Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout combines high-skill handstand push-ups with moderate-heavy kettlebell swings and high-volume burpees in a continuous 21-15-9 format. The HSPU will be the primary limiting factor for most athletes, requiring significant scaling. The descending rep scheme provides some relief, but the combination of upper body pressing under fatigue from burpees, plus the skill demands of inverted movement, creates substantial difficulty for the average CrossFitter.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• 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 volume of handstand push-ups and burpees will severely test upper body muscular endurance, while kettlebell swings challenge posterior chain stamina.
• Endurance (7/10): The 21-15-9 format with three demanding movements creates significant cardiovascular stress, requiring sustained aerobic output throughout the workout.
• Flexibility (7/10): Handstand push-ups require excellent shoulder mobility and thoracic extension, while burpees demand hip and ankle flexibility for efficient movement.
• Strength (6/10): Handstand push-ups require significant pressing strength, kettlebell swings demand hip drive power, creating moderate to high strength demands.
• Speed (6/10): The descending rep scheme encourages fast transitions and quick movement cycling, especially important as fatigue accumulates through rounds.
• Power (5/10): Kettlebell swings are explosive hip extension movements, while burpees require some power output, balanced against grinding handstand push-ups.

Movements

• Kettlebell Swing
• Burpee
• Handstand Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This is a 21-15-9 triplet with handstand push-ups, kettlebell swings (70/53), and burpees - totaling 45 reps per movement (135 total reps). I'll use Fran as the primary anchor since it shares the same 21-15-9 rep scheme, then adjust for movement differences. Fran anchor times: L10: 120-140 sec, L5: 320-360 sec, L1: 540-660 sec Movement-by-movement breakdown: Handstand Push-Ups (45 total): In a complex WOD, HSPUs take 8-12 sec each when fresh. Round 1 (21 reps): 21 × 10 sec = 210 sec base, broken into sets of 7-7-7 with 8 sec rests = 226 sec. Round 2 (15 reps): 1.2x fatigue, sets of 5-5-5 with longer rests = 216 sec. Round 3 (9 reps): 1.4x fatigue, sets of 3-3-3 = 151 sec. Total HSPU time: ~593 sec. Kettlebell Swings (45 total at 70/53): Each swing takes 1.5-2 sec. Round 1: 21 × 1.7 sec = 36 sec. Round 2: 15 × 1.8 sec = 27 sec. Round 3: 9 × 2 sec = 18 sec. Total KBS time: ~81 sec. Burpees (45 total): Each burpee takes 3-4 sec. Round 1: 21 × 3.5 sec = 74 sec. Round 2: 15 × 3.8 sec = 57 sec. Round 3: 9 × 4.2 sec = 38 sec. Total burpee time: ~169 sec. Transitions: 6 transitions at 5-8 sec each = ~40 sec. Total time estimate: 593 + 81 + 169 + 40 = 883 sec for intermediate athletes. Comparing to Fran: This workout is significantly harder due to HSPUs being much more demanding than pull-ups, especially in high volume. While Fran's L5 is 320-360 sec, this workout's L5 should be around 420 sec (17% slower due to HSPU difficulty). The L10 time should be around 240 sec (vs Fran's 120-140 sec), and L1 should be around 720 sec. Final targets: L10: 240 sec, L5: 420 sec, L1: 720 sec

Modality Profile

2 out of 3 movements are gymnastics (Handstand Push-Up, Burpee) and 1 is weightlifting (Kettlebell Swing). This gives approximately 67% gymnastics and 33% weightlifting.