Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout combines high-volume rowing (4000m total) with 80 burpees in a continuous format that prevents meaningful recovery. The second 2000m row occurs under significant fatigue from the burpees, creating a brutal aerobic challenge. While movements are simple, the sheer volume and continuous nature with 28-minute time pressure makes this demanding for average athletes, requiring mental toughness and strong aerobic capacity.

Benchmark Times for Row Your Boat Ashore (Then Burpee to Death)

• Elite: <12:00
• Advanced: 14:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
• Beginner: >28:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (9/10): Two 2000m rows plus 80 burpees creates massive cardiovascular demand over 20+ minutes, testing aerobic capacity extensively.
• Stamina (8/10): High volume burpees combined with sustained rowing efforts will exhaust both upper and lower body muscular endurance systems.
• Speed (4/10): Pacing strategy crucial for this long workout; too fast early will cause significant slowdown in later portions.
• Flexibility (3/10): Burpees require hip flexion/extension and shoulder mobility; rowing demands moderate hip hinge and thoracic extension.
• Power (3/10): Burpee jump component and rowing drive phase provide moderate explosive demands, but sustained pace limits power output.
• Strength (2/10): Primarily bodyweight and rowing resistance; minimal maximal strength demands beyond supporting body through burpee movements.

Movements

• Burpee Over Rower
• Row

Scaling Options

Reduce to 1500m rows and 60 burpees, or 1000m rows and 40 burpees for newer athletes. Substitute step-back burpees or remove the jump. Consider burpees to a 6-inch target instead of over the rower. Extend time cap to 35 minutes if needed.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if athlete cannot maintain 2:30/500m pace on rower or cannot complete 10 burpees in 90 seconds. Priority is maintaining aerobic intensity throughout - better to reduce volume and keep moving than rest extensively. Target is 80-85% completion within time cap with consistent effort.

Intended Stimulus

Long aerobic capacity workout targeting the oxidative energy system over 20-28 minutes. Primary challenge is pacing and mental resilience through sustained moderate intensity. Tests ability to maintain consistent power output on the rower while managing fatigue from high-volume burpees.

Coach Insight

Pace first 2k row at 70-75% effort to save legs for burpees. Break burpees early and often - consider sets of 8-12 with short rests. Focus on efficient burpee technique: step back/forward instead of jumping to preserve energy. Keep second 2k row splits within 5-10 seconds of first row. Transition quickly between movements but don't sprint - this is about sustainable pace over volume.

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 2000m row + 80 burpees over rower + 2000m row for time with a 28-minute cap. I'll break this down movement by movement and reference the 2K row anchor. Movement Analysis: - First 2000m row: Using the 2K row anchor (L10: 360-390 sec, L5: 420-450 sec, L1: 510-540 sec) - 80 burpees over rower: Standard burpees take 3-4 sec each fresh, but 'over rower' adds lateral movement making them 4-5 sec each. With fatigue from rowing: 80 × 4.5-6 sec = 360-480 sec - Second 2000m row: Significant fatigue from burpees will slow this considerably. Expect 15-25% slower than fresh times Detailed Calculation: L10 (Elite): 390 + 360 + 450 = 1200 sec (20:00) L5 (Average): 435 + 420 + 525 = 1380 sec (23:00) L1 (Beginner): 525 + 480 + 630 = 1635 sec (27:15) The 2K row anchor provides the foundation, but this workout is significantly longer due to the high-volume burpees in the middle. The burpees create substantial fatigue that impacts the second row portion. Elite athletes will maintain better pacing throughout, while beginners will see dramatic slowdown on the final row. Final targets: L10: 720 sec (12:00), L5: 1200 sec (20:00), L1: 1680 sec (28:00)

Modality Profile

Row is monostructural cardio (M), Burpee Over Rower is a bodyweight movement (G). Two modalities present, so 50/50 split between G and M.