Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The combination of moderately heavy front squats (185/135) with high-skill chest-to-bar pull-ups creates significant upper body fatigue. The double unders, while providing brief recovery from the pull-ups, maintain elevated heart rate throughout. The workout's structure offers minimal built-in rest, and the chest-to-bar requirement means many athletes will need to break up the pull-ups significantly, especially in later rounds.

Benchmark Times for Heartbreak Kid

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): The combination of grip-intensive pull-ups and high-volume double unders tests muscular endurance, particularly in shoulders, forearms and calves.
• Endurance (7/10): High-rep chest-to-bar pull-ups combined with double-unders create significant cardiovascular demand across three rounds, requiring sustained aerobic capacity.
• Strength (6/10): Moderately heavy front squats (185/135) require significant strength, though not maximal. The chest-to-bar pull-ups also demand considerable pulling strength.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions between movements and fast cycling of double unders are crucial for optimal performance.
• Flexibility (5/10): Front rack position and chest-to-bar pull-ups require good shoulder mobility. Front squats demand ankle, hip, and wrist flexibility.
• Power (4/10): Some power needed for chest-to-bar contact and double under rebounds, though not maximum explosive output.

Movements

• Front Squat
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
• Double-Under

Scaling Options

Front Squat: Scale to 135/95# or 65-75% of 1RM. Sub regular pull-ups or ring rows (25 reps). For double unders, scale to 100 single unders or 25 double under attempts + 25 singles. Advanced scaling: keep weight but reduce pull-ups to 15 and DUs to 40. Beginners can do 2 rounds instead of 3 while maintaining movement standards.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to do sets of 3+ front squats at prescribed weight, or if unable to do 5+ chest to bar pull-ups when fresh. Double unders should be at 50+ unbroken when fresh to attempt Rx. Target time is 8-12 minutes - scale to maintain intensity and proper movement patterns. Priority is maintaining loading on squats that challenges but allows proper depth and position. Better to reduce rounds than compromise movement standards.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (8-12 minutes) with significant skill and strength demands. Front squats test leg and core strength while maintaining midline stability. The combination of heavy front squats with high-skill gymnastics and double unders creates a challenging metabolic conditioning piece that tests both power output and skill under fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break front squats into sets of 4-3-3 or 5-5 early to preserve position. Quick singles are better than failed reps. For CTB pull-ups, break into manageable sets (5-5-5-5 or 4-4-4-4-4) before grip fails. Double unders should be done in largest sets possible while fresh - fatigue will force smaller sets later. Transition quickly between movements but take 2-3 breaths before starting front squats each round. Common failure point is round 2 pull-ups when grip and shoulders are taxed.

Benchmark Notes

Analysis based on Helen and Annie benchmarks due to similar rep scheme and movement combinations: Round Breakdown (Elite Male): Round 1: Front Squats (25s) + CTB Pull-ups (45s) + DUs (30s) + transitions (15s) = 115s Round 2: Front Squats (30s) + CTB Pull-ups (55s) + DUs (35s) + transitions (15s) = 135s Round 3: Front Squats (35s) + CTB Pull-ups (65s) + DUs (40s) + transitions (15s) = 155s Total elite time: ~405s (6:45) Fatigue factors: - Heavy front squats (185/135) will cause more leg fatigue than Helen's KB swings - CTB pull-ups are more demanding than regular pull-ups - DUs provide brief recovery compared to Helen's run Compared to Helen L10 benchmark (7:30-8:30), this should be slightly faster due to: - No running segments - DUs allow better pacing - Similar total work volume Adjusted targets: Male L10: 6:00-7:00 Male L5: 10:00-11:00 Male L1: 18:00-20:00 Female times adjusted +20% due to heavier loading and strict CTB requirements. Final Targets: Male - L10: 6:00-7:00, L5: 10:00, L1: 18:00 Female - L10: 8:00-9:00, L5: 12:00, L1: 20:00

Modality Profile

Front Squat (W), Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up (G), Double-Under (G). Three unique movements split across two modalities: 2 gymnastics movements (CTB and DU) and 1 weightlifting movement (Front Squat). Using standard three-way split for clean numbers.