Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

13 rounds creates significant cumulative fatigue. The Devil's Press (a burpee + dumbbell snatch) at 2x45lb is demanding on its own, and immediately flowing into 6 thrusters at the same load compounds shoulder and grip fatigue. Double-unders add a skill/coordination tax when already gassed. The limiting factors stack: shoulder endurance, grip, and lungs all hit simultaneously across 13 rounds, pushing this firmly into Hard territory.

Benchmark Times for Officer Sicknick

• Elite: <8:15
• Advanced: 9:40-11:15
• Intermediate: 13:00-15:00
• Beginner: >28:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High cumulative volume — 13 devil's presses, 78 thrusters, and 273 double-unders — taxes muscular endurance across the entire body, especially shoulders, legs, and grip over repeated rounds.
• Endurance (7/10): 13 rounds of continuous dumbbell work and double-unders creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The combination of full-body movements and jump rope keeps heart rate elevated throughout the workout.
• Power (7/10): Devil's press is inherently explosive, requiring a powerful hip extension to swing dumbbells overhead. Thrusters also demand a drive from the squat to press, making power a primary demand.
• Speed (6/10): For-time format incentivizes fast transitions and efficient cycling. Double-unders reward rhythm and speed, while managing fatigue across 13 rounds requires smart pacing rather than all-out sprinting.
• Strength (5/10): 2x45 lb dumbbells represent moderate loading for thrusters and devil's presses. Not maximal strength work, but heavy enough to challenge force production across 13 rounds of compound movements.
• Flexibility (5/10): Devil's press requires overhead lockout and hip hinge mobility; thrusters demand thoracic extension and squat depth. Moderate mobility requirements throughout, particularly in shoulders and hips.

Movements

• Dumbbell Thruster
• Devil Press
• Double-Under

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce dumbbells to 2x35 lb for intermediate athletes or 2x25 lb for newer athletes. The devil's press is the limiting factor — if you can't perform it with control and a strong hip drive, drop the weight. Movement substitutions: Replace devil's press with a single-arm alternating dumbbell devil's press at lighter load, or sub a dumbbell burpee deadlift for athletes still building the movement pattern. Replace double-unders with 42 single-unders or 15 attempts at double-unders (skill practice). Volume: Reduce to 10 rounds if 13 rounds feels unmanageable, or cut thrusters to 4 reps per round. Rounds can also be reduced to 8 for athletes newer to high-volume dumbbell work.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the weight if you cannot complete 6 thrusters unbroken at Rx load in a fresh state, or if your devil's press takes longer than 20-25 seconds per rep. The goal is to keep moving — if you're standing over the dumbbells for 30+ seconds between reps, the load is too heavy. Prioritize movement quality over Rx weight: a sloppy devil's press with heavy dumbbells is a shoulder and lower back injury waiting to happen across 13 rounds. Target completion time is 18-28 minutes — if you're projected to go beyond 30 minutes, reduce rounds or weight. Athletes who are still developing double-under consistency should sub single-unders to avoid burning 2-3 minutes per round on missed reps, which kills the intended conditioning stimulus.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long grind lasting roughly 18-30 minutes depending on fitness level. The combination of 13 rounds creates a relentless cyclical demand that taxes your shoulders, legs, and lungs simultaneously. The devil's press serves as a full-body power reset each round, the thrusters hammer your legs and overhead strength, and the double-unders provide a brief but skill-dependent recovery window. Expect a hard sustained effort — this is not a sprint, but you should never feel fully comfortable. The primary challenge is mental and conditioning-based: managing fatigue across 13 identical rounds without letting the devil's press or thrusters degrade into ugly, slow reps.

Coach Insight

Treat rounds 1-4 as a warm-up — resist the urge to go out hot. Your pace in round 5 should feel like your pace in round 13. For the devil's press, lock in a consistent rhythm: hinge, push-up, row, swing, press — don't rush the burpee portion or you'll gas your shoulders early. On the thrusters, 6 reps is very manageable unbroken, but if the weight feels heavy by round 7, break them 4-2 rather than grinding ugly singles. Double-unders are your active recovery — breathe here, stay relaxed in the shoulders, and use a consistent cadence. Common mistakes: going unbroken on thrusters in early rounds and dying by round 8, rushing the devil's press and losing hip drive, and tensing up on double-unders causing trip-ups. Keep transitions sharp — the rest between movements should be a breath or two, not a standing break.

Benchmark Notes

13 rounds of 1 devil press and 6 thrusters with two 45-lb dumbbells, then 21 double-unders. L5 (15-17:15) takes about 1:15 a round. L10 (under 8:15) holds about 38 seconds a round.

Modality Profile

Three movements: Devil Press (W - dumbbell movement with external load), Dumbbell Thruster (W - dumbbell movement with external load), Double-Under (G - jump rope bodyweight coordination skill). Two movements are Weightlifting and one is Gymnastics, giving approximately 67% W and 33% G, with no Monostructural component.

Similar Workouts to Officer Sicknick

If you enjoy Officer Sicknick, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Service Cup 25.1 (91% similar) - 21-15-9-9 reps for time: Thrusters Lateral burpees over the bar ♀ 65-lb barbell ♂ 95-lb barbell Ti...
• Joshua H. Reeves (91% similar) - 5 Rounds for Time 9 Toes-to-Bars 22 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches (55/35 lb) 7 Squat Cleans (135/95 ...
• Hoppy (91% similar) - AMRAP in 17 minutes 21 Lateral Bar Burpees 16 Box Jumps (24/20 in) 8 Front Rack Forward Lunges (60/4...
• The 540 (91% similar) - For Time 50 Plate Overhead Lunges (45/25 lb) 40 Pull-Ups 30 Thrusters (95/65 lb) 20 Burpees 10 Squat...
• Blanchard (Sapper) (90% similar) - AMRAP in 15 minutes 3 Ground-to-Overheads (70/50 kg) Then, 3 Rounds of: 5 Pull-Ups 10 Push-Ups 15 A...
• Harrison (90% similar) - AMRAP in 15 minutes 3 Sandbag Hang Cleans (60/40 lb) 3 Sandbag Presses (60/40 lb) 6 Push-Ups 12 Sit-...
• Hero In Life (90% similar) - For Time Buy-In: 26 Back Rack Box Step-Ups (95/65 lb, 24/20 in) Then, 3 Rounds of: 17 Power Cleans ...
• Sgt. Ansari (90% similar) - 4 Rounds for Time 5 Hang Cleans (135/95 lb) 11 Toes-to-Bars 29 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb)...

These WODs similar to Officer Sicknick share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.