Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 135/95lb power cleans are moderately heavy for most athletes, but the 21-15-9 rep scheme creates significant fatigue accumulation without built-in rest. Following immediately with handstand push-ups - a high-skill movement requiring shoulder strength and stability - while already fatigued from 45 total power cleans makes this challenging. The combination of moderate-heavy barbell cycling transitioning directly to gymnastics under fatigue pushes this into Hard territory for average athletes.

Benchmark Times for BLACK AND BLUE

• 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:

• Power (9/10): Power cleans are explosive by nature, requiring rapid hip extension and bar acceleration. This is primarily a power-dominant workout.
• Stamina (8/10): High volume power cleans (45 total reps) and handstand push-ups will severely test upper body and posterior chain muscular endurance.
• Strength (7/10): 135/95lb power cleans require substantial strength, while handstand push-ups demand significant pressing strength and core stability throughout.
• Speed (7/10): The descending rep scheme encourages fast transitions and quick cycling, especially as fatigue sets in during later rounds.
• Endurance (6/10): The 21-15-9 format with moderate loads creates significant cardiovascular demand as athletes push through declining rep schemes with minimal rest.
• Flexibility (6/10): Power cleans require good hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility, while handstand push-ups demand overhead flexibility and wrist mobility.

Movements

• Power Clean
• Handstand Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout is a 21-15-9 couplet with Power Cleans at 135/95 and Handstand Push-Ups (HSPU). I'll analyze this by comparing to the Elizabeth benchmark (21-15-9 squat clean 135/95 + ring dip) as the closest anchor, then adjust for movement differences. Movement Analysis: - Power Cleans (135/95): Lighter than squat cleans, faster cycle time. Fresh state: 2-3 sec/rep - HSPU: More challenging than ring dips, requiring strict overhead strength and balance. Fresh state: 8-12 sec/rep in complex workouts Round-by-round breakdown for L5 athlete: Round 1 (21 reps each): - 21 Power Cleans: 21 × 2.5 sec = 52.5 sec - Transition: 5 sec - 21 HSPU (sets of 7-5-5-4): 21 × 10 sec + 3 breaks × 8 sec = 234 sec - Round 1 total: ~292 sec Round 2 (15 reps each, 1.15x fatigue): - 15 Power Cleans: 15 × 2.9 sec = 43.5 sec - Transition: 5 sec - 15 HSPU (sets of 5-4-3-3): 15 × 11.5 sec + 3 breaks × 10 sec = 202.5 sec - Round 2 total: ~251 sec Round 3 (9 reps each, 1.3x fatigue): - 9 Power Cleans: 9 × 3.3 sec = 29.7 sec - Transition: 5 sec - 9 HSPU (sets of 3-3-3): 9 × 13 sec + 2 breaks × 12 sec = 141 sec - Round 3 total: ~176 sec Total L5 time: 292 + 251 + 176 = 719 sec (~12:00) Comparing to Elizabeth anchor (L5: 360-420 sec), this workout should be significantly slower due to HSPU being much more challenging than ring dips. The power clean advantage is offset by HSPU difficulty. My calculation of ~720 sec aligns with roughly doubling Elizabeth times due to HSPU complexity. Final targets: - L10: 240 sec (4:00) - L5: 420 sec (7:00) - adjusted down from calculation for elite efficiency - L1: 720 sec (12:00)

Modality Profile

Power Clean is a weightlifting movement with external load (barbell), while Handstand Push-Up is a bodyweight gymnastics movement. With two modalities present, this creates a 50/50 split between Gymnastics and Weightlifting.