Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This ascending ladder (1 through 10) accumulates 55 power cleans at 135# — nearly double Grace — plus 55 KB swings at a heavier-than-standard 62#, combined with repeated overhead carries. Grip becomes the critical limiting factor as cleans and KB swings compound each other. By rounds 7-10, athletes face heavy barbell cycling and hip-hinge fatigue before stabilizing overhead, making later rounds significantly harder than they appear on paper.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (8/10): Power cleans are the textbook explosive movement, and 62# KB swings demand aggressive hip extension. Both primary movements rely on rapid force production across all 10 ascending rounds.
• Stamina (7/10): Cumulative grip, posterior chain, and shoulder fatigue across 10 ascending rounds — 55 power cleans, 55 KB swings, and repeated overhead carries — demands significant muscular endurance throughout.
• Strength (6/10): Power cleans at 135# and KB swings at 62# require meaningful force production, especially in later higher-rep rounds. Not maximal effort, but loads are substantial and fatigue compounds demands.
• Endurance (5/10): The ascending ladder with 500m total OH carries and 55 reps each of power cleans and KB swings creates sustained cardiovascular demand, but heavy loads prevent pure aerobic expression throughout.
• Flexibility (5/10): Power clean mechanics demand hip, ankle, and thoracic mobility. Overhead barbell carry requires shoulder flexibility and thoracic extension under sustained load, exceeding basic movement requirements.
• Speed (4/10): Early rounds reward fast cycling, but heavier cumulative fatigue slows transitions in later rounds. Pacing strategy across the ladder matters more than pure sprint speed.

Movements

• Kettlebell Swing
• Power Clean
• Overhead Carry

Modality Profile

All three movements — Power Clean (barbell), Kettlebell Swing (kettlebell), and Overhead Carry (weighted carry) — involve external load, placing them entirely in the Weightlifting modality. Result: W: 100%.