Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout creates significant upper body fatigue through ascending rep schemes and descending loads. The bench press percentages are substantial, and each pressing variation (bench, dips, diamonds, standard) targets similar muscle groups with no rest. The cumulative volume (120 total reps) combined with the continuous nature makes this particularly challenging for the shoulders and triceps.

Benchmark Times for John Florio

• 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): High volume pushing movements (120 total reps) creates significant local muscular endurance demands in chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Strength (6/10): Initial bench press sets at 75% bodyweight require decent strength. Descending loads allow continued work as fatigue builds.
• Endurance (5/10): Pushing volume creates cardiovascular demand through accumulated fatigue, though rest between sets is possible. Not a pure endurance test like longer AMRAPs.
• Speed (4/10): For time format encourages quick transitions, but fatigue management is more important than pure speed.
• Flexibility (3/10): Standard pushing movements require basic shoulder mobility and scapular control. Ring dips demand slightly more stability.
• Power (2/10): Primarily grinding strength-endurance work. No explosive requirements beyond maintaining steady output on push-ups.

Movements

• Bench Press
• Ring Dip
• Push-Up

Scaling Options

Bench Press: Scale to 65%/45%/25% of bodyweight or use fixed loads (135/95/65 lbs). Sub regular push-ups for ring dips, incline push-ups for diamonds, and knee push-ups for standard push-ups. For significant scaling, reduce volume to 8-15-20 reps per round. Time cap at 20 minutes. Alternative rep scheme: 8-15-20 for all movements to simplify.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 5+ strict ring dips, 10+ consecutive push-ups, or if bench press loads exceed 70% of tested 1RM. Prioritize full range of motion and proper positioning over speed. Athletes should be able to complete at least 3-4 reps unbroken per set. Target completion time is 8-15 minutes - scale volume if exceeding this range. Form breakdown on push-ups or excessive elbow flare indicates need for scaling.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (8-15 minutes) focused on upper body pushing strength endurance and muscle fatigue management. The descending load but increasing rep scheme creates a unique fatigue curve that challenges both strength and muscular endurance. Primary challenge is maintaining quality movement patterns under accumulating upper body fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break up the bench press sets early - consider 6-4 for first round, 8-6-6 for second, and 6-6-6-6-6 for final round. Rest 20-30 seconds between movement transitions. Maintain full range of motion on ring dips and push-up variations even as fatigue sets in. Common failure point is the transition from diamond push-ups to light bench press - don't go unbroken on diamonds. Watch for elbow flare on push-ups and maintain neutral spine throughout.

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a descending ladder pattern with bench press and bodyweight pushing movements. Using Elizabeth (21-15-9 clean + ring dips) as the closest anchor, but adjusting for: 1. Higher total volume (60 bench press + 60 push variations vs 45 cleans + 45 dips) 2. Lighter relative loading (35-75% BW vs 135# cleans) 3. Similar skill requirement on dips/push-ups Breakdown for elite male (L10): First round (75% BW): - 10 bench press: 25s - 10 ring dips: 30s - Transition: 5s Second round (50% BW): - 20 bench press: 45s (slight fatigue) - 20 diamond push-ups: 35s - Transition: 5s Third round (35% BW): - 30 bench press: 75s (accumulated fatigue) - 30 push-ups: 60s - Transitions: 20s total Total for L10 male: ~5:00 (300s) Compared to Elizabeth anchor (L10 male: 160-200s), this workout is about 1.5x longer due to higher volume and more accumulated pushing fatigue. Female times adjusted +20% due to: - Relative strength demands of bench press - Upper body endurance requirements Final benchmarks: Male L10: 5:00 (300s) Male L5: 9:00 (540s) Male L1: 15:00 (900s) Female L10: 7:00 (420s) Female L5: 11:00 (660s) Female L1: 17:00 (1020s)

Modality Profile

Of the 4 movements: Ring Dip, Diamond Push Up, and Push-Up are gymnastics (3 movements = 75%); Bench Press is weightlifting (1 movement = 25%); No monostructural movements present