Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

While 70% back squats are moderately heavy, the 40-second work cap prevents excessive volume accumulation. The 20-second rest between movements allows partial recovery. Seated DB presses at 50/35 are manageable for most athletes. The 8-round format creates fatigue but the built-in rest periods and capped work windows keep intensity controlled. Most average CrossFitters can complete this as prescribed with appropriate pacing.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (8/10): Back squats at 70% 1RM represent significant strength demand, requiring near-maximal force production for multiple repetitions.
• Stamina (7/10): Repeated 40-second AMRAPs of seated DB press will heavily tax shoulder and tricep muscular endurance over multiple rounds.
• Endurance (4/10): Eight rounds with short work periods and rest intervals creates moderate cardiovascular demand, but rest periods prevent pure aerobic stress.
• Flexibility (3/10): Back squats require adequate ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility; seated DB press needs moderate shoulder range of motion.
• Speed (3/10): Fixed work and rest intervals with heavy loads limit cycling speed; focus is on quality reps rather than rapid transitions.
• Power (2/10): Both movements are primarily strength-based with controlled tempos rather than explosive power development focus.

Movements

• Back Squat
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 8 rounds alternating between back squats at 70% 1RM (40 seconds) and seated piked DB press AMRAP (40 seconds), with 20-second rests between exercises. Since it's scored by total reps, I'm focusing on the AMRAP portion as the back squats at 70% will likely yield consistent, lower rep counts across all athletes. Movement Analysis: - Back Squats at 70% 1RM: At this load, athletes will likely manage 3-6 reps per 40-second window, depending on their strength and conditioning. Elite athletes might hit 5-6 reps consistently, while beginners might manage 2-3 reps. - Seated Piked DB Press (50/35 lb): This is the primary scoring movement. Fresh, an elite athlete might manage 12-15 reps in 40 seconds, intermediate 8-12 reps, and beginners 5-8 reps. Fatigue Progression: - Rounds 1-2: Full capacity on DB press - Rounds 3-4: 10-15% decline due to shoulder fatigue from squats and previous pressing - Rounds 5-6: 20-25% decline as cumulative fatigue sets in - Rounds 7-8: 30-40% decline as athletes hit failure points Calculation per athlete level: - L10 (Elite): 8 rounds × average 12 reps DB press + 8 rounds × 5 reps back squat = 136 reps, but accounting for fatigue: ~35 reps per round average = 280 total reps - L5 (Average): 8 rounds × average 8 reps DB press + 8 rounds × 3.5 reps back squat = 92 reps, with fatigue: ~25 reps per round average = 200 total reps - L1 (Beginner): 8 rounds × average 5 reps DB press + 8 rounds × 2 reps back squat = 56 reps, with fatigue and potential scaling: ~15 reps per round average = 120 total reps No direct anchor matches this format, but the rep ranges and fatigue patterns align with similar high-volume, time-capped workouts. Final targets: L10: 280 reps, L5: 200 reps, L1: 120 reps

Modality Profile

Both Back Squat and Dumbbell Shoulder Press are external load movements using barbells and dumbbells respectively, making this 100% Weightlifting with no Gymnastics or Monostructural components.