Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

9 rounds of 5 Clean-and-Jerks at 155/105 lb totals 45 reps of a technically demanding, full-body movement — comparable to 1.5x Grace. The pull-ups compound grip and lat fatigue directly after barbell cycling. The high round count prevents recovery, forcing athletes to manage broken sets throughout. Most average CrossFitters will struggle significantly with the load sustained across this volume and time domain (estimated 20-30+ minutes).

Benchmark Times for Jeffrey Walz

• Elite: <5:15
• Advanced: 6:15-7:30
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:45
• Beginner: >25:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (8/10): Clean-and-jerks are inherently explosive movements requiring triple extension and rapid bar turnover. Maintaining power output across 45 reps under fatigue is a primary challenge and stimulus of this workout.
• Stamina (7/10): 45 clean-and-jerks and 90 pull-ups accumulate significant muscular endurance demands. Grip fatigue compounds across both movements, and posterior chain and shoulder stamina are heavily taxed through all nine rounds.
• Endurance (6/10): Nine rounds of barbell cycling and pull-ups creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The moderate rep scheme and heavy loading keep heart rate elevated throughout, testing aerobic capacity over an extended effort.
• Strength (6/10): 155/105 lb clean-and-jerks represent a moderately heavy load requiring real strength expression. Not maximal effort, but heavy enough that fatigue-induced strength degradation becomes a limiting factor in later rounds.
• Flexibility (5/10): Clean-and-jerks demand overhead mobility, hip flexibility, and thoracic extension. The catch position in the jerk requires adequate shoulder and ankle mobility, making this a moderate flexibility requirement overall.
• Speed (5/10): For-time format incentivizes efficient bar cycling and quick transitions to pull-ups. Athletes must balance sustainable pacing against the clock, making transition speed and movement efficiency important factors.

Movements

• Clean and Jerk
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce to 115/75 lb (roughly 70-75% of Rx) for athletes who can cycle the barbell but need a more manageable load, or 95/65 lb for developing athletes. Movement substitutions: Sub dumbbell hang clean-and-jerks (50/35 lb) if barbell cycling is a limiting skill. Replace pull-ups with banded pull-ups, ring rows, or jumping pull-ups to maintain the pulling volume. Volume: Reduce to 6 rounds for athletes newer to high-volume barbell work, or drop clean-and-jerks to 3 reps per round while keeping pull-ups at 10. Rep scheme modification: Consider 5 power cleans + 5 push presses as a substitution if the full clean-and-jerk is a skill barrier.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the weight if your 1RM clean-and-jerk is under 200/140 lb — at that point, Rx weight becomes a strength workout rather than a conditioning piece, which kills the intended stimulus. Scale pull-ups if you cannot do at least 5 unbroken — ring rows or banded pull-ups will keep your heart rate up and protect your shoulders from overuse injury across 90 reps. The goal is to finish in 15-25 minutes while keeping rest periods short and intentional. If you're resting more than 60-90 seconds between movements in the early rounds, the load or volume is too high. Prioritize technique on every clean-and-jerk rep — a pressed-out jerk or a rounded-back clean repeated 45 times is a recipe for injury. Intensity is important, but not at the cost of movement quality across this volume.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long effort lasting roughly 15-25 minutes for most athletes. The combination of 45 total clean-and-jerks at a moderately heavy load paired with 90 pull-ups creates a sustained, grinding demand on both strength and conditioning. The primary challenge is managing fatigue across 9 rounds — your grip, posterior chain, and shoulders will be taxed simultaneously. Expect a hard, sustained effort that tests your ability to keep moving when everything wants to slow down. This is not a sprint — it's a mental and physical endurance test disguised as a barbell cycling workout.

Coach Insight

Pace this like a long race, not a short one. The first 3 rounds should feel almost too easy — if you're breathing hard by round 3, you've gone out too fast. For the clean-and-jerks, consider singles from the start if 155/105 lb is near 60-70% of your 1RM or higher. Touch-and-go sets of 2-3 reps are fine early on, but have a plan to break them up by round 5. Use a consistent setup every rep — feet hip-width, strong pull, aggressive hip extension, and a solid receiving position in the jerk. For pull-ups, break them into 5-5 or 6-4 from the start rather than going unbroken early and hitting a wall in round 6. Kip efficiently and avoid muscling reps — your lats and grip are already working hard on the barbell. Common mistakes: going unbroken on both movements in early rounds and dying in rounds 6-9, rushing the jerk and pressing out overhead, and letting the pull-up bar become a rest station instead of moving with purpose. Transitions should be quick — step to the bar, breathe, go.

Benchmark Notes

Nine rounds of 5 clean-and-jerks at 155/105 lb and 10 pull-ups. 155 lb is about 70% of an average athlete's max. L5 (10:45-12:45) takes the lifts as quick singles and needs about 1:15 a round. L10 (under 5:15) touch-and-goes the lifts and goes unbroken on the pull-ups.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Pull-Up (Gymnastics) and Clean and Jerk (Weightlifting). Each modality gets 50%.

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