Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

This workout combines maximal loads (185/120 is near 1RM for many) with touch-and-go requirements and EMOM pacing that prevents adequate recovery. The weight forces most athletes to scale significantly, while those attempting RX face grip/CNS fatigue accumulation with only 40-50 seconds rest. The combination of heavy barbell cycling under time pressure with no opportunity to recover between rounds creates an extremely demanding challenge.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (9/10): Touch-and-go power cleans and power jerks are purely explosive movements requiring maximum power output on every single repetition for ten minutes.
• Strength (8/10): Heavy barbell load at 185/120 pounds requires substantial strength for both the power clean and power jerk components throughout the workout.
• Stamina (7/10): Thirty total reps of complex barbell movements will significantly challenge grip strength and muscular endurance, especially in the posterior chain and shoulders.
• Endurance (6/10): Ten minutes of continuous work with minimal rest between rounds creates moderate cardiovascular demand, though the heavy load limits pure aerobic capacity.
• Flexibility (6/10): Power cleans and jerks demand good ankle, hip, and shoulder mobility for proper receiving positions and overhead stability under fatigue.
• Speed (4/10): EMOM format allows brief rest between rounds, but maintaining consistent cycle time on complex barbell movements becomes increasingly challenging.

Movements

• Power Jerk

Benchmark Notes

This is a 10-minute EMOM with 3 touch-and-go power clean + power jerk at 185/120 lbs. Each minute requires 3 reps, so perfect completion would be 30 total reps. However, this is an extremely demanding workout combining technical Olympic lifting with high intensity under fatigue. The touch-and-go requirement means no rest between the clean and jerk, and the EMOM format provides limited recovery. At 185/120 lbs, this is approximately 80-85% of most athletes' clean & jerk max, making it very challenging to maintain for 10 minutes. Elite athletes might complete 8-10 rounds (24-30 reps) before failing, while intermediate athletes will likely fail around rounds 6-8 (18-24 reps), and beginners may only complete 4-6 rounds (12-18 reps). The combination of heavy loading, technical complexity, and time pressure creates significant performance degradation. This workout is similar to heavy barbell EMOMs but more demanding than typical Grace-style workouts due to the sustained nature and heavier relative loading. Final targets: L10: 30 reps, L5: 24 reps, L1: 12 reps.

Modality Profile

Both Touch And Go Power Clean and Power Jerk are barbell weightlifting movements with external load, making this 100% weightlifting modality