Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This descending rep scheme (40-30-20-10) creates natural breaks between rounds. The movements are fundamental with moderate loading on the push press. While double-unders require skill, they're broken into manageable sets. Box step-ups allow consistent pacing compared to jumps. The workout should take 12-18 minutes for average athletes, with no single element creating a severe bottleneck or excessive fatigue accumulation.

Benchmark Times for Bruce Gary

• 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 (8/10): High total volume (100 reps each) of mixed movements challenges muscular endurance, particularly shoulder and leg stamina through varied loading patterns.
• Endurance (7/10): Descending rep scheme with continuous movement between double-unders, step-ups, and push presses creates sustained cardiovascular demand without full recovery.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions and efficient cycling of double-unders and push presses are crucial for a good time, especially early in each round.
• Power (6/10): Double-unders and push presses both require power output, though fatigue will impact explosive capacity as the workout progresses.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate load push presses (75/45 lb) require some strength, but volume and fatigue make this more stamina-focused than strength-focused.
• Flexibility (3/10): Basic shoulder mobility for push press and ankle flexibility for double-unders, but no extreme ranges of motion required.

Movements

• Double-Under
• Box Step-Up
• Push Press

Scaling Options

Double-unders: Sub single-unders (2:1 ratio) or alternating single-unders. Box step-ups: Reduce height to 20/16" or use a lower step. Push press: Scale to 55/35 lbs or sub strict press at lighter weight. For newer athletes, consider reducing total volume by starting at 30 reps instead of 40. Target time cap of 20 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 20+ unbroken double-unders, if box height causes knee pain/instability, or if push press weight cannot be done for sets of 5+ when fresh. Maintaining power output and proper mechanics throughout all movements is priority. Athletes should be able to complete each round without extended breaks. Scale to achieve a steady, sustainable pace rather than excessive rest periods.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (12-18 minutes) with descending rep scheme. Primary focus is on maintaining power output while managing fatigue. The combination of skill (double-unders), lower body (step-ups), and upper body pushing tests both cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular stamina.

Coach Insight

Break double-unders into sets of 10-15 to maintain efficiency. On box step-ups, alternate legs each round to distribute fatigue. For push press, sets of 8-10 early will help conserve energy - expect these to become sets of 3-5 in later rounds. Quick transitions between movements are crucial but don't rush at expense of form. The descending rep scheme allows for increased intensity as volume decreases.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is structurally similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10 double-unders + sit-ups) but with three movements and slightly lower total reps. Using Annie's benchmarks as a starting point: Movement breakdown (fresh state): - Double-Unders: 0.5s/rep = 50s for all 100 reps - Box Step-Ups: 2s/rep = 200s for all 100 reps - Push Press: 2s/rep = 200s for all 100 reps Base time: 450s Fatigue multipliers: - First round (40 reps): 1.0x - Second round (30 reps): 1.1x - Third round (20 reps): 1.2x - Fourth round (10 reps): 1.3x Transitions between movements: ~5s x 11 transitions = 55s Comparing to Annie benchmark (L10: 300-360s, L5: 480-600s, L1: 780-960s), this workout should take about 20% longer due to: - Additional movement (3 vs 2) - More complex movements (push press vs sit-ups) - Heavier loading component Final targets: Male: L10: 360s (6:00) L5: 600s (10:00) L1: 1080s (18:00) Female (adjusted +20% due to loading): L10: 480s (8:00) L5: 720s (12:00) L1: 1200s (20:00)

Modality Profile

Double-Under and Box Step-Up are gymnastics (bodyweight) movements, while Push Press is a weightlifting movement. With 2 gymnastics movements and 1 weightlifting movement out of 3 total movements, this gives us approximately 70% gymnastics and 30% weightlifting, with no monostructural movements present.