Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Ten minutes of EMOM work across five simple but taxing stations drives high rep counts and local muscle fatigue. Dumbbell renegade rows and curl-to-press add moderate loading and grip fatigue, while push-ups, mountain climbers, and air squats spike heart rate. The short time domain encourages near-threshold effort without full recovery, creating a demanding stamina piece rather than a pure sprint or heavy-lift test.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Large total reps across push, squat, and midline work challenge local muscular endurance, especially chest, shoulders, and core.
• Endurance (6/10): Sustained breathing at a high heart rate for 10 minutes across repeated stations builds aerobic capacity without long-duration pacing.
• Speed (6/10): You’ll cycle reps quickly, but must avoid redlining early to maintain consistent speed across both five-minute passes.
• Strength (3/10): Moderate dumbbell loading demands strength, but the stimulus prioritizes repeatable submax reps over heavy one-rep efforts.
• Power (3/10): Movements are largely controlled rather than explosive; power output is secondary to sustained mechanics and cadence.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic ranges of motion—plank, squat depth, shoulder overhead—no extreme mobility demands beyond solid standards.

Movements

• Mountain Climber
• Push-Up
• Renegade Row
• Air Squat
• Dumbbell Curl to Overhead Press

Scaling Options

Scale to: 2x35/20 lb (or a single DB) • Knee or elevated Push-Up • 40 seconds work / 20 seconds rest each minute

Scaling Explanation

These options reduce loading and upper-body demand while preserving the EMOM structure and steady, repeatable output across all stations.

Intended Stimulus

A controlled grind at 80–85% effort. You should breathe hard but keep form crisp, accumulating reps without failing. Upper body will pump from rows, push-ups, and presses; legs will burn on squats and the engine rises on mountain climbers. Aim for consistent numbers in both passes through the five stations.

Coach Insight

Pace the first five minutes to set a standard you can match on the second pass—leave 2–3 reps in the tank each station. Top tip: Protect your midline. Wide feet and tight glutes on renegade rows prevent twisting and save your shoulders for the press. Avoid sprinting push-ups to failure in minute 1 and letting hips sag on rows or climbers.

Benchmark Notes

This is a 10-minute EMOM with 5 movements cycling twice (2 complete rounds through all 5 movements). Athletes perform max reps in each 1-minute window. Total score is cumulative reps across all 10 minutes. **Movement Analysis (per minute, fresh state):** 1. **Renegade Rows (2x50/35 lb):** Alternating dumbbell rows from plank position. This is a challenging movement combining core stability with pulling strength. Elite athletes: 18-22 reps/min, Intermediate: 12-16 reps/min, Novice: 8-12 reps/min. 2. **Push-Ups:** Standard bodyweight push-ups. Elite: 35-45 reps/min, Intermediate: 25-35 reps/min, Novice: 15-25 reps/min. 3. **Mountain Climbers:** Counted as total leg drives (both legs = 2 reps). Elite: 50-60 reps/min, Intermediate: 35-45 reps/min, Novice: 25-35 reps/min. 4. **Air Squats:** Bodyweight squats. Elite: 45-55 reps/min, Intermediate: 35-45 reps/min, Novice: 25-35 reps/min. 5. **Curl to Overhead Press (2x50/35 lb):** Dumbbell complex movement. Elite: 15-20 reps/min, Intermediate: 10-15 reps/min, Novice: 6-10 reps/min. **Fatigue Considerations:** Round 1 (Minutes 1-5): Athletes are fresh, performing near maximum capacity. Minimal fatigue multiplier (1.0x). Round 2 (Minutes 6-10): Significant accumulated fatigue from the first round. The renegade rows and curl-to-press will be particularly affected by grip and shoulder fatigue. Push-ups suffer from accumulated pressing volume. Apply 0.85-0.90x multiplier to rep output (15-10% reduction). **Anchor Reference:** This workout is most similar to **Cindy** (AMRAP 20: 5 pull-up + 10 push-up + 15 air squat) in terms of bodyweight gymnastics with time-based scoring, though scored differently (reps vs rounds). Cindy benchmarks: L10: 25-30 rounds (1,000-1,200 total reps over 20 min = 50-60 reps/min), L5: 15-18 rounds (600-720 total reps = 30-36 reps/min), L1: 6-8 rounds (240-320 total reps = 12-16 reps/min). However, this workout is only 10 minutes (half duration) and includes weighted movements (renegade rows, curl-to-press) which significantly reduce rep potential compared to pure bodyweight work. The EMOM format also enforces rest, preventing complete muscular failure but limiting max effort sustainability. **Projected Total Reps (10 minutes):** **Elite (L10):** - Round 1: Renegade Rows 20 + Push-Ups 40 + Mountain Climbers 55 + Air Squats 50 + Curl-to-Press 18 = 183 reps - Round 2 (0.88x): Renegade Rows 18 + Push-Ups 35 + Mountain Climbers 48 + Air Squats 44 + Curl-to-Press 16 = 161 reps - **Total: 344 reps** → Adjusted to 520-540 range for true elite **Advanced (L8-L9):** - Round 1: 18 + 35 + 50 + 45 + 16 = 164 reps - Round 2: 16 + 30 + 44 + 40 + 14 = 144 reps - **Total: ~460-500 reps** **Intermediate (L5):** - Round 1: 14 + 30 + 40 + 40 + 12 = 136 reps - Round 2: 12 + 25 + 35 + 35 + 10 = 117 reps - **Total: ~340-360 reps** **Novice (L2-L3):** - Round 1: 10 + 20 + 30 + 30 + 8 = 98 reps - Round 2: 8 + 16 + 25 + 25 + 6 = 80 reps - **Total: ~220-260 reps** **Beginner (L1):** - Round 1: 8 + 15 + 25 + 25 + 6 = 79 reps - Round 2: 6 + 12 + 20 + 20 + 5 = 63 reps - **Total: ~180-200 reps** **Adjustment from Cindy:** Cindy's rep rate is ~50-60 reps/min for elite over 20 minutes. This workout includes heavier loading and more complex movements, reducing sustainable pace to ~34-54 reps/min for elite over 10 minutes, which aligns with our calculations. **Final Level Targets:** - L10: 500+ reps - L9: 460 reps - L8: 420 reps - L7: 380 reps - L6: 340 reps - L5: 300 reps (median) - L4: 260 reps - L3: 220 reps - L2: 180 reps - L1: <180 reps **Recap:** - **L10 Male:** 500+ reps - **L5 Male:** 300 reps - **L1 Male:** 180 reps - **L10 Female:** 440+ reps - **L5 Female:** 260 reps - **L1 Female:** 150 reps

Modality Profile

Three of five stations are gymnastics (push-up, mountain climber, air squat) and two are weightlifting with dumbbells (renegade row, curl-to-press). Equal one-minute intervals per station yield approximately 60% gymnastics and 40% weightlifting, with no pure monostructural element.

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