Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

The weight vest transforms otherwise manageable movements into a significant challenge. Burpees and box jumps become much more taxing, while the vest makes pull-ups and toes-to-bar substantially harder. Thrusters with a vest create extreme cumulative fatigue. The continuous nature (no programmed rest) across 6 rounds means athletes can't recover between movements. Most will need to break up every movement by round 3.

Benchmark Times for Felix the Cat

• Elite: <8:00
• Advanced: 9:00-10:00
• Intermediate: 11:00-12:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Multiple muscle groups challenged repeatedly through 270 total reps. Weight vest amplifies fatigue across all movements, especially in shoulders and core.
• Endurance (8/10): High-volume couplet performed for 6 rounds with a weight vest creates significant cardiovascular demand. Continuous movement with compound exercises taxes aerobic system substantially.
• Flexibility (7/10): Toes-to-bar and thrusters demand significant mobility. Full-depth burpees and box jumps with weight vest require good range of motion.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions and fast cycling of movements required for competitive times. Weight vest challenges ability to maintain high pace.
• Power (6/10): Box jumps and thrusters are explosive movements. Weight vest slightly dampens power output but maintains significant demand.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate loads with thrusters and added weight vest resistance, but primarily tests strength endurance rather than maximal strength.

Movements

• Box Jump
• Burpee
• Pull-Up
• Thruster
• Toes-to-Bar

Scaling Options

Remove weight vest for all movements or use lighter vest (14/10 lb). Reduce thruster weight to 30/15 kg. Substitute jumping pull-ups or ring rows for pull-ups. Replace toes-to-bar with hanging knee raises or V-ups. Lower box height to 20/16 inches. For volume, reduce to 4-5 rounds or cut reps to 6 per movement. Step-up burpees acceptable if needed. Target time cap of 30 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 5+ unbroken pull-ups without vest, or if thrusters become singles under fatigue. Signs to scale: breaking toes-to-bar into singles early, unable to maintain form on thrusters, excessive rest between movements. Prioritize keeping intensity high while maintaining safe movement patterns. Athletes should be able to complete at least 3 movements unbroken early in workout. Scaled version should take 20-25 minutes with consistent pacing. Form deterioration on gymnastics movements is key indicator for scaling load or movement complexity.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (15-25 minutes) with added load from weight vest. Primary focus is on maintaining power output while managing systemic fatigue. The combination of bodyweight gymnastics and light-moderate load barbell cycling creates a significant oxidative demand. The weight vest adds complexity to gymnastics movements and increases overall workout intensity.

Coach Insight

Break up sets early to maintain consistent pace - consider 5-4 or 3-3-3 rep schemes. Quick transitions between movements are crucial but don't rush at expense of form. For thrusters, focus on breathing at top of each rep. Keep burpees controlled but efficient - the vest will make these more demanding. On toes-to-bar, minimize kip swing to conserve grip strength. Consider removing vest for pull-ups if form deteriorates significantly. Aim for consistent round times with no major slowdown in final rounds.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to Fran with added complexity. Base analysis: Per round (54 total reps): - 9 Burpees: 9 × 3.5s = 31.5s - 9 Box Jumps: 9 × 2s = 18s - 9 Pull-ups: 9 × 1.5s = 13.5s - 9 Thrusters: 9 × 2.5s = 22.5s - 9 Toes-to-Bar: 9 × 2s = 18s Base time per round: 103.5s Fatigue multipliers: - Rounds 1-2: 1.0x (207s) - Rounds 3-4: 1.2x (248.4s) - Rounds 5-6: 1.3x (269.1s) Transitions between movements: ~5s × 4 movements × 6 rounds = 120s Weight vest adds approximately 15% difficulty factor. Total projected time: 724.5s + 120s transitions = 844.5s base × 1.15 vest factor Comparing to Fran anchor (21-15-9 format): - L10 Fran: 120-140s (M) / 140-170s (F) - This workout has 2.5x the reps and more complex movements Final L10 target: 480s (M) / 600s (F) L5 target: 720s (M) / 840s (F) L1 target: 1080s (M) / 1200s (F)

Modality Profile

4 gymnastics movements (Box Jump, Burpee, Pull-Up, Toes-to-Bar) and 1 weightlifting movement (Thruster). 4/5 = 80% gymnastics, 1/5 = 20% weightlifting, 0 monostructural movements.