Watch CrossFitter Graciano Rubio Snatch 330 Pounds 30 Times in Under 20 Minutes
What a way to kick off September. On the first of the month, strongman and CrossFit athlete Graciano Rubio shared a video of himself snatching 330 pounds for 30 reps in less than 20 minutes. The Level Two CrossFit Coach performed the CrossFit benchmark workout “Isabel,” which consists of 30 snatches for time.
Traditionally, the prescribed weight for “Isabel” is 135 pounds for men and 95 pounds for women. However, after some nudging from CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro, the strongman athlete upped the weight to 149.7 kilograms (330 pounds). He completed the workout in a time of 19 minutes, 58 seconds. Check out a chunk of the workout in the video below, courtesy of Rubio’s Instagram page:
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The general response from Rubio’s followers was nicely summed up by weightlifter, coach, and YouTuber Zack Telander:
I’m sorry, what in the f*ck?
Rubio, in jest, replied, “I know, not fast enough.” However, the result was within the time frame of the challenge posed by Castro. In December 2020, Castro visited CrossFit Valley View in Los Banos, CA, which Rubio owns. Following that visit, Castro saw an Instagram post wherein Rubio performed “Isabel” with 330 pounds on the barbell in a time of 27:43 on “the Monday after Christmas full of food and booze.”
Castro issued a challenge: whoever can complete “Isabel” with 330 pounds in under 20 minutes will receive a free Assault® Bike.
It took nine months, but Rubio answered the challenge by changing up his training to add more “more behind-the-neck presses and upper back strength/mobility work.” During previous attempts, Rubio found that the limiting factor was the upper back, which would fatigue and put more stress on his shoulders to stabilize the weight overhead.
With a stronger upper back came his 19:58 run, where Rubio went 30 for 30 on snatch attempts.
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The rate at which Rubio performs the 330-pound snatches is impressive. To adequately convey how stellar of a performance this is, here are some stats:
Fun Facts — Graciano Rubio’s “Isabel” Performance
- To complete the workout in 19:58, Rubio performed a snatch every 39.9 seconds, on average.
- In total, Rubio snatched 4,490.6 kilograms (9,900 pounds).
- Weighing in at 254 pounds at the time of the workout, each rep was 1.3 times Rubio’s bodyweight.
- 330 pounds is 2.4 times heavier than CrossFit’s prescribed weight for the workout.
- According to The Measure of Things, each of Rubio’s snatches was equivalent to lifting a Giant Panda.
Rubio’s snatch personal record is 170 kilograms (375 pounds) — 21 kilograms (45 pounds) more than each snatch performed in this workout.
In addition to being a CrossFit coach and box owner, Rubio is a lightweight pro strongman. He earned his pro card in 2015 by winning the Odd Haugen Strength Classic at the San Jose Fit Expo in 2015. Speaking of strongmen, Rubio isn’t the only one to have tackled “Isabel” before. The current world record for the workout is held by 2017 World’s Strongest Man champion Eddie Hall. In February 2020, Hall knocked out all 30 reps of 135 pounds in 50.9 seconds. Check out the video below if you missed it:
[Related: World’s Strongest Man Athlete Evan Singleton Didn’t Know What Strongman Was Until 3 Years Ago]
Rubio has competed in the CrossFit Open every year since 2014. Although he has never ranked above a five-digit placing, he is a beast in strength-based events. In the 2021 Open, he ranked 25,298th worldwide but scored a first-place finish in workout 21.4 with his 165.6-kilogram (365-pound) barbell complex.
Rubio tells BarBend that he doesn’t have “any plans to compete, but that may change.” If he decides to compete in the 2022 CrossFit Open scheduled to kick off Feb. 24, 2022, the new Assault® Bike in his gym will be a nice reminder that he is one of the strongest competitors in the field.
Feature image: @wallstreetweightlifter on Instagram