What’s the best weight for wall balls?

Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk

Teen Games WOD
3 Rounds
70 Double Unders (2x Singles)
7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk (185/115#/Heavy)

**10 Min cap**

Compare to Aug.4/15

By Coach Mario

Note: in this post the terms INTENSITY & POWER OUTPUT are equivalent and interchangeable. All data results are for a 190 lbs male, 5’8” tall, with 10’ target.

WB graph

What is the best weight to use to get the most out of your workout? (i.e highest power output or intensity, aka how CrossFit training gets you results). Using a power output calculator found on the Catalyst Athletics website, we calculated power output for wall balls as shown in the 2 graphs above:

Graph #1 – WOD: 150 Wall Balls for time
Graph #2 – WOD: AMRAP 8 minutes of Wall Balls

Both graphs give various power outputs according to completion time (#1) or number of repetitions performed (#2), using 4 different med ball weights. Let’s look at some of the results:

Graph 1:

– For all times, dropping weight by 50% (from 20# to 10#) only drops power output by about 15%. This shows med ball weight does not affect intensity on a 1:1 ratio.

– For power output of 80ft-lbs/sec, finishing just under 9:00 with 20# yields the same intensity as finishing in about 7:30 with 10#. (Which one seems more manageable?)

– Power output augments exponentially the shorter the WOD takes, for all weights used.

Graph 2:

– For all scores, dropping weight by 50% (from 20# to 10#) only drops power output by about 15%.

– For power output of 80ft-lbs/sec, finishing with 110 reps at 20# ball yields the same intensity as 130 reps at 10#. (We can hypothesize that even more reps could be performed with 50% less weight)

– For each specific weight, going from 100 to 150 reps (33%) augments the intensity by about 50%. (This shows the importance of total reps when going for highest intensity)

In conclusion, for maximum intensity with wall balls, you should aim for the weight that will allow you to finish faster or get the most repetitions. This will be more beneficial to your training and will slowly allow you to bump up your wall ball weight in manageable increments. Long breaks during wall balls will drop your intensity fast.

52 thoughts on “What’s the best weight for wall balls?”

  1. Wu and mob and wall ball

    Hang power clean and jerk
    From #95 – 135

    Wod
    3 rounds
    70 du scaled 140 singles
    7 hpc and jerk #115
    Time 6:38

    First day back in 3 weeks felt good to be back but still nursing a few naging issues. Thanks shane for the tips this morning. Good to see everyone again😊

    1. Thanks Jackie i missed you guys at 6am you always put a smile on my face. I hope to start our cool down runs as soon as i feel 100%

  2. HPC + jerk x3
    85-95-105-115-125#

    WOD Rx:
    6:16

    PR of 3:44 + 31 reps
    Last year was 2 rds + 46 DU
    Hang lifts & barbell efficiency have come a long way!

    Thanks Shane

    1. T’was nice to see you this AM. It’s been like a year since I’ve seen you right? Glad you stared working out again! :P. Nice try on the workout… you only murdered it! 😀

  3. Got in for a 6am!!!

    Worked to 95# today with Angela.
    Everything felt heavy today. I hard hopes of doing this at 105# but post bachelorette weekend said No.

    Wod @ 85#
    7:48.

    Du’s felt good. Jerks did not. Nursing a WB hand injury still. OH still hurts. Couldn’t string the C&J together like I’d like to.

    Great class and fun to see everyone! 🙂

  4. Mobility
    WU x 1 + 15 unbroken Wall balls @10#, 10′, 2min skipping
    Group Mobility

    Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk
    55-65-75-85-80#

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    70 Double Unders
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @80#

    Time: 5:59

    Thanks Shane. Good job everyone 🙂

  5. Worked up to 105# for strength – really wanted to keep that weight for the wod…. wasn’t going to happen this morning

    Wod with singles and 95#
    9:17
    I really, really need to stop push pressing, and get under the bar!!!

    Thanks Shane

  6. Mobility
    WU x 1 + 15wall balls @10#, 10′, 2min skipping
    Group Mobility

    Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk
    40, 50, 55, 60 (x2)

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    70 DUs
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @60

    Time: 9:52

    Just squeaked this one in! Thanks for the coaching Shane…some great tips.

