Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The barbell is light (45/35 lb), but 100 total overhead squats demand significant shoulder stability, mobility, and quad endurance. The OHS requires constant tension and skill under fatigue, making unbroken sets unlikely after round one. Burpees compound cardiovascular and hip flexor fatigue. The combination of high-rep technical movement plus conditioning work across two rounds creates meaningful accumulation, pushing this into Hard territory for the average athlete.

Benchmark Times for Tarel Coleman

• Elite: <3:55
• Advanced: 4:30-5:10
• Intermediate: 5:55-6:50
• Beginner: >14:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): 100 total overhead squats and 40 burpees demands exceptional muscular endurance in the shoulders, quads, and core. High rep counts with minimal rest create significant muscular fatigue and sustained output requirements.
• Endurance (7/10): Two rounds of 50 overhead squats and 20 burpees creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The combination of full-body movements keeps heart rate elevated throughout, testing aerobic capacity significantly.
• Flexibility (7/10): Overhead squats demand significant shoulder mobility, thoracic extension, ankle dorsiflexion, and hip flexibility. This movement is one of CrossFit's most mobility-demanding exercises, requiring full-body range of motion.
• Speed (5/10): For-time format incentivizes efficient cycling of reps and quick transitions between movements. Athletes must balance sustainable pacing on the overhead squats with faster burpee cycling to minimize total time.
• Power (3/10): Burpees contain a small explosive jump component, but the overall workout is paced for endurance rather than power output. The light overhead squat load does not require explosive force production.
• Strength (2/10): The barbell load is very light (45/35 lb), making this primarily a muscular endurance challenge rather than a strength test. Overhead squat mechanics require stability but not maximal force production.

Movements

• Overhead Squat
• Burpee

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce OHS to 35/25 lb or use a PVC pipe if technique is the limiter. Intermediate athletes can try 65/45 lb if they have solid OHS mechanics. Movement substitution: Replace OHS with front squats or goblet squats if overhead mobility or shoulder stability is a concern — this preserves the squat stimulus. Athletes with significant overhead limitations can sub dumbbell overhead squats at lighter loads. Volume: Reduce to 35 OHS per round or scale to 1 round if conditioning is a major limiter. Burpees can be reduced to 15 per round or substituted with step-back burpees (no jump) for athletes with knee or shoulder issues.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the OHS weight if you cannot perform at least 10 unbroken overhead squats with the Rx load while fresh — technique breakdown under fatigue is a serious injury risk with a bar overhead. Scale to a movement substitution if you lack the shoulder mobility or stability to safely hold a bar overhead in a squat. The goal is to keep moving with quality, not to grind through ugly reps that reinforce bad patterns. Target completion time is 12-20 minutes — if you are projected to go beyond 22-25 minutes, reduce volume or weight to maintain workout intensity. Prioritize technique over load every time with overhead squats: a lighter bar done well is infinitely more valuable than a heavy bar done dangerously.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate time domain effort targeting 12-20 minutes. This workout demands a hard sustained effort combining skill-based barbell cycling with bodyweight conditioning. The primary challenge is skill and mental toughness — overhead squats require constant focus on positioning and midline stability even as fatigue accumulates from burpees. Expect your lungs and legs to be screaming simultaneously, testing your ability to maintain technique under metabolic stress.

Coach Insight

The overhead squat is the limiting factor here — respect it. Start conservative on round one or you will pay dearly in round two. For the 50 OHS, break early and often: consider sets of 10-8-8-8-8-8 or even smaller sets of 5-7 reps with short 10-15 second rests rather than grinding to failure and needing a 2-minute recovery. Keep the bar overhead with active shoulders — punch the bar up and out, keep your chest tall, and drive your knees out at the bottom. A narrow grip is a common mistake; go wide on the snatch grip to create a stable shelf. For burpees, move at a steady, sustainable pace — do not sprint them in round one. A controlled step-back, chest-to-deck, and steady jump-and-clap rhythm will preserve your legs for the OHS. The biggest mistake athletes make is going unbroken on OHS early and then collapsing in round two. Transitions between movements should be immediate — no standing around.

Benchmark Notes

Two rounds of 50 overhead squats with a light 45/35 lb bar and 20 burpees. L5 (6:50-7:55) breaks the squats into sets of 15-25. L10 (under 3:55) goes unbroken.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Burpee is Gymnastics (bodyweight), Overhead Squat is Weightlifting (barbell with external load). 1 G + 1 W = 50/50 split.

Similar Workouts to Tarel Coleman

If you enjoy Tarel Coleman, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Andy Fredericks (87% similar) - For Time 25 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb) 50 Double-Unders 25 Handstand Push-Ups 50 Double-Unders 25 Pu...
• Robert Crawford (86% similar) - For Time 50 Clean-and-Jerks (95/65 lb) 50 Burpees...
• Paul Gill (86% similar) - For Time 54 Deadlifts (95/65 lb) 54 Double-Unders 54 Cleans (95/65 lb) 54 Burpees...
• Joseph Gullickson (86% similar) - For Time 101 Ground-to-Overheads (75/45 lb) 101 Doble-Unders...
• Regionals 14.7 (85% similar) - For time: 50 calorie Row 50 Burpees 50 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb)...
• Open 15.2 (85% similar) - For As Long As Possible From 0:00-3:00 2 rounds of: 10 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb) 10 Chest-to-Bar Pu...
• Lawrence Stack (85% similar) - For Time 50 Thrusters (45/35 lb) 50 Sit-Ups 50 Box Jumps (24/20 in) 50 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg) ...
• Open 14.2 (85% similar) - For As Long As Possible From 0:00-3:00, 2 rounds of: 10 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb) 10 Chest-to-Bar P...

These WODs similar to Tarel Coleman share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.