Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

This is Kalsu, a notoriously brutal workout. The combination of heavy thrusters (135/95) with forced-pace burpees creates a devastating fatigue cycle. The EMOM format prevents adequate recovery between burpee sets while thrusters must be completed in diminishing windows. Most athletes hit a severe wall around 60-70 reps, turning this into a 30-40 minute grind that tests both strength and mental fortitude.

Benchmark Times for Kalsu

• 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:

• Stamina (9/10): 100 thrusters at a moderate load plus recurring burpees creates extreme muscular endurance demands on legs, shoulders, and core throughout.
• Endurance (8/10): High volume thrusters combined with burpee EMOMs create sustained cardiovascular demand. The workout requires significant aerobic capacity to maintain output over potentially 20+ minutes.
• Flexibility (7/10): Thrusters demand significant mobility in ankles, hips, shoulders, and wrists. Burpees require full-body range of motion.
• Speed (7/10): EMOM burpees force quick transitions and create urgency to cycle thrusters efficiently between burpee sets.
• Strength (6/10): 135/95lb thrusters represent a moderate-heavy load for most athletes, requiring significant strength to maintain form through high volume.
• Power (5/10): While thrusters are inherently a power movement, fatigue will reduce explosive output as the workout progresses.

Movements

• Thruster
• Burpee

Scaling Options

Weight reductions: 95/65 lb or 75/55 lb based on ability. Sub front squats + push press if technique fails. Reduce total reps to 75 or 50 for newer athletes. Alternative: 20 min time cap with AMRAP format. Movement substitutions: Step-out burpees, thruster from blocks to reduce depth. Break workout into couplets (5 burpees + 20 thrusters x 5 rounds).

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 15+ unbroken thrusters at prescribed weight when fresh or if your max set drops below 5 reps. Form deterioration on thrusters (especially front rack position and squat depth) indicates need for weight reduction. Target completion time is 15-25 minutes - scale load/volume if projected time exceeds this. Maintaining intensity and proper movement patterns takes priority over prescribed load.

Intended Stimulus

Long-duration glycolytic/oxidative workout (15-25 minutes) that tests muscular endurance and mental toughness. The burpee penalty creates urgency while preventing excessive rest. Primary challenge is maintaining consistent output on thrusters while managing fatigue and the clock.

Coach Insight

Break thrusters into manageable sets early - consider 5-7 reps per set for first 50 reps, then adjust based on fatigue. Minimize ground time on burpees but don't sprint them. Plan work/rest cycles within each minute to avoid getting caught mid-set when burpees are due. Most athletes break down around rep 60-75 - be conservative early. Quick transitions and consistent movement are more important than large sets.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to Karen (150 wall balls) but with 100 thrusters at a significantly heavier load plus EMOMed burpees. Starting with movement analysis: 1. 100 Thrusters (135/95): - Base thruster time: 2.5-3s/rep at this load - Progressive fatigue sets in: first 30 reps ~3s, next 40 reps ~4s, final 30 reps ~5s - Set breaking pattern: 15-12-10-8-8-7-7-6-5-5-5-4-4-4 - Rest between sets: 5-15s increasing 2. EMOM Burpees: - 5 burpees every minute (~20s work) - Forces structured breaks but maintains high heart rate - Total workout time means ~15-25 burpee sets Comparing to Karen benchmark (150 wall balls at 20/14): - Karen L10: 420-480s (M) / 450-510s (F) - This workout is ~2.5-3x harder due to: * Heavier load (135 vs 20lb) * Added burpee tax * More complex movement pattern Final targets: Male: L10: 720s (12:00) L5: 1200s (20:00) L1: 1800s (30:00) Female: L10: 900s (15:00) L5: 1380s (23:00) L1: 2100s (35:00)

Modality Profile

Thruster is a weightlifting movement (barbell), Burpee is a gymnastics movement (bodyweight). With two movements split across two modalities, this results in a 50/50 split between G and W.

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If you enjoy Kalsu, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

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These WODs similar to Kalsu share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.