  7. WU + Group Mob
    Wod: @ 135 my back has a mind of its own and decided to be a little peppery this AM.
    Time: 8:15

    Sweet Jesus, the mental acuity required for DU in the AM escapes me. I was doing massive sets of 2’s and 3’s at one point. Needless to say, I was frustrated. So much so, I bought a new rope today. 😀 needed something pretty to make myself feel better. 😀

    Thanks Kevin!

  8. Well, that was a good post. I tried reading it before coffee and I couldn’t after the second sentence. Just re-read it and it makes so much sense. #crossfitnerding

    1. It was a great post but I’m a bit of a cynic so all I got was blah-blah-blah “hard work”, blah-blah-blah “wallballs tomorrow”!!
      I hope I’m wrong.

  9. HPC + jerk x3
    75- 85-95-105-115-125#

    WOD
    Scaled:
    140 singles
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @115lbs
    6:40

    PR of 1:33 + 10lbs heavier 🙂

  10. HPC + PJ x 2 to 155#

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    — 70 DU
    — 7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @ 135#
    TIME: 7:59

    Need to focus on dropping lower on my jerk. Much easier when I did not have to push press them.

  11. Hang Power Clean and Jerk x3
    135-155-175-185

    WOD Rx’d
    7:44 (PR from 8:28!)

    DU – 50+20
    HPC+J – 4+3, then 3+2+2

  12. Mob
    WU x1
    15 WB
    2 min skipping

    Group WU & Mob

    Hang Power Clean & Jerk
    55-65-70-75#

    Teen Games WOD 10min cap
    3 Rounds
    140 Single Unders
    7 HPC & J (75#)
    Time: 8.23
    (1.37PR )

  13. Mobility
    WU x 1 + 15 wall balls @10#, 10′, 2min skipping
    Group Mobility

    Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk
    55, 65,75 (x3)

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    140 singles
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @75

    Time: 7:40

  14. Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk (x3)
    45-55-65-70-75lb

    Teen Games WOD
    3 Rounds
    140 singles
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk 75lb

    6:04

    PR of 2:04 and 5lb heavier. 🙂

  15. mob wux1 15 wall ball
    + 2 min skiping
    practice hang clean jerk
    95×3 95×3 105×3 105×3
    teen game WOD
    3 round
    70 DU ( 140 single)
    7 HPC 105#
    time 5:30

  16. Mobility
    WU x 1 + 15 unbroken Wall balls @12#, 10′, 2min skipping
    Group Mobility

    Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk
    75-85-95-105#

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    70 Double Unders
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @95#

    Time: 8:48

    Pr of 1:07

  17. Mob&WU

    Hang Clean &Jerk Build up to WOD weight:
    55-65-75-85

    WOD: “Teen games WOD”

    3Rounds
    – 70 Double unders
    – 7 Hang Clean & Jerk @ 85

    Time: 7:11

    Felt great to WOD again!

    Thanks Marcel!!

  18. HPC Jerk 3reps
    35# – 45# – 55# – 60#(1)

    WOD
    Single unders and 45#
    Time: 9:28

    Last year I used 35#, and had 3 hpc j left at the cap.

  19. HPC + Push Jerks x 7
    35-55-65-75

    WOD: 3 Rounds
    70 DU’s
    7 HPC & Jerks
    Time = 9:48

    Well THAT kicked me in the ass!! I was so gassed. Not sure I ever really recovered today 🙁
    Slept in so caught the 8:30 a.m. class for a change. Nice to see the ladies of 8:30!

  20. Practice: Hang Power Clean & Jerk

    Teen Games Wod
    3 Rounds
    140 singles
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk (55#)
    Somewhere between 8:26-8:29…(book is in the car..)

  21. Did this workout in Fredericton …

    Teen Games WOD
    3 Rounds
    70 Double Unders (scaled to 140 Singles)
    7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk at 65#

    Time: 6:14

  22. HPC + PJ x 2 to 125#

    Teen Games WOD:
    3 Rounds
    — 70 DU
    — 7 Hang Power Clean and Jerk @ 125# 1st then 115# for last 2

    TIME:9:57

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