Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines three demanding elements with no built-in rest across 7 rounds. The back squats at 125%/100% bodyweight are heavy loads that will accumulate significant leg fatigue. Double unders require coordination that degrades under fatigue, while handstand push-ups demand upper body strength and skill. The continuous format prevents recovery, creating a brutal combination where each movement interferes with the next, making completion as prescribed challenging for most athletes.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <12:00
• Advanced: 14:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
• Beginner: >30:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of upper body pressing and leg strength endurance across seven rounds will severely tax muscular stamina, particularly shoulders and legs.
• Strength (8/10): Back squats at 125% bodyweight represent a significant strength demand, requiring near-maximal effort especially as fatigue accumulates through seven rounds.
• Endurance (7/10): Seven rounds of continuous work with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially with double unders driving heart rate up between strength movements.
• Flexibility (6/10): Handstand push-ups require excellent shoulder mobility and thoracic extension, while back squats demand good ankle and hip mobility for proper depth.
• Power (6/10): Double unders are explosive and require coordination and power, while handstand push-ups have a power component for pressing out of the bottom position.
• Speed (5/10): Moderate pacing required to maintain quality through seven rounds, with transitions between three distinct movement patterns requiring efficient cycling and setup.

Movements

• Double-Under
• Back Squat
• Handstand Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 7 rounds of 50 double-unders, 5 back squats at 125% bodyweight for males/bodyweight for females, and 7 handstand push-ups. I'll analyze this movement by movement with fatigue considerations. Movement Analysis: - Double-Unders: 0.5 sec per rep when fresh, so 50 DUs = 25 seconds per round initially - Back Squat (125% BW/BW): Heavy loading requiring 3-4 seconds per rep when fresh, so 5 reps = 15-20 seconds per round - Handstand Push-Ups: In complex workouts with heavy squats, these become very challenging. Fresh time 3-4 sec per rep, so 7 reps = 21-28 seconds per round - Transitions: 3-5 seconds between movements per round Round-by-Round Breakdown (Elite Male): Rounds 1-2: (25 + 15 + 21 + 5) × 2 = 132 seconds Rounds 3-4: Apply 1.15x fatigue = (25 + 15 + 21 + 5) × 1.15 × 2 = 152 seconds Rounds 5-6: Apply 1.25x fatigue = (25 + 15 + 21 + 5) × 1.25 × 2 = 165 seconds Round 7: Apply 1.35x fatigue = (25 + 15 + 21 + 5) × 1.35 = 89 seconds Total Elite: ~538 seconds (9:00) However, the combination of heavy back squats with handstand push-ups creates significant interference. The posterior chain fatigue from squats severely impacts HSPU performance, and the overhead demand affects squat recovery. This pushes elite times closer to 12 minutes. Cross-referencing with anchors: This workout is most similar to Elizabeth (21-15-9 squat clean + ring dip) due to the heavy leg work combined with upper body pressing. Elizabeth L10 times are 160-200 seconds for a much shorter workout. Scaling for the additional volume (7 rounds vs 3 descending rounds) and the interference pattern between back squats and HSPUs, I'm estimating 3-4x longer times. Adjusted estimates: L10 (Elite): 720 seconds (12:00) L5 (Average): 1200 seconds (20:00) L1 (Novice): 1800 seconds (30:00) The workout heavily penalizes athletes who cannot maintain handstand push-ups under fatigue, as the back squats will significantly compromise shoulder stability and pressing strength. Final targets - L10: 720s (12:00), L5: 1200s (20:00), L1: 1800s (30:00)

Modality Profile

Double-Under and Handstand Push-Up are gymnastics movements (bodyweight coordination and strength), Back Squat is weightlifting. With 2 gymnastics and 1 weightlifting movement, the breakdown is approximately 67% gymnastics and 33% weightlifting.