Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 225/155lb deadlifts are moderately heavy for most athletes, but the continuous ladder format (15-9-6-3) creates significant fatigue accumulation. Chest-to-bar pull-ups require more strength than regular pull-ups, and lateral barbell burpees add metabolic stress while maintaining grip on the barbell. The combination of grip-intensive movements with no built-in rest, plus the moderately heavy deadlift load under fatigue, pushes this into Hard territory for the average CrossFitter.

Benchmark Times for Deadlift, Pull Ups, Burpees (40 - 55)

• Elite: <4:00
• Advanced: 4:40-5:20
• Intermediate: 6:00-7:00
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High-skill pulling movement combined with moderate-heavy deadlifts and burpees will severely test upper body and posterior chain muscular endurance.
• Endurance (7/10): The descending ladder format with three demanding movements creates significant cardiovascular stress, especially as fatigue accumulates through the rounds.
• Strength (6/10): 225/155 deadlifts represent moderate loading that challenges strength while still allowing for multiple reps in a conditioning context.
• Speed (6/10): Fast transitions between three complex movements and efficient cycling become critical as fatigue sets in during the descending rep scheme.
• Power (5/10): Explosive hip extension in deadlifts and burpee jump-overs provide moderate power demands, though grip fatigue may limit expression.
• Flexibility (4/10): Chest-to-bar pull-ups require good shoulder mobility, while lateral burpees demand hip and thoracic spine flexibility for efficient movement.

Movements

• Lateral Burpee Over Bar
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
• Deadlift

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a 15-9-6-3 descending ladder format with chest-to-bar pull-ups, deadlifts at 225/155, and lateral barbell burpees. Total volume: 33 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 33 deadlifts, 33 lateral barbell burpees. Movement analysis: - Chest-to-bar pull-ups: More demanding than regular pull-ups, requiring full chest contact. Fresh rate ~2 sec/rep, but will degrade significantly in later rounds - Deadlifts (225/155): Moderate-heavy load, ~2.5 sec/rep fresh, but grip fatigue from pull-ups will slow these down - Lateral barbell burpees: Complex movement requiring lateral jump over barbell, ~4-5 sec/rep Round-by-round breakdown: Round 1 (15 reps each): Pull-ups 30s, transition 5s, deadlifts 40s, transition 5s, burpees 75s = 155s Round 2 (9 reps each): Pull-ups 22s (grip fatigue), transition 5s, deadlifts 27s (grip compromised), transition 5s, burpees 50s = 109s Round 3 (6 reps each): Pull-ups 18s, transition 5s, deadlifts 20s, transition 5s, burpees 35s = 83s Round 4 (3 reps each): Pull-ups 10s, transition 5s, deadlifts 12s, transition 5s, burpees 20s = 52s Total estimated time for L5 athlete: ~400s (6:40) This workout is similar to Elizabeth (21-15-9 squat clean + ring dip) in structure but with higher volume (33 vs 45 total reps) and different movement patterns. Elizabeth L5 benchmark is 360-420s. Given the additional round and grip-intensive nature of this workout, I'm targeting slightly slower times. Final targets: L10: 240s (4:00), L5: 420s (7:00), L1: 720s (12:00)

Modality Profile

2 of 3 movements are gymnastics (Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up, Lateral Burpee Over Bar) and 1 is weightlifting (Deadlift). This gives approximately 67% gymnastics and 33% weightlifting.