Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This 16-minute EMOM combines moderate-to-heavy loads with high skill demands and significant fatigue accumulation. Double-unders demand focus and grip endurance; devil presses and burpees over the bar create metabolic stress; hang power cleans require technical precision under fatigue. The 1-minute work window forces athletes to complete all movements quickly, leaving minimal recovery. Most average CrossFitters will need to scale weights or reps, and grip/shoulder fatigue will compound across rounds.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High rep ranges across all movements (50+ double-unders, 10 devil presses, 15 burpees, max hang power cleans) test muscular endurance. Cumulative fatigue across four minutes of work per cycle challenges sustained output.
• Speed (8/10): EMOM structure forces athletes to complete work quickly within one-minute windows. Rapid cycling through double-unders, devil presses, and burpees is essential. Minimal transition time between movements maximizes speed demands.
• Endurance (7/10): 16-minute EMOM with continuous work intervals demands sustained cardiovascular output. One-minute rest per round provides partial recovery, maintaining elevated heart rate throughout the entire duration.
• Power (7/10): Double-unders, burpees over barbell, and hang power cleans are inherently explosive movements. The EMOM format encourages quick cycling and rapid rep completion within each minute window, emphasizing power output.
• Strength (6/10): Devil presses and hang power cleans at moderate loads (27.5/20kg and 70/50kg) require force production. However, EMOM format with one-minute windows limits true max-effort strength testing compared to dedicated strength work.
• Flexibility (5/10): Devil presses demand shoulder mobility and overhead range. Burpees require hip and ankle mobility. Hang power cleans need ankle and hip flexibility. Moderate but consistent mobility demands throughout.

Movements

• Single-Under
• Hang Power Clean
• Double-Under
• Burpee Over Bar

Scaling Options

Double-Unders: Scale to 50-30 DUs based on consistency, or 100 single-unders if DUs are still being developed. For athletes with some DU skill, 30 unbroken is a great middle ground. Devil Press: Reduce to 20/15kg if 27.5/20kg prevents completion within the minute. The movement should be challenging but not a grind every round. Burpees: Scale to 12 reps if 15 burpees leaves no time for cleans — the max-rep cleans are the stimulus here, so protect that. Hang Power Clean: Reduce to 60/40kg or 50/35kg if the Rx load limits you to fewer than 3 reps. Athletes newer to the movement should prioritize mechanics over load — drop to a weight where they can cycle 5+ reps confidently.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot complete the double-unders in under 45 seconds, finish the Devil Press with at least 10 seconds to spare, or get at least 3 reps on the Hang Power Clean after burpees. The rest minute (Minute D) is your buffer — if you're still working into it, the loads or reps are too high. Technique always takes priority, especially on the Devil Press and Hang Power Clean where fatigue-driven form breakdown increases injury risk. The goal is consistent output across all 4 rounds — if round 1 feels easy and round 4 is survival mode, you went too heavy or too fast early. Intensity is the goal, but repeatable intensity is the standard.

Intended Stimulus

This 16-minute EMOM delivers a moderate-to-high intensity cyclical effort with a built-in recovery minute every 4th minute. The goal is to accumulate quality work across skill, strength, and conditioning in short, sharp bursts. Each minute should feel like a controlled sprint — hard enough to push output, but manageable enough to repeat across 4 full rounds. The primary challenges are the skill demand of unbroken double-unders, the grip and shoulder endurance of the Devil Press, and the mental toughness of hitting burpees then immediately transitioning to max-rep Hang Power Cleans. Expect your lungs and grip to be the limiting factors.

Coach Insight

Minute A (Double-Unders): Prioritize unbroken from the start — if you trip, reset fast and stay calm. Aim to finish in under 35 seconds to give yourself a brief rest before the next minute. Relax your shoulders and use wrist flicks, not big arm swings. Minute B (Devil Press): Pace this one — 10 reps at 27.5/20kg is significant. Consider breaking into 5+5 or 6+4 if needed, especially in rounds 3 and 4. Keep the dumbbell close on the snatch portion and lock out overhead before lowering. Avoid rushing the floor-to-overhead transition — that's where form breaks down. Minute C (Burpees + Hang Power Cleans): Move through burpees at a steady, sustainable pace — don't sprint them or you'll have nothing left for the cleans. The max-rep Hang Power Cleans are your score, so protect that. Use a hook grip, stay connected at the hip, and cycle touch-and-go if possible. Aim for at least 3-5 reps on the bar each round. Common mistakes: going too fast on burpees and dying on the bar, breaking double-unders mentally after one trip, and letting the Devil Press become a slow grind that bleeds into the next minute.

Benchmark Notes

The score is max reps on the Hang Power Clean in minute C across all 4 rounds (16 min EMOM = 4 cycles). The primary limiters are the 70kg barbell cycling under fatigue after 15 burpees and the ability to complete the DU and Devil Press within the minute. L5 athletes complete all movements unbroken and accumulate ~6 HPC reps per round on average.

Modality Profile

Double-Under, Single-Under, and Burpee Over Bar are gymnastics movements (bodyweight coordination skills). Alternating Dumbbell Devil Press and Hang Power Clean are weightlifting movements (external load). 3 gymnastics out of 5 total movements = 60%. 2 weightlifting out of 5 total movements = 40%.