Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines extreme lower body volume (620 total lunges) with 100 burpees interspersed throughout. The ascending rep scheme means fatigue compounds significantly, with the largest sets coming when most tired. The burpees after each lunge set prevent any meaningful recovery. Most athletes will struggle with leg endurance and breathing, likely taking 25-35 minutes with multiple breaks required.

Benchmark Times for The Happening

• 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): The ascending rep scheme totaling 550 lunges plus 100 burpees creates extreme lower body and total body muscular endurance demands.
• Endurance (8/10): High-volume lunges combined with burpees creates significant cardiovascular demand over an extended period, especially in later rounds as volume increases dramatically.
• Speed (5/10): Early rounds can be cycled quickly, but pacing becomes crucial as volume increases and fatigue sets in.
• Flexibility (4/10): Lunges require decent hip mobility and burpees demand moderate shoulder flexibility, but movements aren't extremely technical.
• Power (3/10): Burpees have some explosive component, but the volume makes this more about endurance than power output.
• Strength (2/10): Bodyweight movements only, focusing on endurance rather than maximal strength, though legs will fatigue significantly.

Movements

• Burpee
• Alternating Lunge

Scaling Options

Beginner option: Cap at 50 reps max per round, reduce total rounds to 3-4. Intermediate option: 10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10 pyramid scheme. Movement subs: Regular lunges (no alternating), walking lunges, or split squats. For burpees: Step-back burpees, no push-up burpees, or mountain climbers (20 reps). Add time cap of 25-30 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 20 alternating lunges with good form or if burpees take more than 15 seconds per set. Priority is maintaining full range of motion on lunges - knee should touch or nearly touch ground. Target time domain is 15-25 minutes - scale volume if you'll exceed this significantly. Athletes should be able to keep moving steadily, even if slowly, throughout workout. If requiring extended breaks, reduce volume.

Intended Stimulus

Long-duration glycolytic/oxidative workout (15-25 minutes) that tests muscular endurance and mental toughness. The ascending rep scheme creates increasing time under tension in the legs while burpees maintain elevated heart rate throughout. Primary challenge is maintaining movement quality under accumulating leg fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break up lunges early - don't go unbroken on larger sets. For 50+ reps, consider breaking into 20-30 rep chunks. Keep burpees consistent but not rushed - they're your recovery. Count lunges by alternating sides (1L-1R = 2 reps). Stand tall between reps, don't rush transitions. Common failure point is rushing early sets then hitting severe leg fatigue around 60-70 reps. Consider 2:1 work-to-rest ratio on larger sets.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10 rep scheme) but with significantly more volume. Total lunges: 550 reps + 100 burpees. Breakdown: - Alternating Lunges (per rep): 1.5-2 sec fresh - Burpees: 3-4 sec fresh Set analysis: 10 lunges (20 sec) + 10 burpees (35 sec) = 55 sec 20 lunges (45 sec) + 10 burpees (40 sec) = 85 sec 30 lunges (75 sec) + 10 burpees (45 sec) = 120 sec 40 lunges (110 sec) + 10 burpees (50 sec) = 160 sec 50 lunges (150 sec) + 10 burpees (55 sec) = 205 sec 60 lunges (195 sec) + 10 burpees (60 sec) = 255 sec 70 lunges (245 sec) + 10 burpees (65 sec) = 310 sec 80 lunges (300 sec) + 10 burpees (70 sec) = 370 sec 90 lunges (360 sec) + 10 burpees (75 sec) = 435 sec 100 lunges (425 sec) + 10 burpees (80 sec) = 505 sec Applying Annie anchor scaling (this workout is ~2.5x volume): L10 (Elite): 12:00 (720 sec) L5 (Intermediate): 20:00 (1200 sec) L1 (Beginner): 30:00 (1800 sec) Interpolated other levels with 10-15% spreads due to long duration.

Modality Profile

Both Alternating Lunges and Burpees are bodyweight/gymnastics movements. Lunges fall under bodyweight leg movements, and Burpees are a classic gymnastics movement combining multiple bodyweight elements. With both movements being gymnastics-based, this workout is 100% gymnastics modality.

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