Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While the individual movements are moderately challenging, the workout structure allows natural breaks between movements. The leg-dominant pattern (wall balls to swings to box jumps) creates local muscle fatigue, but the rep scheme is manageable. The sandwich format lets athletes push the first half knowing there's no surprise ending. Most CrossFitters can complete this in 8-12 minutes as prescribed.

Benchmark Times for Jerry Swinger

• Elite: <5:00
• Advanced: 6:00-7:00
• Intermediate: 8:00-9:00
• Beginner: >15:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): 180 total reps with compound movements challenges muscular endurance, particularly in legs and posterior chain with repeated loading patterns.
• Endurance (7/10): High-rep scheme and continuous movement pattern creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially with the box jumps sandwiched between other movements.
• Power (7/10): Box jumps are explosive, kettlebell swings require hip drive, and wall balls demand full-body power production throughout.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions and cycle rates are important, especially during box jumps and between movements, but pacing is still crucial.
• Flexibility (5/10): Hip and ankle mobility for box jumps, thoracic extension for wall balls, and hip hinge for kettlebell swings require decent mobility.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate loads in wall balls and kettlebell swings require strength, but not maximal effort. Focus is on repeated submaximal loading.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Kettlebell Swing
• Box Jump

Scaling Options

Wall Balls: Reduce to 14/10lb ball and/or lower target height by 6-12 inches. KB Swings: Scale to 1.5/1 pood or substitute Russian swings. Box Jumps: Reduce height to 20/16 inches or substitute step-ups. For significant scaling needs: Wall Balls (16/10lb), KB Swings (35/26lb), Box Step-ups (20/16 inches). Volume can be reduced to 20 reps per movement for newer athletes while maintaining movement pattern and intensity.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 15+ unbroken wall balls, showing significant form breakdown on KB swings, or if box jumps cause excessive fatigue/safety concerns. Priority is maintaining consistent movement patterns and steady work rate throughout. Target time domain should remain 8-12 minutes after scaling. Athletes should finish feeling challenged but not completely exhausted. Scale load and volume to maintain intensity rather than grinding through with poor mechanics.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout targeting 8-12 minutes. Primary focus is on leg power endurance and posterior chain conditioning. The chipper-style format with bookended movements creates both physical and mental fatigue management challenges. The workout tests work capacity across multiple movement patterns while maintaining power output.

Coach Insight

Break wall balls into sets of 10-15 early to avoid shoulder fatigue. For KB swings, sets of 15 are optimal but adjust based on fatigue. Break box jumps into sets of 15-20 while fresh, then 10s as needed. Step down from box jumps to maintain safety when fatigued. Quick transitions between movements are crucial - have equipment staged efficiently. Watch for diminishing hip extension in both wall balls and swings as fatigue sets in. Common failure point is the second round of KB swings - pace accordingly.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is structurally similar to Karen (150 wall balls) but with kettlebell swings and box jumps mixed in. Total volume: - 60 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb) - 60 Kettlebell Swings (2/1.5 pood) - 60 Box Jumps (24/20 in) Breakdown using Karen as primary anchor: 1. First section (30 wall balls + 30 KB swings): - Wall balls: 2-3 sec/rep = 60-90 sec - KB swings: 1.5-2 sec/rep = 45-60 sec - Transition: 3-5 sec 2. Middle section (60 box jumps): - Box jumps: 1.5-2 sec/rep = 90-120 sec - Transitions: 6-10 sec total 3. Final section (30 KB swings + 30 wall balls): - KB swings: 1.5-2 sec/rep + 20% fatigue = 54-72 sec - Wall balls: 2-3 sec/rep + 25% fatigue = 75-113 sec Karen anchor points (150 wall balls): L10: 420-480 sec (M) / 450-510 sec (F) L5: 600-720 sec L1: 900-1020 sec This workout has less total wall balls but adds KB swings and box jumps. Total work is similar but with more transition time and varied movement patterns. Projecting: Male targets: L10: 300-360 sec (5:00-6:00) L5: 540-600 sec (9:00-10:00) L1: 840-900 sec (14:00-15:00) Female targets (about 15% slower due to loading): L10: 360-420 sec (6:00-7:00) L5: 600-660 sec (10:00-11:00) L1: 900-960 sec (15:00-16:00)

Modality Profile

Wall Ball and Kettlebell Swing are weightlifting (W) movements as they involve external loads. Box Jump is a gymnastics (G) movement as it's bodyweight. With 2 W movements and 1 G movement out of 3 total movements, this rounds to 70% W and 30% G.