Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 185/120lb power cleans are moderately heavy for most athletes, requiring technical proficiency under fatigue. In a 12-minute AMRAP format with only 12 wall balls between sets, there's minimal recovery time. The continuous nature creates significant cumulative fatigue as athletes must repeatedly cycle heavy barbells with compromised grip and posterior chain. Most will need to scale the weight or break cleans into singles after several rounds.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High-volume wall balls combined with repeated power cleans will heavily tax muscular endurance, especially in the shoulders, legs, and posterior chain throughout 12 minutes.
• Power (8/10): Power cleans are explosive by nature, requiring rapid force development. Wall balls also demand power for the explosive hip drive and overhead throw.
• Endurance (7/10): A 12-minute AMRAP creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output while managing fatigue from heavy power cleans and high-rep wall balls.
• Strength (6/10): Power cleans at 185/120 lbs require substantial strength, though not maximal loads. Wall balls add moderate strength demand for legs and shoulders.
• Speed (6/10): AMRAP format rewards quick transitions and efficient movement cycling. Maintaining pace while managing heavy cleans and high wall ball volume is crucial.
• Flexibility (4/10): Power cleans demand good hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility for proper receiving position. Wall balls require overhead flexibility and deep squat range.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Power Clean

Benchmark Notes

This 12-minute AMRAP combines 3 power cleans at 185/120 with 12 wall balls at 20/14. I'll analyze this by breaking down each movement and applying fatigue over the 12-minute duration. Movement Analysis: - Power Clean (185/120): At this load (~80-85% of typical Grace weight), each rep takes 3-4 seconds for elite athletes, 4-5 seconds for intermediate, and 5-7 seconds for beginners. The 3-rep sets allow minimal rest between reps. - Wall Ball (20/14): Standard weight, 2-3 seconds per rep when fresh, but will degrade significantly due to the heavy cleans preceding them. - Transition time: 3-5 seconds between movements for most athletes. Round Breakdown: Each round = 3 power cleans + 12 wall balls + transitions - Elite (fresh): 3×3.5 + 12×2.5 + 5 = 45.5 seconds per round - Intermediate (fresh): 3×4.5 + 12×3 + 8 = 57.5 seconds per round - Beginner (fresh): 3×6 + 12×3.5 + 12 = 72 seconds per round Fatigue Application: The heavy power cleans will cause significant grip and posterior chain fatigue, dramatically affecting wall ball performance. Wall balls will become increasingly broken up: - Rounds 1-3: Baseline pace - Rounds 4-6: +15-20% time per round - Rounds 7-9: +25-35% time per round - Rounds 10+: +40-50% time per round 12-Minute Projections: - L10 (Elite): 12-13 rounds - Can maintain sub-50 second rounds through round 8, then slow to 60-70 seconds - L5 (Intermediate): 7-8 rounds - Start at 60 seconds, degrade to 90+ seconds by round 6 - L1 (Beginner): 3-4 rounds - Start at 75+ seconds, may need significant rest between rounds This workout has similarities to other heavy barbell + high-rep combinations, but the 185/120 clean weight is quite heavy (heavier than typical metcons), making it more strength-limiting than cardio-limiting for most athletes. Final targets: L10: 11.5+ rounds, L5: 7.5 rounds, L1: 3.5 rounds

Modality Profile

Both Power Clean and Wall Ball are weightlifting movements involving external load, making this 100% weightlifting modality