Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While 35/25lb dumbbells are relatively light, the combination of 100 squat cleans with forced burpees every minute creates a brutal metabolic challenge. The EMOM burpees prevent sustained rhythm on the cleans and force constant transitions. Most athletes will take 12-15 minutes, meaning 36-45 total burpees on top of the cleans. The squat clean's full-body nature combined with this format creates significant cumulative fatigue.

Benchmark Times for Stephen Russell

• Elite: <14:00
• Advanced: 15:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
• Beginner: >30:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume of squat cleans combined with recurring burpees tests muscular endurance extensively, particularly in legs, core, and shoulders.
• Endurance (8/10): The combination of 100 squat cleans plus burpees every minute creates significant cardiovascular demand over an extended period, requiring sustained aerobic capacity.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions needed between movements, plus burpees must be completed efficiently each minute to allow recovery time.
• Power (6/10): Dumbbell squat cleans are inherently power movements, though lighter weight reduces power demand compared to heavy barbell versions.
• Flexibility (5/10): Squat clean requires decent mobility in ankles, hips, and shoulders. Burpees demand basic range of motion throughout body.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate dumbbell loads require strength endurance rather than maximal strength, though fatigue makes lighter weights feel heavier over time.

Movements

• Burpee
• Dumbbell Squat Clean

Scaling Options

Weight reductions: 25/15 lb dumbbells or 20/12 lb dumbbells. Movement substitutions: Dumbbell power cleans instead of squat cleans, step-back burpees instead of jumping. Volume modifications: Reduce to 75 or 50 total reps, keeping 3 burpees EMOM. Time cap at 25 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 15+ unbroken dumbbell squat cleans with good form at prescribed weight, or if burpees take more than 20 seconds to complete. Prioritize maintaining clean technique and full range of motion over speed. Target completion time is 15-25 minutes. Athletes should be able to maintain consistent work rate throughout - scale load or volume if large drops in intensity occur after 10 minutes.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate to long glycolytic workout (15-25 minutes) with oxidative system contribution. Primary challenge is maintaining consistent output while managing burpee interruptions. Tests muscular endurance in legs/hips and ability to sustain power output with regular spikes in heart rate.

Coach Insight

Break squat cleans into manageable sets (sets of 10-15 early, adjust as needed). Aim to complete burpees in 15-20 seconds to allow recovery. Use quick but controlled dumbbell cycling - touch-and-go when possible. Keep burpees crisp but efficient. Common failure points: rushing early sets, poor dumbbell positioning on cleans, slow burpee transitions. Consider 25/20/15/15/15/10 rep scheme for cleans.

Benchmark Notes

Analysis breakdown: 1. Movement components: - 100 DB Squat Cleans (2x35/25): ~3-4 sec/rep fresh - 3 Burpees EMOM: ~12 sec per minute 2. Most similar to Grace (30 C&J) but with: - Higher rep count (100 vs 30) - Lighter load but dual dumbbells - EMOM burpee tax 3. Base calculation: - DB Squat Cleans: 100 reps × 4 sec = 400 sec base - Fatigue multiplier: 1.0x first 25, 1.2x next 25, 1.4x next 25, 1.6x final 25 - Adjusted clean time: ~700 sec - EMOM burpees: ~12 sec × (minutes of workout) - Transitions between sets: 3-5 sec × ~10 sets 4. Elite (L10) projection: - ~14-15 min total = 840-900 sec - Includes ~15 rounds of burpees 5. Scaled from Grace anchor: - Grace L10 = 90-120 sec - This workout ~7x longer due to volume Final targets (M/F): L10: 14:00/16:00 L5: 20:00/23:00 L1: 30:00/35:00

Modality Profile

Burpee is a gymnastics (bodyweight) movement, while Dumbbell Squat Clean is a weightlifting movement with external load. With two movements split across two modalities, this results in a 50/50 split between G and W.

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