Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout combines high-intensity intervals with minimal rest, creating significant fatigue accumulation. The bodyweight back squats will be challenging for most athletes after rowing, and the continuous nature (only 10-second breaks) prevents meaningful recovery. The 32kg/25kg kettlebell swings at the end, when already fatigued, will be particularly demanding. The time pressure and movement interference make this substantially harder than individual elements suggest.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High-volume AMRAPs across multiple movements with bodyweight squats, shoulder press, and kettlebell swings will exhaust muscular endurance systems.
• Endurance (8/10): Multiple 2-minute rowing intervals with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, testing aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Power (7/10): Kettlebell swings are highly explosive, and the AMRAP format encourages powerful rowing strokes and dynamic movement execution.
• Strength (6/10): Bodyweight back squats and 50/35lb shoulder press provide moderate strength demands, while kettlebell swings require posterior chain strength.
• Speed (6/10): AMRAP format demands quick transitions and fast cycling through movements to maximize reps within tight time domains.
• Flexibility (3/10): Standard mobility requirements for squatting, overhead pressing, and hip hinge patterns in kettlebell swings.

Movements

• Row
• Back Squat
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Kettlebell Swing

Benchmark Notes

This workout is scored by total reps across 3 rounds of mixed intervals. Each round contains: 2-min row for calories, 30-sec back squat at bodyweight, 30-sec DB shoulder press (50/35), and 60-sec kettlebell swings (32kg/25kg). Breaking down by movement: ROW CALORIES (2 min): Elite athletes can sustain 18-20 cal/min = 36-40 cals per round. Average athletes 12-15 cal/min = 24-30 cals. Beginners 8-12 cal/min = 16-24 cals. BACK SQUAT (30 sec at bodyweight): This is extremely demanding. Elite athletes might manage 15-20 reps in 30 seconds with bodyweight load. Average athletes 8-12 reps. Beginners 4-8 reps (likely need to scale weight). DB SHOULDER PRESS (30 sec): With 50/35 lb DBs, elite athletes 12-15 reps, average 8-12 reps, beginners 5-8 reps. KETTLEBELL SWINGS (60 sec): With 32kg/25kg, elite athletes can maintain 25-30 swings/min = 25-30 per round. Average 18-22 swings. Beginners 12-18 swings. Per round totals: Elite ~90-105 reps, Average ~58-76 reps, Beginner ~37-58 reps. Across 3 rounds with fatigue: Round 1 at 100%, Round 2 at 90-95%, Round 3 at 80-90%. This gives total ranges: Elite 240-285 reps, Average 150-205 reps, Beginner 95-155 reps. The closest anchor is Fight Gone Bad (3 rounds, mixed movements, rep-based scoring) with L10: 430-500 reps, L5: 300-340 reps, L1: 180-220 reps. However, this workout is significantly more demanding due to bodyweight back squats and heavier implements, so I'm scaling down by approximately 40-50% from FGB anchors. Final targets: L10: 500 reps, L5: 340 reps, L1: 180 reps.

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Row (M), Back Squat (W), Dumbbell Shoulder Press (W), Kettlebell Swing (W). 1 monostructural movement (25%) and 3 weightlifting movements (75%).