Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 7-minute AMRAP pairs moderately heavy power snatches (95/65) with high-skill bar muscle-ups every round. Short, continuous time domain leaves little recovery; snatches fatigue shoulders, grip and midline, directly impairing muscle-up efficiency. For the average CrossFitter this creates substantial technical and anaerobic stress—many will need to scale or break frequently. I rate it Hard because skill + load + nonstop pacing are demanding but not extreme.

Movements

• Power Snatch
• Bar Muscle-Up

Scaling Options

Weight reductions: drop load to ~75–80% of Rx (approx. 65–75 lb for men / 45–55 lb for women) or use 50–60% if power snatch technique is still developing. Movement substitutions: replace bar muscle-ups with chest-to-bar pull-ups, banded muscle-ups, jumping muscle-ups, or 3 pull-ups + 3 dips (or ring rows + push-ups) to preserve pulling + pressing demand. For snatch regressions: hang power snatch, high-pull to power position, or single-arm dumbbell/KB power snatches. Volume modifications: reduce per-round reps to 4/2 or 3/1 (e.g., 4 snatches + 2 muscle-ups) or set a cap of total rounds (e.g., 5-minute AMRAP instead of 7). Time adjustments: shorten to 5 minutes for beginners or extend to 8–10 minutes for an extra conditioning challenge while reducing load slightly to preserve quality.

Scaling Explanation

When to scale: scale if you cannot complete the prescribed sets with good technique (e.g., can’t do 5 power snatches unbroken at the selected weight or miss multiple muscle-ups in a row), if your kip/rhythm breaks down, or if grip/shoulder pain appears. Prioritize technique and safety over load — maintain the intended stimulus by preserving power and skill work rather than grinding heavy, sloppy reps. Effort targets/expected output: Rx-skilled athletes should aim for roughly 5–8 full rounds in 7 minutes (RPE ~8–9, finishing sprint in final minute). Intermediate athletes should aim for 4–6 rounds (sustainable hard pace, RPE ~7–8). Scaled athletes should aim for steady work for the full time and leave ~1–2 quality reps in the tank each round (RPE ~6–7) while preserving movement quality.

Intended Stimulus

7-minute AMRAP sits in the high-intensity/moderate sprint time domain (2–10 minutes). Primary energy system demand is glycolytic with short phosphagen contributions on each effort and limited oxidative recovery between rounds. The workout tests power-endurance (ability to produce repeated high-skill, high-power efforts), gymnastics skill under fatigue (bar muscle-ups), and pacing/mental toughness to sustain intensity for ~7 minutes.

Coach Insight

Pacing strategy: Start with controlled intensity — aim to hold a steady pace you can repeat for every round rather than an all-out first round. Expect to push harder in the final 90 seconds. For athletes who can do sets unbroken: plan to go unbroken on 5 snatches and 3 muscle-ups for as many rounds as possible; if not, use small consistent sets (e.g., 3–2 snatch, 2–1 or 1–1–1 muscle-up). Movement and technique cues: Power snatch — use a fast second pull, keep the bar close, extend through the hips, punch under the bar and receive in a quarter squat/power position; breathe and brace between reps. Smooth turnover, quick foot adjustment if needed. Bar muscle-ups — keep a strong, rhythmical kip, cycle hips and chest-to-bar height so the transition is explosive; keep shoulders active through the dip portion. Hand care: quick regrip on the bar, consider finishing last muscle-up with a controlled reset if sloppy. Common mistakes: starting too heavy or too fast, thrashing snatches (losing bar path), attempting muscle-ups when kipping rhythm breaks down, letting grip/forearms fatigue on consecutive rounds. Rep-scheme suggestions: If Rx and skilled — try unbroken rounds until failure. If midway — snatches 3+2, muscle-ups 2+1, or alternate every other round doing singles to keep quality. If weak at muscle-ups — do all snatches first then muscle-ups while breathing between movements to maintain rhythm.