Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

Bodyweight bench press and deadlifts represent significant loads for most athletes, and combining them in a 21-15-9 format creates substantial fatigue. Ring dips require strict technique and become increasingly difficult under fatigue. The continuous nature without built-in rest, plus the compound effect of upper body pushing/pulling movements, makes this a challenging combination that many athletes will need to scale.

Benchmark Times for Copey

• Elite: <4:00
• Advanced: 4:30-5:00
• Intermediate: 5:45-6:30
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (8/10): Using bodyweight loads for both bench press and deadlifts represents significant strength demands for most athletes, especially when fatigued.
• Stamina (7/10): High local muscular endurance demands on pushing muscles (chest, triceps) and posterior chain through combined effects of bench press, deadlifts, and dips.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions between movements and maintaining a fast cycle rate on ring dips are key to a good time.
• Endurance (5/10): The descending rep scheme and compound movements create moderate cardiovascular demand, though the total volume isn't extreme and rest between sets is possible.
• Flexibility (4/10): Ring dips require good shoulder mobility and stability. Deadlifts demand hip and hamstring flexibility for proper form.
• Power (2/10): While deadlifts can be explosive, the loading and fatigue typically make this more of a grinding strength workout.

Movements

• Bench Press
• Deadlift
• Ring Dip

Scaling Options

Bench Press: Scale to 70-80% bodyweight or switch to dumbbell bench press Deadlifts: Reduce to 70-80% bodyweight or use trap bar Ring Dips: Sub box dips, band-assisted dips, or bench dips Volume Option: Reduce to 15-12-9 or 12-9-6 Time Cap: 15 minutes

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 8+ unbroken bench presses at bodyweight, 10+ unbroken deadlifts at bodyweight, or 5+ strict ring dips. Maintaining intensity is crucial - athletes should be able to complete within 12-15 minutes. Form deterioration on deadlifts or dips indicates need for scaling. Prioritize full range of motion and proper mechanics over load or rep scheme. Goal is to keep moving with minimal extended breaks.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (8-12 minutes) combining heavy pushing, pulling, and gymnastics elements. Tests strength endurance and ability to maintain power output across multiple modalities. Primary challenge is managing muscular fatigue in upper body while maintaining safe technique under load.

Coach Insight

Break up bench press sets early (12-9, 8-7, 5-4) to avoid failure. Quick but controlled transitions between movements. For deadlifts, touch-and-go reps are acceptable if form remains solid, but break sets if back starts to round. Consider alternating between push/pull movements (bench-deadlift-bench-deadlift) before finishing dips to allow upper body recovery. Watch for shoulder fatigue affecting dip stability in final round.

Benchmark Notes

This workout closely resembles Elizabeth (21-15-9 clean + ring dips) but with bench press and deadlift at bodyweight instead of cleans. Using Elizabeth's anchor points (L10: 160-200s M / 200-240s F) as a base, we need to adjust for: 1. Movement Analysis: - Bench Press (BW): 2.5-3s/rep fresh, increasing with fatigue - Deadlift (BW): 2-2.5s/rep fresh, increasing with fatigue - Ring Dips: 2-3s/rep (same as Elizabeth) 2. Round Breakdown (Elite Male): Round 1 (21 reps each): - Bench Press: 21 × 3s = 63s - Deadlift: 21 × 2.5s = 53s - Ring Dips: 21 × 2.5s = 53s Transitions: 2 × 5s = 10s Total: 179s Round 2 (15 reps each): - All movements +20% fatigue - Total: 135s Round 3 (9 reps each): - All movements +35% fatigue - Total: 86s 3. Total Elite Time: ~240s (4:00) This is about 40-50s slower than Elizabeth due to: - Heavier average loading (bodyweight vs 135) - More taxing pressing component - Greater cumulative fatigue effect Final Targets: Male: L10: 240s (4:00), L5: 390s (6:30), L1: 720s (12:00) Female: L10: 300s (5:00), L5: 480s (8:00), L1: 840s (14:00)

Modality Profile

Ring Dip is gymnastics (G). Bench Press and Deadlift are both weightlifting (W). With 3 total movements, 1 G movement (33%) and 2 W movements (67%), and no M movements (0%).