Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout creates a brutal combination of heavy pressing under extreme fatigue. The 135/95lb push press is moderately heavy for most athletes, but attempting max reps continuously for 13 minutes creates significant shoulder and core fatigue. The 400m run provides minimal recovery while maintaining high heart rate. The AMRAP format prevents meaningful rest, and most athletes will hit muscular failure repeatedly, requiring frequent breaks and weight scaling.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High-volume push press repetitions combined with repeated 400m runs will heavily tax both upper body pressing stamina and leg endurance.
• Endurance (7/10): The 13-minute AMRAP with continuous push press and 400m runs creates significant cardiovascular demand, testing aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Power (7/10): Push press is an explosive overhead movement requiring hip drive and rapid force production, repeated many times under fatigue.
• Strength (6/10): Push press at 135/95 lbs requires moderate to heavy loading, demanding significant overhead pressing strength throughout the workout duration.
• Speed (6/10): Success depends on quick transitions between push press and runs, plus maintaining pace on 400m efforts while managing fatigue.
• Flexibility (4/10): Push press requires adequate shoulder mobility and thoracic extension, while running demands basic hip and ankle mobility for efficient movement.

Movements

• Push Press
• Run

Benchmark Notes

This is a 13-minute AMRAP of push press (135/95) followed by 400m run. Since it's scored as 'Reps', we're tracking total push press repetitions completed. Movement breakdown: Push press at 135/95 is moderately heavy - elite athletes can cycle singles at ~3-4 sec/rep when fresh, intermediates at 4-5 sec/rep, beginners at 5-7 sec/rep. The 400m run takes 75-120 seconds depending on fitness level. Key pattern: Athletes will complete push presses until fatigue forces them to run, then return for more reps. Elite athletes might complete 3-4 cycles (push press sets + runs), intermediates 2-3 cycles, beginners 1-2 cycles. Fatigue considerations: Each subsequent set of push presses becomes harder due to accumulated shoulder/tricep fatigue. Set sizes will decrease: elite might go 15-12-10-8-6 reps per set, intermediates 8-6-5-4-3, beginners 3-2-2-1-1. Time allocation: In 13 minutes (780 seconds), subtracting ~300-400 seconds for 3-4 runs leaves 380-480 seconds for push pressing. Elite: ~200+ reps (2.3 sec/rep average with breaks), Intermediate: ~125 reps (3.8 sec/rep), Beginner: ~45 reps (8.4 sec/rep with longer breaks). This follows similar patterns to other barbell cycling workouts but accounts for the running interruption that provides active recovery for the shoulders while taxing the legs. Final targets - L10: 220+ reps, L5: 125 reps, L1: 45 reps.

Modality Profile

Push Press is a weightlifting movement with external load (barbell), Run is monostructural cardio. Two modalities split evenly.