Workout of the Day — No. 7

Warm-up: 3 rounds, easy pace, of 200m row, 10 wall balls, and 10 walking lunges. Add a shoulder pass-through set before the barbell leaves the rack.

Skill: 15 minutes of handstand practice. Freestanding for the brave, wall walks and box handstands for everyone else. Falling is part of the curriculum; landing on your feet is optional and celebrated.

Metcon: 21-15-9 of deadlifts (225/155) and hand release push-ups, capped at 12 minutes. The deadlift weight should let you move in steady singles by round two. Push-up scales on the knee are respectable and effective.

Cash-out: 60 seconds of couch stretch per leg. Tomorrow is a rest day, and the board remembers who finished. Post scores, wipe your bar, and be nice to the new member who just survived their first metcon.

Coaching notes: deadlifts in a metcon are about positions, not pride. Set the hinge every rep, drag the bar up the thighs, and drop the hands before the back rounds. Hand release push-ups punish sloppy planks, squeeze everything and move with purpose. If your hips shoot up first on the deadlift, the weight is too heavy for today, and that is a scaling decision, not a character flaw.

Scaling guide: deadlifts at 155/105 for newer members, or 135/95 for anyone whose back is talking after yesterday's squats. Push-ups from knees are a full-prescription scale. The 12-minute cap exists for a reason, athletes who finish early did the math wrong, and we will discuss the math kindly.

Why this pairing works: pulling from the floor and pushing away from the floor alternate the demand, so your grip recovers while your chest burns. Expect the last nine to feel like the whole workout. Log your time, roll the forearms, and sign up for tomorrow before the excuses finish loading.