Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

The combination of 100 dumbbell thrusters with forced burpees every minute creates a brutal metabolic challenge. While the dumbbells aren't extremely heavy, the volume is significant and the EMOM burpees prevent sustained recovery. Athletes must manage their thruster pace knowing burpees are coming, but going too slow extends total workout time and thus total burpees. This compounding effect makes the workout significantly more challenging than either element alone.

Benchmark Times for Hotel Hell

• 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 (9/10): 100 thrusters plus burpees tests muscular endurance extensively, particularly in shoulders, legs, and core. Volume is high with minimal rest.
• Endurance (8/10): High-volume thrusters combined with burpees every minute creates significant cardiovascular demand. The EMOM structure prevents full recovery and maintains elevated heart rate.
• Speed (7/10): EMOM burpees force quick transitions and maintaining a fast pace on thrusters is crucial to beat the clock.
• Flexibility (6/10): Thruster movement pattern demands good mobility in ankles, hips, and shoulders. Burpees require decent range of motion.
• Power (5/10): Hang clean thrusters have a power component, but fatigue will limit explosive output as volume accumulates.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate dumbbell load requires strength endurance but isn't maximal. The compound movement taxes multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

Movements

• Burpee

Scaling Options

Weight: Scale to 25/15 lb dumbbells or single dumbbell option Movement: Sub dumbbell front squats + strict press if cycling thrusters is limiting Volume: Reduce to 75 or 50 total reps Burpees: Reduce to 3 burpees per minute or extend interval to 90 seconds Time Cap: 25-minute cap for all versions

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 15+ unbroken dumbbell thrusters with suggested weights or if shoulder/core endurance is limiting. Priority is maintaining consistent power output and proper mechanics throughout - dumbbells should move smoothly from shoulders to overhead with minimal pressing from partial squat. Target time domain is 15-25 minutes. Athletes should be able to maintain sets of 5+ reps through the middle portion of the workout. Scale load and volume to achieve this stimulus while preserving movement integrity.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate to long glycolytic workout (15-25 minutes) with significant oxidative component. Primary challenge is maintaining power output and technique under cumulative fatigue. The burpee penalty creates urgency while preventing excessive sprint efforts. Tests muscular endurance in shoulders, core, and legs.

Coach Insight

Break dumbbell thrusters into consistent sets (sets of 10-15 early, dropping to 5-8 late). Rest briefly between sets but keep moving to minimize burpee penalties. Focus on efficient dumbbell rack position - elbows high, dumbbells resting on shoulders. Drive through full hip extension before pressing. Common failure point is rushing early sets then hitting severe forearm fatigue around rep 60. Aim for 3-4 sets per minute to stay ahead of burpee penalty.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to DT (5 rounds of barbell cycling) but with double the reps and lighter load. Base calculation: - 100 DB Hang Clean Thrusters at 2.5-3s/rep fresh = 250-300s base time - Burpees every minute (likely 15-20 burpees total) at 4s each = 60-80s - Fatigue multiplier on thrusters: - Reps 1-25: 1.0x (250-300s) - Reps 26-50: 1.2x (300-360s) - Reps 51-75: 1.4x (350-420s) - Reps 76-100: 1.6x (400-480s) Total work time: 1300-1560s for elite athletes Comparing to DT anchor (360-420s elite male): - This workout has 3.3x the reps (100 vs 30) - But lighter load (~50% of DT weight) - Plus burpee tax every minute - Expect roughly 2x DT times Final targets (M/F): L10: 12:00/15:00 L5: 20:00/23:00 L1: 30:00/35:00

Modality Profile

Burpee is a gymnastics (bodyweight) movement, while Dumbbell Hang Clean Thruster is a weightlifting movement involving external load. With two movements split between G and W modalities, each gets 50%.