Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This EMOM provides substantial built-in recovery with alternating movements and ~50 seconds rest per round. The 130kg sumo deadlifts are moderately heavy but only 7 reps unbroken, and the 17.5kg dumbbell strict press is light. Minimal movement interference since deadlifts and pressing don't compete for the same limiting factors. The 14-minute duration with alternating work creates manageable fatigue accumulation. Average CrossFitters can complete as prescribed without significant scaling.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (8/10): 130kg sumo deadlifts are heavy loads requiring significant force production. Strict pressing 17.5kg DBs is moderate but demands strength maintenance across 14 minutes.
• Flexibility (5/10): Sumo deadlifts require hip and ankle mobility. Strict pressing demands shoulder and thoracic mobility. Moderate range of motion demands overall.
• Stamina (4/10): Seven reps per movement is moderate volume. Unbroken sets prevent fatigue accumulation, but 14 minutes of repeated efforts challenges muscular endurance moderately.
• Endurance (3/10): EMOM format with 1-minute intervals provides substantial rest between efforts. Minimal sustained cardiovascular demand; heart rate spikes briefly then recovers each minute.
• Power (2/10): Both movements are controlled, grinding efforts without explosive intent. EMOM format eliminates speed requirements; focus is deliberate force application.
• Speed (2/10): EMOM structure provides ample recovery time between sets. No sprint cycling or rapid transitions required; steady, methodical pacing throughout.

Movements

• Sumo Deadlift

Scaling Options

Sumo Deadlift: Scale to 100kg for intermediate athletes or 70-80kg for newer lifters. If sumo mechanics are unfamiliar, substitute conventional deadlifts at the same reduced load or use a trap bar. Reduce reps to 5 per minute if 7 reps cannot be completed unbroken with good form. Double DB Strict Press: Scale to 12.5kg DBs per hand for intermediate, or 10kg for beginners. If shoulder mobility or stability is a limiting factor, substitute a single barbell strict press at 40-50kg or seated DB strict press to reduce core demand. Reduce reps to 5 per minute if needed. Volume modification: Shorten the EMOM to 10 minutes (5 rounds each) if the athlete is newer to EMOMs or managing fatigue from recent training.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the sumo deadlift if you cannot complete 7 unbroken reps at 130kg with a neutral spine and controlled descent — if your back rounds significantly or your hips shoot up on rep 3 or 4, the load is too heavy. Scale the strict press if you find yourself dipping your knees or leaning back excessively to get the DBs overhead — that turns it into a push press and defeats the purpose. The priority here is technique over load: this is a strength-endurance piece, and grinding through ugly reps under fatigue builds bad habits and increases injury risk. The target is to finish each set with 35-40 seconds of rest remaining — if you're consistently finishing with less than 20 seconds to spare, reduce load or reps. Athletes newer to sumo deadlifts should prioritise learning the movement pattern at a lighter load before adding weight.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-duration strength-endurance EMOM lasting 14 minutes, alternating between a heavy lower-body hinge and an upper-body pressing movement. The goal is to accumulate quality reps under load with controlled fatigue — think short burst power repeated every minute. Primary challenge is strength-endurance: can you maintain crisp, unbroken mechanics on both movements as the minutes stack up? Expect the sumo deadlifts to tax your posterior chain and grip, while the strict press will challenge shoulder stability and overhead strength. This is NOT a conditioning sprint — it's a disciplined strength piece where technique must hold across all 7 rounds of each movement.

Coach Insight

The key to this workout is treating every minute like it's the first. For the sumo deadlifts at 130kg, set your stance wide, toes turned out, grip inside the legs, and drive the floor away rather than pulling the bar up. Keep your chest tall and hips low at setup — the biggest mistake here is turning this into a conventional deadlift by letting the hips rise early. Aim to complete all 7 reps in 20-25 seconds, giving yourself 35-40 seconds of rest before the press minute begins. For the double DB strict press at 17.5kg per hand, brace hard through your core and glutes — no layback, no leg drive. Press in a slight arc, finishing with biceps by ears. Complete the 7 reps in 15-20 seconds. Common mistakes: rushing the sumo setup and losing tension off the floor, and using a push-press motion on the DBs when fatigue sets in. Stay strict. If either movement starts to look ugly by minute 10+, that's your body telling you the load is at your limit — respect that signal.

Benchmark Notes

This is a structured EMOM with fixed reps and loads — athletes either complete each minute or they don't. The workout is pass/fail by design: 7 unbroken sumo deadlifts at 130kg and 7 unbroken strict press at 17.5kg DBs each minute, with no variable score to record. Scoring would require tracking failures or scaling, which was not provided.

Modality Profile

Both movements are weightlifting modalities: Sumo Deadlift (barbell external load) and Standing Dumbbell Strict Press (dumbbell external load). 2 weightlifting movements / 2 total movements = 100% W.