Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The strict handstand push-up requirement eliminates many average athletes immediately, as this is a high-skill strength movement. Those who can perform it will face significant shoulder fatigue, making the subsequent max shoulder press challenging despite the light weight. The EMOM format provides minimal recovery (likely 30-45 seconds) between rounds, preventing adequate shoulder recovery. The combination of skill barrier plus cumulative shoulder fatigue over 12 minutes creates a demanding workout.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Strict handstand push-ups and shoulder press create significant upper body muscular endurance demands, especially shoulders and triceps over 12 minutes.
• Strength (7/10): Strict handstand push-ups require high relative strength, while shoulder press with moderate load tests absolute pressing strength capacity.
• Flexibility (6/10): Handstand position demands significant shoulder mobility and thoracic extension, plus overhead positioning for shoulder press requires good range of motion.
• Endurance (4/10): Twelve minutes of continuous work with minimal rest challenges cardiovascular system, though upper body focus limits overall aerobic demand.
• Speed (3/10): EMOM format allows recovery between rounds, emphasizing quality over speed with focus on strict movement standards rather than cycling.
• Power (2/10): Both movements are primarily strength-based with controlled tempos rather than explosive, though some power needed for handstand push-up.

Movements

• Shoulder Press
• Strict Handstand Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This is a 12-minute EMOM with 1 strict handstand push-up per minute, followed by max shoulder press reps at 45/35 lbs. The scoring is total shoulder press reps completed across all 12 rounds. Movement breakdown: Each minute consists of 1 strict HSPU (8-15 seconds for most athletes) plus max shoulder press reps in remaining time (~45-52 seconds). Strict HSPUs are significantly more demanding than kipping, requiring 8-12 seconds per rep including setup and recovery. This leaves approximately 48-52 seconds for shoulder press work per minute. Fresh shoulder press pace at 45/35 lbs: 2-3 seconds per rep for experienced athletes, 3-4 seconds for intermediate. However, strict HSPUs create significant shoulder fatigue that directly impacts pressing capacity. Fatigue progression: Minutes 1-3: minimal impact, ~18-20 reps possible per minute. Minutes 4-6: moderate fatigue, ~15-17 reps per minute. Minutes 7-9: significant fatigue, ~12-15 reps per minute. Minutes 10-12: severe fatigue, ~8-12 reps per minute. The combination of strict overhead pressing followed immediately by more pressing creates a unique fatigue pattern. Elite athletes might maintain 15+ reps per minute early but drop to 10-12 in later rounds. Intermediate athletes start around 12-15 and drop to 6-8. Beginners may struggle with strict HSPUs entirely, potentially scaling to pike push-ups, and manage 8-12 shoulder press reps when fresh, dropping to 4-6 later. Total rep calculation: L10 (elite): 180+ reps (averaging 15 per minute), L5 (average): 120 reps (averaging 10 per minute), L1 (beginner): 60 reps (averaging 5 per minute, potentially with scaled HSPU). No direct benchmark anchor exists for this specific format, but the shoulder press loading and EMOM structure suggests moderate-to-high rep totals with significant fatigue-induced dropoff.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Strict Handstand Push Up (bodyweight/gymnastics) and Shoulder Press (external load/weightlifting). Equal split between gymnastics and weightlifting modalities.