance (7/10): The descending rep scheme with compound movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially when performed quickly. Recovery between movements is minimal.
• Flexibility (7/10): Overhead squats demand exceptional shoulder mobility and hip flexibility. Box jumps and push press require good positional awareness.
• Strength (6/10): Moderate-heavy loads in push press and overhead squats require significant strength, especially as fatigue accumulates in later rounds.
• Speed (6/10): For time format encourages quick transitions and fast cycling of movements, though heavy loads require controlled execution.

Movements

• Push Press
• Overhead Squat
• Box Jump

Scaling Options

Push Press: Scale to 95/65 lbs or 75/55 lbs. Sub push jerk if shoulder mobility limited. Box Jumps: Reduce height to 20/16" or step-ups. Overhead Squats: Scale to 95/65 lbs or front squats at Rx weight. For beginners, consider 15-12-9 rep scheme. Elite athletes can add a 400m run buy-in.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to do 8+ unbroken push press or 5+ unbroken overhead squats at prescribed weight. Form deterioration on overhead squats is primary scaling indicator. Target time is 8-12 minutes - scale load/movements if estimated time exceeds 15 minutes. Maintaining full range of motion and stable overhead position takes priority over prescribed weight.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout targeting the 8-12 minute time domain. Primary focus is on power output and midline stability while managing shoulder fatigue. Tests ability to maintain proper positioning under load with descending rep scheme.

Coach Insight

Break push presses into sets of 7-8 from the start to avoid shoulder burnout. Box jumps should be unbroken but step-down to save energy. For overhead squats, consider sets of 5-6 reps with quick rest. Most athletes hit a wall in the round of 15 - be conservative in first round. Quick transitions between movements are crucial but don't rush setup on overhead squats.

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a 21-15-9 rep scheme similar to Fran, but with heavier movements. Analysis: 1. Push Press (135/95): - Per rep: 2-3s fresh, increasing with fatigue - Set breakdown: 8-7-6 / 8-7 / 5-4 reps - Total time: 21 reps (63s) / 15 reps (48s) / 9 reps (30s) 2. Box Jumps (24/20): - Per rep: 1.5-2s fresh - Minimal fatigue impact due to bodyweight - 30 reps per round: 45-60s 3. Overhead Squats (135/95): - Per rep: 2.5-3.5s - More technical than thrusters - Set breakdown: 7-7-7 / 8-7 / 5-4 reps - Total time: 21 reps (74s) / 15 reps (56s) / 9 reps (36s) Transitions: 5-10s between movements Using Elizabeth (21-15-9 clean + dips) as primary anchor but adjusting up 20% due to: - Heavier/more technical movements - Additional box jump volume L10 Male: ~4:00 (vs Elizabeth 3:20) L5 Male: ~6:30 (vs Elizabeth 5:30) L1 Male: ~12:00 (vs Elizabeth 10:00) Female times approximately 15% slower due to loading and movement complexity.

Modality Profile

Box Jump is gymnastics (G). Push Press and Overhead Squat are both weightlifting (W) movements. With 3 total movements, 1 G movement (33%) and 2 W movements (67%), and no M movements (0%).

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