Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 13 minutes of:
55 deadlifts
55 wall-ball shots
55-calorie row
55 handstand push-ups
Men deadlift 225 lb. and throw 20-lb. ball to 10-ft. target
Women deadlift 155 lb. and throw 14-lb. ball to 9-ft. target
Ladies and gentlemen, we have chipper! As with all chipper style workouts, the pacing will be paramount to your success. It’s all about riding that fine line of reps to minimise rest and maximise work output, without burning out or losing too much time! 55 reps is a weird number. It’s a number that is in that zone where it’s just slightly out of reach to slam right through, but low enough that you really need to keep moving in reasonably large sets to keep up a good pace. So let’s break it down.
55 Deadlifts
The weight is moderately heavy - but not unachievable for most. The key is hitting manageable sets for your capability with short, sharp rest breaks. A strategy that I personally like to use is to take 1 or 2 big relaxing breaths during each 'rest',
55 Wall balls
You can afford to push a little harder here, think about going for slightly longer sets without fully blowing a gasket. You won't have as much muscle fatigue on the wall balls as some of the other movements in the workout, it is likely your conditioning that will be the limiting factor for most. Push the limits a bit here, but still make sure to keep the rest short when you break. As before, keep it to 1-2 big deep breaths.
55 Calorie row
This is your chance to pull everything back in and recover a little. Yes, it will still be hard work but it is low impact on your joints and reasonable in power output. If you pushed a little harder on the wall balls, use this as an opportunity to get your breathing and heart rate back in check and set up for the handstand push ups (HSPU). The aim of this portion is to get yourself into a groove and set a steady pace. Keep in the back of your mind that the tie break is set at the end of the row - so if you know ahead of time that the handstand push ups are going to be a struggle, it might be worth sprinting in the last few calories of the row.
55 HSPU
This is where the field is going to be separated out. The individual measurement standards are back and good athlete-judge communication is going to be the key. Make sure you have an understanding with your judge beforehand of how they will communicate reps and no reps to you. No reps will be a killer here, particularly as you become more fatigued further into the reps. Make sure you lock right out, dorsi flex those toes and squeeze you butt at the top to maximise your length and increase likelihood of success.
Good luck and remember – there's only one to go after this!
What do you think the final workout will be? My bet is on thrusters……….but who knows what the one Dave Castro has in store for us!