Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This descending rep scheme creates significant metabolic fatigue through the combination of air bike (full body, high output) immediately followed by burpee pull-ups (complex movement requiring both pulling strength and cardio). While the movements aren't individually difficult, the continuous nature and interference pattern (both hit pulling and pushing) with no built-in rest makes this challenging. Average time domain 15-20 minutes.

Benchmark Times for Air Burpees

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): The combination of air bike and burpee pull-ups taxes both upper body and lower body muscular endurance extensively across 110 total reps.
• Endurance (8/10): High-volume descending rep scheme with air bike and burpee pull-ups creates significant cardiovascular demand sustained over 10-15 minutes of continuous work.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions between movements and fast cycling on both air bike and burpees are crucial for optimal performance.
• Power (5/10): Air bike sprints and explosive burpee transitions require power output, though fatigue will impact expression as rounds progress.
• Flexibility (4/10): Burpee pull-ups demand moderate shoulder mobility and hip flexion, but movements are within normal ranges.
• Strength (3/10): While burpee pull-ups require relative strength, the focus is more on endurance than maximal force production.

Movements

• Burpee Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Level 1: Regular burpees + ring rows (same rep scheme) Level 2: Step-back burpees + jumping pull-ups Level 3: Reduce to 16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 reps Air bike can be scaled to rowing (same calories) or reduced calories (15-13-11-9-7-5-3-1) For beginners: Consider 4-6 rounds only, maintaining stimulus but reducing volume

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 5+ strict pull-ups, if burpee pull-ups take more than 3 seconds each, or if unable to sustain 45+ RPM on air bike. Target time is 12-18 minutes - scale volume if estimated time exceeds 20 minutes. Preserving intensity is key - movements should be challenging but unbroken sets of 4-6 reps should be possible throughout. Focus on maintaining consistent work rate rather than sporadic intense bursts.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (12-18 minutes) with significant oxidative component. Primary challenge is maintaining output on two full-body movements while managing cumulative fatigue. The descending rep scheme allows initial high intensity but requires pacing as systemic fatigue builds.

Coach Insight

Break up the air bike calories into 2-3 sets early to avoid redlining. For burpee pull-ups, consider breaking into sets of 5-6 reps initially, smaller sets later. Quick transitions between movements are crucial. Don't rush the first two rounds - they should feel doable but not easy. Common mistake is going too hard in the 20/18 rounds and burning out. The air bike should be powerful but sustainable pushes - avoid all-out sprints. For burpee pull-ups, prioritize efficient kipping and minimize ground time.

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a descending rep scheme similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10) but with more total volume and two movements instead of one. Total reps: 110 calories + 110 burpee pull-ups = 220 reps. Breakdown using Annie (50-40-30-20-10 DU/SU) as base anchor: - Annie L10: 300-360s - Annie L5: 480-600s - Annie L1: 780-960s Adjustments needed: 1. Volume is 10% higher (110 vs 100 reps per movement) 2. Burpee pull-ups are significantly more taxing than sit-ups 3. Air bike calories require full-body effort Movement time estimates: - Air bike: 1.2-1.5s per calorie when fresh - Burpee pull-up: 5-6s per rep when fresh Fatigue factors: - First 2 rounds (38 reps): 1.0x - Middle rounds (52 reps): 1.2x - Final rounds (20 reps): 1.3x Elite athletes (L10) should complete in 6:00-7:00 minutes Intermediate (L5) around 10:00 minutes Novice (L1) around 18:00 minutes Final targets: L10: 360-420s (6:00-7:00) L5: 570-630s (9:30-10:30) L1: 1020-1080s (17:00-18:00)

Modality Profile

Bike is Monostructural (M), Burpee Pull-Up is Gymnastics (G). With two movements split across two modalities, this results in a 50/50 split between G and M.