Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

High-skill handstand walking (450 ft total) paired with ascending heavy squat cleans under fatigue makes this a Very Hard test. The barbell reaches loads that are near 80–90% of many athletes’ 1RM, demanding confident singles with minimal misses. Gymnastics skill, shoulder stamina, and barbell strength must all be present to finish under cap.

Benchmark Times for Regionals 15.6

• Elite: <9:00
• Advanced: 10:00-11:00
• Intermediate: 12:00-13:00
• Beginner: >16:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (8/10): Each clean requires explosive hip extension and speed under the bar to stand heavy loads. Efficient bar speed saves energy and minimizes time lost to grindy or failed lifts.
• Strength (8/10): Ascending heavy squat cleans demand significant absolute strength. Many athletes approach a high percentage of 1RM, making the ability to hit confident, repeatable singles a primary separator.
• Stamina (6/10): Shoulder and midline stamina are challenged by repeated handstand walk kick-ups, while legs and posterior chain handle repeated heavy clean singles. Volume is modest but sustained under fatigue and pressure.
• Flexibility (5/10): Front rack and deep squat positions plus overhead shoulder positioning for handstands require solid mobility. Limitations in wrists, shoulders, hips, or ankles can stall progress on both movements.
• Speed (5/10): Heavy singles and handstand walk resets limit pure cycling speed. Time is won with efficient setups, crisp singles, quick kick-ups, and minimizing transition downtime rather than sprinting movements.
• Endurance (4/10): A short-to-mid time domain with intermittent high-skill efforts. Breathing management matters between cleans and handstand walks, but aerobic capacity is secondary to strength and skill in determining outcome.

Scaling Options

Scale to: Reduce each HSW to 100 ft (or 150 ft bear crawl) • Lower barbell ladder to 155/105, 185/125, 205/135 • Cut clean reps to 7-7-7 while keeping the 16-minute cap

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the couplet’s heavy-lift plus high-skill intent while adjusting skill demand, load, or volume to keep athletes moving and finish near the intended time domain.

Intended Stimulus

A high-tension grind with deliberate pacing. Handstand walks should feel steady and controlled, not frantic. The cleans should be mostly confident singles with short, disciplined rest. Expect a rising heart rate and shoulders/legs fatigue as loads increase, with time won by avoiding misses and staying composed under heavy breathing.

Coach Insight

Open smooth: controlled first walk, then crisp singles at 205 with 5–8 second resets. Keep breathing in the rack and step back quickly. One tip: identical setup every rep—feet, grip, brace—so the bar moves the same path under fatigue. Avoid sprinting the walks, resting too long before 225/245, and forcing missed cleans. Misses are costly.

Benchmark Notes

Levels range from time-capped finishes to elite sub-9-minute efforts. They assume 25-ft segments for the handstand walk and controlled singles on the heavier cleans. Pick the tier that matches your current ability to guide pacing and scaling, aiming to keep moving with minimal failed reps and efficient transitions.

Modality Profile

A two-movement couplet balancing advanced gymnastics (handstand walk) and heavy weightlifting (squat clean). There is no monostructural element. Most athletes spend slightly more time on the barbell—especially at the heavier loads—while handstand walk segments tax shoulders and midline and set the pace between lifting bouts.

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