The library had been sealed for two hundred years. You can see why as the shelves rearrange themselves when you’re not looking, the candles burn in colors magical in creation, and the indexed card catalog flies through the room like butterflies.

The tome you need is here. Somewhere. Between the howling flickering dark and the sound of something large trudging through the aisles.

Find it before it finds you.

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The Quest

4 Rounds For Time

Complete all 4 rounds as fast as possible. Record your time.

• 10 Dumbbell Deadlifts
• 10 Dumbbell Push Press
• 8 Bent-Over Rows (each arm)
• 10 Goblet Squats
• 5 Burpees

Score: Total time to complete all 4 rounds. If you don’t finish, record rounds + reps completed.

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Coaching Notes

Dumbbell Deadlift

Stand with dumbbells at your sides. Hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat and chest up as the dumbbells lower toward the floor. Feel the hamstrings load. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to stand. This isn’t a squat — the movement starts at the hips, not the knees.

🔎 Search YouTube: “dumbbell deadlift form”

Dumbbell Push Press

Hold dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing in. Dip slightly at the knees — just a quick bend — then drive upward explosively, using that leg drive to help press the dumbbells overhead. Lock out at the top. Lower under control. The dip-drive is what separates a push press from a strict press; use your legs, don’t fight them.

🔎 Search YouTube: “dumbbell push press tutorial”

Bent-Over Dumbbell Row

Hinge at the hips, back flat, torso roughly parallel to the floor. Let one dumbbell hang, then drive the elbow straight back toward your hip. Squeeze at the top. Complete all 8 reps, then switch arms. No twisting to get the weight up — keep your shoulders square.

🔎 Search YouTube: “dumbbell single arm bent over row”

Goblet Squat

Hold one dumbbell vertically at chest height. Squat until your elbows touch the inside of your knees — full depth. Drive through your heels to stand. Chest stays up throughout. If you’re rounding forward at the bottom, lighten the load or elevate your heels slightly.

🔎 Search YouTube: “goblet squat dumbbell”

Burpee

From standing: drop your hands to the floor, jump or step your feet back to a plank, lower your chest to the ground, press back up, jump your feet toward your hands, then jump and clap overhead. Scale by stepping instead of jumping if needed. Five reps per round — keep moving, don’t let these become a rest period.

🔎 Search YouTube: “burpee proper form”

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Scaling & Difficulty

⚔️ Apprentice

Reduce to 3 rounds. Cut reps to 6/6/5 per arm/6/3. Substitute step-back burpees with no jump. Rest as needed, but keep breaks between rounds to 90 seconds or less.

🗡️ Adventurer

Rx as written. Pick a weight that makes rounds 3 and 4 feel earned. Target finish time: 12–18 minutes.

🏹 Champion

Add a 5th round. Go heavier on deadlifts and push press. Tack on 3 hand-release push-ups after each set of burpees. Target: under 18 minutes for all 5 rounds.

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Strategy

The push press into goblet squat sequence will be the grip killer by round 3. Your hands are working the whole time — deadlifts, rows, press, squat — so manage your grip before it manages you. If you need to put the dumbbells down mid-set, put them down on purpose, not because you dropped them. Short deliberate breaks beat failed reps every time. The burpees at the end of each round are a gut-check; keep a consistent pace on them rather than sprinting and collapsing.