Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines three major limiting factors simultaneously: heavy barbell cycling (155/105 S2OH), high-skill gymnastics (19 HSPUs per round), and high-volume conditioning (29 burpees + 39 double-unders). Over 3 rounds, shoulder fatigue from S2OH directly compromises HSPU performance, creating compounding failure. Total volume is substantial (~270 reps), and the 19 HSPUs mid-round will force most athletes to break repeatedly, extending time significantly. Few average athletes complete this as prescribed.

Benchmark Times for Dennis Devlin

• Elite: <10:00
• Advanced: 12:30-15:30
• Intermediate: 19:00-24:00
• Beginner: >57:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Extremely high muscular endurance demand across shoulders, triceps, and legs. Handstand push-ups and shoulder-to-overheads tax pressing muscles while burpees and double-unders challenge full-body stamina across all three rounds.
• Endurance (7/10): Three rounds of high-rep burpees and double-unders create sustained cardiovascular demand. The continuous nature of 29 burpees and 39 double-unders per round significantly elevates heart rate throughout the workout.
• Speed (7/10): For-time format incentivizes fast cycling on double-unders and burpees. Efficient transitions between four movements per round and maintaining unbroken sets on double-unders are critical to a competitive finish time.
• Power (6/10): Shoulder-to-overhead benefits from explosive hip drive, and double-unders require quick, powerful wrist and calf action. Burpees involve explosive hip extension, creating a moderate power demand throughout the workout.
• Strength (5/10): 155/105 lb shoulder-to-overhead requires meaningful strength, but only 9 reps per round limits maximal strength demand. Handstand push-ups add bodyweight pressing strength requirements alongside the barbell work.
• Flexibility (5/10): Handstand push-ups require shoulder mobility and overhead positioning. Shoulder-to-overhead demands thoracic extension and overhead stability. Burpees require hip flexor flexibility, creating moderate overall mobility demands.

Movements

• Shoulder-to-Overhead
• Burpee
• Handstand Push-Up
• Double-Under

Scaling Options

Shoulder-to-Overhead: Scale to 115/75 lb or 95/65 lb if you cannot complete 9 reps in 1-2 sets when fresh. Handstand Push-Ups: Sub pike push-ups on a box, strict dumbbell press (35/20 lb), or reduce to 10-12 reps Rx if volume is the issue rather than the movement itself. For athletes still developing the skill, use a 2-3 AbMat stack to reduce range of motion. Burpees: Keep these as-is for most athletes — reduce to 20 if total volume is overwhelming. Double-Unders: Sub 78 single-unders (2:1 ratio) or 20 attempts plus 20 single-unders if still learning. Volume scaling: Consider 2 rounds instead of 3 for newer athletes or those with significant pressing limitations.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the shoulder-to-overhead if you cannot complete at least 6-7 reps unbroken when fresh — grinding singles in round 1 will destroy your timeline. Scale HSPUs if you cannot complete 5+ unbroken when fresh; the volume of 57 total reps is significant and will become a bottleneck that kills the intended stimulus. The goal is to keep moving — if you're resting more than 30-45 seconds between sets on any movement, the load or volume is too high. Prioritize intensity and continuous movement over Rx weight. Target completion time is 22-32 minutes for athletes hitting the right stimulus. If you're projected to go over 38-40 minutes, reduce to 2 rounds or scale the HSPU volume significantly. Technique always wins — a broken-down HSPU or sloppy burpee under fatigue is a recipe for injury.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long grind lasting roughly 20-35 minutes for most athletes. The rep scheme — 9-19-29-39 — is deliberately ascending within each round, meaning the workout gets harder as fatigue accumulates. Expect a sustained, hard aerobic effort with repeated bouts of skill and strength work layered on top. The primary challenge is mental and conditioning-based: managing fatigue across three rounds while maintaining movement quality on technical movements like HSPUs and double-unders. The shoulder-to-overhead and handstand push-ups will tax your pressing capacity early, and the burpees and double-unders will keep your heart rate elevated throughout. This is a test of pacing discipline and mental toughness more than raw strength.

Coach Insight

Start conservatively — athletes who go unbroken on the first round of HSPUs almost always pay for it in rounds 2 and 3. On the shoulder-to-overhead at 155/105 lb, treat these as a primer, not a max effort — push press or push jerk to save the shoulders. Break HSPUs early and often: consider 10-9, 10-5-4, or even 7-7-5 from the start rather than grinding to failure. Burpees are your active recovery — find a slow, rhythmic pace you can sustain all 29 reps without stopping; do NOT sprint these. Double-unders should be your reset — breathe, stay relaxed, and avoid wasted energy with sloppy footwork. Common mistakes: going too fast on round 1 HSPUs, sprinting burpees and blowing up, and losing double-under rhythm when fatigued. Transitions matter — move directly from one movement to the next without standing around. In round 3, give everything you have left on the final 39 double-unders.

Benchmark Notes

Three rounds of 9 shoulder-to-overheads at 155/105 lb, 19 handstand push-ups, 29 burpees and 39 double-unders. Handstand push-ups set the pace. L5 (24-30 min) is about 8:30 a round with the push-ups in sets of 2-4 and the overheads as singles. L10 (under 10 min) holds about 3 minutes a round.

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Handstand Push-Up (G), Burpee (G), Double-Under (G) = 3 Gymnastics; Shoulder-to-Overhead (W) = 1 Weightlifting. 3/4 = 75% G, 1/4 = 25% W, 0% M.

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