This Steph Chung WOD Will Kill You in 3 Moves

By Jenessa Connor

Designed by LADDER athlete and CrossFit competitor Steph Chung, this WOD has everything you'd expect from a high-intensity, full-body, functional workout.

First, there's the cardio element, which kicks off with a brutal 10 to 12 calories on the Echo bike. Within seconds of pedaling, pushing, and pulling, your heart rate will rise and stay elevated as you move on to the following two exercises, transitioning from one move to the next without rest. Remember — this WOD is for time, so the goal is to move and transition as quickly as possible.

The lateral dumbbell box step-overs target the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves while increasing stability in the hips, ankles, and knees and building grip strength. After 12 heavy reps (pick a weight that challenges you without compromising your form), the circuit concludes with a 50-foot handstand walk — the ultimate test of upper-body strength and balance. If handstand walks aren't in your wheelhouse, you can modify them with wall walks, which will light up your abs and set your shoulders on fire.

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The Steph Chung WOD

Perform the following exercises back to back without rest, resting one minute between rounds. Complete three rounds for time:

• 10 (women)/12 (men) calories on the Echo bike
• 12 lateral dumbbell box step-overs
• 50-foot handstand walk or 3 wall walks

1. Echo bike for calories

• Adjust the seat to hip height and move it forward or backward so that you only have to lean forward 10 to 15 degrees to move the handles through their full range of motion. (Neither your knees nor your elbows should ever be fully extended or “locked out.")
• As you pedal the bike, use equal effort to push and pull the handles.
• Maintain proper form throughout all three rounds. Engage your core and keep your head and chest up. Do not allow your elbows to flare; keep them tucked close to your torso and focus on driving the handles directly forward and back.
• Continue to pedal, push, and pull until you've accumulated 10-12 calories.

2. Lateral dumbbell box step-overs

• Stand to the right of a box at or around knee height holding a pair of heavy dumbbells at your sides (choose a challenging weight that still allows you to perform all 12 reps with good form).
• Place your left foot on the center of the box. Keeping your chest up, shoulders back, and core engaged, push through your left foot, straightening your left leg and placing your right foot next to your left so that you're standing on the box.
• Now step off the box to your left, initiating the movement with your left leg. That's one rep.
• Repeat, this time traveling over the box to your right, starting with your right leg. Continue traveling back and forth over the box for 12 reps.

3a. 50-foot handstand walk

• From a standing position, bend at your waist and place your palms on the ground a little more than shoulder-width apart.
• Kick up to a handstand: shift your body weight forward, brace your core, and lift your legs overhead one at a time. Keep your knees extended and toes pointed.
• Maintain a neutral spine as you push up through your shoulders.
• Shift your weight to your left side and walk your right hand forward. Then, immediately shift your weight to your right side and walk your left hand forward.
• Continue to alternate hands, “walking" forward for a total of 50 feet.

3b. Handstand walk alternative: Wall walk

• Facing away from a wall, start in a high plank position with your feet touching the wall — arms straight, shoulders stacked over elbows and wrists, core engaged, back flat, body straight from head to heels.
• One at a time, lift your legs and place your toes on the wall. Keep your arms extended, core braced, and spine neutral.
• Slowly walk your hands toward the wall as you walk your feet up the wall. Continue until you're in a handstand position with your thighs and chest as close to the wall as possible.
• Reverse the movement, walking your hands away from the wall as you step your feet down to return to a plank position. That's one rep. Complete 3 total.