Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 50/35lb dumbbell thrusters are moderate weight but become challenging in the 21-15-9 descending ladder format with no built-in rest. The shoulder fatigue from thrusters directly interferes with pull-up performance, creating cumulative upper body fatigue. Most average CrossFitters will struggle with unbroken sets, especially the opening 21 reps, and may need to scale the dumbbell weight or pull-up variation to complete within the 9-minute cap.

Benchmark Times for 30:00 - 45:00

• Elite: <3:15
• Advanced: 3:45-4:15
• Intermediate: 4:45-5:15
• Beginner: >9:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of DB thrusters and pull-ups will heavily tax upper body muscular endurance, especially grip and shoulder stamina.
• Endurance (7/10): The 21-15-9 format with a 9-minute cap creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output throughout the descending rep scheme.
• Strength (6/10): 50/35lb DB thrusters require moderate strength output, while pull-ups demand relative strength throughout the high rep ranges.
• Speed (6/10): The 9-minute cap pressures athletes to maintain fast transitions and cycling speed to complete all rounds within time.
• Power (5/10): DB thrusters have an explosive component from the squat drive, though the high rep format reduces pure power emphasis.
• Flexibility (4/10): DB thrusters require overhead mobility and hip flexion, while pull-ups demand shoulder and lat flexibility for full range.

Movements

• Thruster
• Pull-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout is a modified version of the iconic Fran benchmark (21-15-9 Thruster + Pull-Up), with lighter dumbbell thrusters (50/35 vs 95/65 barbell) and a 9-minute time cap. Using Fran as the primary anchor: L10: 120-140 sec, L5: 320-360 sec, L1: 540-660 sec. The lighter loading should make this significantly faster than Fran. Movement breakdown: DB Thrusters (50lb) are roughly 40-50% lighter than barbell thrusters (95lb), allowing for faster cycle times (~1.5-2 sec per rep vs 2-3 sec). Pull-ups remain the same difficulty. Round 1 (21 reps each): DB thrusters 32-42 sec, pull-ups 21-32 sec, transition 3-5 sec = 56-79 sec. Round 2 (15 reps): thrusters 24-32 sec, pull-ups 18-27 sec, transition 3-5 sec = 45-64 sec. Round 3 (9 reps): thrusters 15-20 sec, pull-ups 12-18 sec = 27-38 sec. Total fresh time: 128-181 sec. With fatigue multipliers (1.1x round 2, 1.2x round 3) and set breaking on pull-ups: Elite athletes should complete in 195-225 sec (3:15-3:45), intermediate in 285-315 sec (4:45-5:15), and beginners approaching the 540 sec (9:00) cap. The 9-minute cap affects roughly 15-20% of participants. Final targets - L10: 195 sec, L5: 285 sec, L1: 540 sec.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Pull-Up (Gymnastics - bodyweight) and Thruster (Weightlifting - external load with barbell). Equal split between G and W modalities.