Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

The 1:3 work-to-rest ratio provides excellent recovery between rounds, preventing significant fatigue accumulation. DB snatches at 50/35 are moderate weight with only 4 reps, and ladder sprints are brief bursts. While 7 rounds seems high, the generous rest allows athletes to maintain intensity throughout. The combination creates a challenging but manageable power/speed workout that most CrossFitters can complete as prescribed.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <12:00
• Advanced: 14:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
• Beginner: >30:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (8/10): DB snatches are explosive hip-driven movements, and ladder sprints require maximum speed and power output each round.
• Endurance (7/10): Seven rounds with ladder sprints and 1:3 rest ratio creates significant cardiovascular demand, though rest periods prevent pure aerobic stress.
• Speed (7/10): Sprint intervals with increasing distances emphasize speed development, while transitions between snatches and sprints require quick cycling.
• Stamina (6/10): Multiple rounds of DB snatches combined with progressive sprint distances will challenge muscular endurance, especially grip and posterior chain.
• Flexibility (6/10): DB snatches demand good overhead mobility, hip hinge mechanics, and full-body coordination through complete range of motion.
• Strength (4/10): 50/35lb dumbbells require moderate strength for snatches, but not maximal loading given the repetitive nature and cardio component.

Movements

• Dumbbell Snatch
• Sprint

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 7 rounds of 4 alternating DB snatches (50/35 lb) followed by ladder sprints (10-20-30-40 yards) with 1:3 work-to-rest ratio. Movement breakdown: DB snatches at 50/35 lb take approximately 2.5-3 seconds per rep when fresh, so 4 reps = 10-12 seconds. The ladder sprint pattern (10+20+30+40 = 100 yards total) takes approximately 15-20 seconds for recreational athletes, 12-15 seconds for intermediate, and 10-12 seconds for elite. Total work per round: 22-32 seconds. With 1:3 rest ratio, each complete cycle (work + rest) = 88-128 seconds. Over 7 rounds, this gives us 616-896 seconds of total time. However, fatigue accumulates significantly in sprint-based workouts. Rounds 1-2 maintain baseline pace (1.0x), rounds 3-4 slow by 10-15% (1.1-1.15x), rounds 5-6 slow by 20-25% (1.2-1.25x), and round 7 slows by 30-40% (1.3-1.4x). The DB snatches become more challenging as grip and shoulders fatigue, while sprint times degrade due to lactate accumulation. Elite athletes can maintain better pacing consistency and recover more efficiently during rest periods. This workout is most similar to interval-based conditioning with mixed modal elements. Final targets: L10 (elite): 12:00, L5 (average): 20:00, L1 (beginner): 30:00.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Dumbbell Snatch (weightlifting with external load) and Sprint (monostructural cardio). Equal 50/50 split between Weightlifting and Monostructural modalities.