Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 135/95lb front squats are moderately heavy for most athletes, but the 21-15-9 rep scheme creates significant leg fatigue accumulation. Adding lateral barbell burpees between squat sets prevents recovery and compounds the challenge - athletes must navigate around the loaded barbell while already fatigued. The combination of moderate-heavy squatting with continuous burpee movement creates substantial metabolic and muscular demands that will require scaling for many.

Benchmark Times for QUICKSAND

• Elite: <4:00
• Advanced: 4:40-5:20
• Intermediate: 6:00-7:00
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume front squats combined with burpees will severely test leg and core muscular endurance, particularly in the opening round of 21 reps.
• Endurance (7/10): The 21-15-9 format with minimal rest between movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially as fatigue accumulates through the descending rep scheme.
• Strength (6/10): Front squats at 135/95 lbs require moderate to heavy loading for most athletes, testing absolute strength under fatigue from the burpees.
• Speed (6/10): The couplet format and descending reps reward fast transitions and aggressive pacing, though heavy front squats will limit overall cycling speed.
• Flexibility (4/10): Front squats demand good ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility, while lateral burpees require basic lateral movement patterns and overhead reach.
• Power (3/10): Burpees have some explosive component in the jump, but the overall workout favors strength-endurance over pure power output due to loading.

Movements

• Lateral Burpee Over Bar
• Front Squat

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a 21-15-9 rep scheme with front squats at 135/95 lbs and lateral barbell burpees. I'll analyze this by comparing to similar benchmarks and breaking down movement by movement. Closest anchor comparison: This is most similar to Elizabeth (21-15-9 squat clean 135/95 + ring dip) with L10: 160-200 sec, L5: 360-420 sec, L1: 540-720 sec. However, this workout will be significantly slower due to: 1) Front squats being more leg-intensive than squat cleans, 2) Lateral barbell burpees being much slower than ring dips. Movement breakdown: - Front Squat (135 lbs): ~2.5-3 sec per rep fresh, but will slow significantly under fatigue - Lateral Barbell Burpee: ~5-6 sec per rep (step over barbell, burpee, step back) Round-by-round analysis: Round 1 (21 reps each): Front squats done in 2-3 sets (21 total reps = ~60-75 sec), lateral burpees in singles/doubles (~105-126 sec), transitions ~10 sec. Total: ~175-210 sec Round 2 (15 reps each): Significant leg fatigue from front squats. Front squats now 3-4 sets (~50-70 sec), burpees slower due to fatigue (~90-105 sec), transitions ~8 sec. Total: ~148-183 sec Round 3 (9 reps each): Heavy fatigue, front squats in smaller sets (~35-50 sec), burpees very slow (~60-75 sec), transitions ~5 sec. Total: ~100-130 sec Total estimated times: - Elite (L10): 240 sec (4:00) - can maintain larger sets, efficient transitions - Advanced (L5): 420 sec (7:00) - moderate set breaking, some rest between movements - Novice (L1): 720 sec (12:00) - heavy set breaking, longer rest periods This is significantly slower than Elizabeth due to the metabolic demand of front squats and the awkward, time-consuming nature of lateral barbell burpees. The workout will heavily tax the legs and require significant rest between sets. Final targets: L10: 240 sec (4:00), L5: 420 sec (7:00), L1: 720 sec (12:00)

Modality Profile

Front Squat is a weightlifting movement with external load (50%), Lateral Burpee Over Bar is a bodyweight gymnastics movement (50%). No monostructural cardio movements present.