Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Two back-to-back 5-minute AMRAPs with minimal rest creates significant fatigue accumulation. The 95/65lb weights are moderate but become challenging under continuous high-intensity work. Overhead squats demand shoulder stability while fatigued, and thrusters hit the same muscle groups immediately after. The 21-15-9 rep scheme forces large unbroken sets early when fresh, but the second AMRAP occurs with pre-fatigue, making the combination quite demanding for average athletes.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High-rep overhead squats and thrusters with pull-ups will severely tax upper body and leg muscular endurance, especially grip stamina.
• Endurance (7/10): Two 5-minute AMRAPs with minimal rest between creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output throughout both couplets.
• Flexibility (6/10): Overhead squats demand significant ankle, hip, and shoulder mobility; thrusters require good front rack and overhead positions.
• Speed (6/10): AMRAP format rewards fast transitions and quick movement cycling, especially important given the grip-intensive nature of both couplets.
• Power (5/10): Thrusters are inherently explosive, and maintaining power output through fatigue in AMRAP format creates moderate power demands.
• Strength (4/10): 95/65lb loads provide moderate strength demand, particularly in overhead positions, but not maximal strength requirements.

Movements

• Thruster
• Overhead Squat
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
• Toes-to-Bar

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of two separate 5-minute AMRAPs with a 5-minute rest between them. The scoring is total reps across both AMRAPs. AMRAP 1 (5 minutes): 21-15-9 Overhead Squats (95/65) + Toes-to-Bar - Total reps per round: 42 (21+21, 15+15, 9+9) - Complete cycle = 126 reps - Movement times: O/H Squats at 95/65 are challenging - approximately 2.5-3.5 sec per rep when fresh, degrading to 4-5 sec per rep in later rounds due to shoulder fatigue. Toes-to-Bar: 1.5-2.5 sec per rep fresh, degrading to 3-4 sec per rep with grip/core fatigue. - Elite athletes (L9-L10) can complete 1+ full rounds (126+ reps) in 5 minutes - Average athletes (L5) complete about 80-90 reps - Beginners (L1-L2) complete 40-50 reps AMRAP 2 (5 minutes): 21-15-9 Thrusters (95/65) + Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups - Same rep scheme: 126 reps per complete cycle - This closely resembles Fran (21-15-9 Thruster + Pull-Up) but with chest-to-bar instead of regular pull-ups and a 5-minute time cap instead of for-time - Thrusters at 95/65: 2-3 sec per rep fresh, degrading to 3-4 sec with metabolic fatigue - Chest-to-Bar: 1.5-2.5 sec per rep fresh, degrading significantly with grip fatigue - Elite athletes can complete 1+ rounds (126+ reps) - Average athletes complete 70-85 reps - Beginners complete 35-45 reps Fatigue considerations: The 5-minute rest allows partial recovery, but cumulative fatigue from AMRAP 1 will affect AMRAP 2 performance by approximately 10-15%. Total rep calculations: - L10 (Elite): 150 + 140 = 290 reps - L5 (Average): 85 + 75 = 160 reps - L1 (Beginner): 45 + 35 = 80 reps Using Fran as an anchor reference, elite Fran times of 2:00-2:20 suggest these athletes can complete the full 90 reps in about 2 minutes, leaving 3 minutes for additional reps. This supports the 150+ rep estimate for AMRAP 1. Final targets: L10: 330+ reps, L5: 210 reps, L1: 90 reps

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Toes-to-Bar and Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up are gymnastics (bodyweight), while Overhead Squat and Thruster are weightlifting (external load). 2/4 = 50% each for G and W, 0% M.