Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Brad Lit combines moderate-heavy loads (100/70kg deadlifts) with high-skill movements (burpee box jump overs) in a continuous 16-minute AMRAP with zero built-in recovery. The burpees create significant fatigue before deadlifts, while the box jump overs demand coordination when fatigued. Most average athletes will complete 4-5 rounds, experiencing cumulative grip, leg, and cardiovascular fatigue. The movement sequence creates interference—upper body fatigue from burpees affects push-ups and deadlift grip.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of compound movements (32 total reps per round) tests muscular endurance across upper body, core, and lower body. Accumulating fatigue across rounds demands sustained muscular output.
• Endurance (7/10): 16-minute AMRAP with continuous cycling through metabolically demanding movements creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The format requires maintaining aerobic capacity throughout multiple rounds without extended recovery periods.
• Power (7/10): Burpee box jump overs are highly explosive, requiring rapid force generation. Push-ups and deadlifts have power components, though sit-ups are slower. Mix of explosive and grinding movements.
• Strength (6/10): Deadlifts at moderate-to-heavy loads (100/70kg) require significant force production. However, the AMRAP format and interference from other movements prevent maximal strength expression.
• Speed (6/10): 16-minute AMRAP demands quick movement cycling and minimal transition time between exercises. Steady pacing is critical, though not a pure sprint format like a short for-time workout.
• Flexibility (4/10): Burpee box jump overs demand hip and ankle mobility. Deadlifts require hamstring flexibility. Most movements use basic ranges of motion without extreme positional demands.

Movements

• Burpee Box Jump-Over
• Deadlift
• Push-Up

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce deadlift to 70/50 kg for those newer to lifting or if 8 unbroken reps at Rx feels impossible when fresh. Medicine ball sit-ups can drop to 6/4 kg or sub for unweighted sit-ups or AbMat sit-ups. Box height: Drop to 50/40 cm or sub step-overs entirely for athletes with hip flexor or knee issues. Burpees: Sub standard burpees (no box) or reduce to 6 reps per round. Push-ups: Sub knee push-ups, incline push-ups on the box, or reduce reps to 6. Volume: Reduce all movements to 6 reps per round to maintain a similar stimulus for less conditioned athletes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the deadlift if you cannot perform at least 10 unbroken reps at the prescribed load when completely fresh — by round 3 or 4, fatigue will make that feel much heavier and technique will break down. Scale push-ups if you cannot do 8 strict reps with a solid plank — saggy hips and snaking necks create injury risk when repeated over many rounds. Scale the box height if you lack the hip mobility and explosive power to consistently clear the box safely — stepping over is always a valid and effective option. The goal is to keep moving with quality for the full 16 minutes. If an athlete finishes fewer than 3 rounds at Rx, the loading is too heavy to achieve the intended conditioning stimulus. Prioritize technique on deadlifts above all else — intensity is meaningless with a rounded back under load.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate time domain AMRAP targeting sustained, hard aerobic output over 16 minutes. Expect a challenging but manageable pace — think 'hard steady engine' rather than an all-out sprint. The combination of explosive burpee box jump overs, weighted sit-ups, moderate-heavy deadlifts, and push-ups creates a full-body conditioning stimulus. The primary challenge is conditioning and pacing, with the deadlift weight adding a meaningful strength tax that will accumulate fatigue across rounds. Target 5–8 rounds for competitive athletes, 4–6 for intermediate.

Coach Insight

The deadlift is your pace-setter here — go out too hot and it will shut you down by round 3. Aim for consistent, repeatable rounds rather than a fast first few. On burpee box jump overs, find a smooth, rhythmic tempo and avoid explosive jumping off the box — step down if needed to save your legs. Keep the medicine ball sit-ups controlled but efficient; anchor your feet if possible. For deadlifts at 100/70 kg, aim to do sets of 8 unbroken for the first 3–4 rounds, then be ready to break into 5+3 as fatigue sets in — never sacrifice a neutral spine. Push-ups are your 'rest' movement here; keep a rigid plank and avoid snaking. Transitions between movements should be brisk — no standing around. Common mistakes: going too fast on burpees early, rounding the lower back on deadlifts when fatigued, and letting push-ups collapse in the hips. Set a mental marker at the halfway point (8 minutes) and assess your round count — you should be holding steady or slightly picking up pace.

Benchmark Notes

The 100 kg deadlift and burpee box jump overs are the primary limiters—both accumulate fatigue rapidly and force set breaks mid-round. L5 (~7 rounds) assumes unbroken push-ups and sit-ups but 1-2 breaks on deadlifts and brief resets after each burpee box jump over, yielding roughly 2:10–2:20 per round.

Modality Profile

Burpee Box Jump-Over (G), Medicine Ball Sit Up (W), Deadlift (W), Push-Up (G). Two gymnastics movements and two weightlifting movements = 50/50 split.