Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While 5 deadlifts at 225/155 and 5 HSPUs individually are manageable, the combination creates significant challenges. The heavy deadlifts will fatigue the posterior chain and grip, then immediately transitioning to handstand push-ups demands fresh shoulders and core stability. Over 9 rounds (45 total reps each), this creates substantial cumulative fatigue with no built-in rest, making it difficult for average athletes to maintain form and intensity throughout.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of handstand push-ups will severely test shoulder and tricep endurance, while deadlifts challenge posterior chain stamina over multiple rounds.
• Endurance (7/10): Nine rounds of compound movements with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Flexibility (7/10): Handstand push-ups demand excellent shoulder mobility and thoracic extension, while deadlifts require adequate hip and ankle mobility for proper positioning.
• Strength (6/10): Moderate deadlift load (225/155) and bodyweight handstand push-ups require solid strength foundation, though not maximal effort loads.
• Speed (6/10): Efficient transitions between movements and maintaining consistent pace across nine rounds becomes crucial as fatigue accumulates, especially with grip interference.
• Power (3/10): Deadlifts have some explosive component from the floor, but handstand push-ups are more strength-endurance focused with minimal power demands.

Movements

• Deadlift
• Handstand Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 9 rounds of 5 handstand push-ups and 5 deadlifts at 225/155 lbs. I'll analyze this movement by movement with fatigue considerations. Movement Analysis: - Handstand Push-Ups: In fresh state, elite athletes can perform these at 2-3 sec per rep, but in a complex workout with 9 rounds, this increases to 3-4 sec per rep due to shoulder fatigue and setup time - Deadlifts (225/155): At this moderate-heavy load, expect 2-3 sec per rep in fresh state Round-by-Round Breakdown: Rounds 1-2 (1.0x multiplier): - 5 HSPU: 15-20 sec - 5 Deadlifts: 10-15 sec - Transition: 3-5 sec - Total per round: 28-40 sec Rounds 3-4 (1.1-1.2x multiplier): - Shoulder fatigue increases HSPU time significantly - Per round: 35-48 sec Rounds 5-6 (1.2-1.3x multiplier): - HSPU become very challenging, may require singles - Per round: 42-55 sec Rounds 7-9 (1.3-1.5x multiplier): - HSPU likely broken into singles with rest - Deadlifts still manageable but slower - Per round: 50-70 sec Total Time Calculation: - Elite (L10): 2 rounds @ 30 sec + 2 rounds @ 40 sec + 2 rounds @ 45 sec + 3 rounds @ 55 sec = 360 sec (6:00) - Advanced (L5): 2 rounds @ 40 sec + 2 rounds @ 55 sec + 2 rounds @ 65 sec + 3 rounds @ 80 sec = 600 sec (10:00) - Novice (L1): 2 rounds @ 60 sec + 2 rounds @ 90 sec + 2 rounds @ 120 sec + 3 rounds @ 150 sec = 1080 sec (18:00) This workout is similar to other gymnastics-heavy workouts but the handstand push-up volume (45 total reps) combined with deadlifts creates significant shoulder and posterior chain fatigue. The progression from 6 minutes for elite to 18 minutes for novice reflects the dramatic impact of HSPU scaling and fatigue. Final targets: L10: 360 sec (6:00), L5: 600 sec (10:00), L1: 1080 sec (18:00)

Modality Profile

Two movements: Handstand Push-Up (bodyweight/gymnastics) and Deadlift (barbell/weightlifting). Equal split between gymnastics and weightlifting modalities.