Workout Description
11 Rounds for Time
9 Burpees
15 Air Squats
Why This Workout Is Hard
While burpees and air squats are basic movements, the 11-round format creates significant cumulative fatigue with no built-in rest. The combination of 99 burpees and 165 air squats (264 total reps) targets the same muscle groups repeatedly. Most athletes will hit a wall around round 7-8 as quad fatigue compounds. Expected time domain of 15-20 minutes of continuous work makes this a lung and leg burner.
Benchmark Times for Eric Garner
- Elite: <12:00
- Advanced: 14:00-16:00
- Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
- Beginner: >30:00
Training Focus
This workout develops the following fitness attributes:
- Endurance (8/10): Eleven rounds of continuous bodyweight movements with no prescribed rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
- Stamina (7/10): High volume of squats and burpees challenges muscular endurance, particularly in the legs and core. Total rep scheme of 99 burpees and 165 squats.
- Speed (6/10): Quick transitions between movements and maintaining a fast cycle rate on both exercises is crucial for a good time.
- Power (4/10): Burpees require some explosive movement to stand up and jump, but fatigue will limit power output as rounds progress.
- Flexibility (3/10): Basic mobility required for full-depth squats and burpee positions. No extreme ranges of motion needed.
- Strength (2/10): Purely bodyweight movements that don't test maximal strength. Focus is on repeated submaximal efforts rather than heavy loading.
Scaling Options
Beginner option: 8 rounds total, 7 burpees, 12 air squats. Intermediate: Keep full rounds but step back burpees instead of jumping. For limited mobility: Reduce squat depth to above parallel or substitute wall ball squats. For shoulder/wrist issues: Step-up-and-down burpees eliminating push-up portion. Time cap at 25 minutes.
Scaling Explanation
Scale if unable to maintain proper squat depth for sets of 10+ or if burpees take more than 2-3 seconds each when fresh. Priority is maintaining consistent movement standards and intensity across all rounds. Target time is 12-18 minutes - if projected finish is over 20 minutes, reduce volume to preserve intended stimulus. Scale to preserve intensity rather than grinding through with poor mechanics.
Intended Stimulus
Moderate-length glycolytic workout targeting the 12-18 minute time domain. Primary focus is on aerobic capacity and lactate threshold training. The high-volume bodyweight movements create a significant metabolic challenge while testing muscular endurance in the legs and core. Mental challenge comes from maintaining consistent output across 11 rounds.
Coach Insight
Break this into 3-4 sets of rounds with brief rest between sets. Target 65-75 seconds per round early on. Keep burpees controlled but efficient - stand tall at top, chest to ground, no jumping forward to feet. For air squats, maintain full depth and hip crease below knee while keeping chest up. Common mistake is rushing early rounds then falling apart after round 6-7. Consider breaking air squats into sets of 8-7 or 5-5-5 when fatigue sets in.
Benchmark Notes
This workout is most similar to Angie in structure (high-volume bodyweight movements), though with multiple rounds instead of straight sets. Let's break it down:
Per round (fresh state):
- 9 Burpees @ 3.5s each = 31.5s
- 15 Air Squats @ 1.5s each = 22.5s
Base round time: 54s
Fatigue multipliers per round:
Rounds 1-2: 1.0x (54s)
Rounds 3-4: 1.15x (62s)
Rounds 5-6: 1.3x (70s)
Rounds 7-8: 1.45x (78s)
Rounds 9-11: 1.6x (86s)
Transitions between movements: 3-5s for elite, 5-8s for intermediate
Total theoretical time:
Elite (L10): ~12 minutes (720s)
Intermediate (L5): ~20 minutes (1200s)
Beginner (L1): ~30 minutes (1800s)
Cross-referencing with Angie (which takes 15-18 minutes for intermediate athletes), this workout has similar total volume (264 reps vs Angie's 400) but more transitions and a higher proportion of burpees which are more taxing than air squats.
Final targets:
Male L10: 12:00 (720s)
Male L5: 20:00 (1200s)
Male L1: 30:00 (1800s)
Female L10: 15:00 (900s)
Female L5: 23:00 (1380s)
Female L1: 33:00 (1980s)
Modality Profile
Both Air Squat and Burpee are bodyweight/gymnastics movements. With 2 gymnastics movements and no monostructural or weightlifting movements, this workout is 100% gymnastics.
