Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

The EMOM structure provides built-in rest (roughly 30-40 seconds per minute at average pace), preventing true fatigue accumulation. The 115/75 shoulder-to-overhead is moderate and manageable in sets of 13 with recovery. Hand release push-ups are accessible for most athletes. The alternating pattern means upper body pushing muscles get partial recovery each minute. Cumulative fatigue over 13 minutes is real but not overwhelming for an average CrossFitter.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (7/10): Accumulating 91 hand release push-ups and 91 shoulder-to-overheads demands significant upper body muscular endurance. Pressing muscles are taxed repeatedly with minimal recovery, making stamina a primary challenge.
• Endurance (5/10): A 13-minute EMOM creates moderate cardiovascular demand with brief recovery windows each minute. The alternating structure provides partial rest, limiting true aerobic stress but sustaining elevated heart rate throughout.
• Power (5/10): Shoulder-to-overhead can be performed as a push press or push jerk, introducing hip-driven explosive power. The mix of bodyweight pressing and barbell cycling creates a moderate power demand.
• Speed (5/10): Athletes must complete 13 reps within each minute, requiring efficient pacing and quick cycling. Transitions between movements are built into the EMOM structure, rewarding consistent, steady output.
• Strength (4/10): The 115/75 lb shoulder-to-overhead is a moderate load requiring meaningful pressing strength, especially as fatigue accumulates. Not maximal effort, but heavier than pure bodyweight work.
• Flexibility (3/10): Shoulder-to-overhead requires adequate thoracic and shoulder mobility. Hand release push-ups demand basic shoulder range of motion. Neither movement imposes extreme flexibility demands.

Movements

• Shoulder-to-Overhead
• Hand Release Push-Up

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce S2OH to 95/65 lb or 75/55 lb for athletes still building pressing strength. Volume: Drop to 10 reps per movement if 13 reps cannot be completed in under 40 seconds consistently. Movement substitutions: Replace hand release push-ups with knee push-ups or elevated push-ups (hands on a box) to maintain full range of motion with better control. For S2OH, a dumbbell press at moderate load is a solid sub if barbell cycling is a limiting skill. Time: Newer athletes can run this as an EMOM for 10 minutes (5 rounds each) instead of 13 to reduce total volume while preserving the sprint stimulus.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the weight if you cannot complete 8+ unbroken S2OH reps at Rx load with solid mechanics — grinding slow singles defeats the purpose of this workout. Scale the push-up volume or variation if your hips are sagging or you're resting more than 10 seconds mid-set in the first few rounds. The goal is to finish each minute's work with at least 15-20 seconds to spare so you're actually recovering, not just surviving. Prioritize technique over load here — sloppy push-ups and pressed-out jerks under fatigue are injury risks. The intended stimulus is repeatable, quality sprint efforts, not a grind-fest. If you're still working when the next minute starts, that's your sign to scale.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-duration, repeating sprint effort — think short burst power cycling every minute for 13 minutes. The alternating structure gives you built-in active recovery, but the cumulative fatigue is the point. By minutes 9-13, what felt manageable early will demand real focus. The primary challenge is muscular endurance in the pressing muscles — shoulders, triceps, and chest take a beating from both movements — with a secondary conditioning tax as your heart rate climbs and stays elevated throughout.

Coach Insight

The key strategic insight here is that you have roughly 30-40 seconds of work and 20-30 seconds of rest each minute, so the goal is to complete each set of 13 reps in under 35 seconds and use every remaining second to recover. For hand release push-ups, keep a tight plank, fully release hands at the bottom, and drive up explosively — don't let hips sag or pike up. For shoulder-to-overhead at 115/75 lb, choose your movement wisely: if you're fresh, push press is efficient; if shoulders are fading in later rounds, a push jerk saves your press. Avoid the common mistake of going too fast in minutes 1-3 and burning out your shoulders before the back half. Break the S2OH into 7-6 or 8-5 if needed rather than grinding through a slow, ugly set of 13 unbroken. Keep your core braced on every rep of both movements — fatigue will tempt you to arch your lower back.

Benchmark Notes

This is a structured EMOM with fixed rep counts (13 HR push-ups odd minutes, 13 S2OH even minutes) and no scoring mechanism — athletes either complete each interval or they don't. The workout is a compliance/completion challenge, not a scored performance metric.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Hand Release Push-Up is Gymnastics (bodyweight), Shoulder-to-Overhead is Weightlifting (external load/barbell). 1 G + 1 W = 50/50 split.

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