Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This classic couplet combines moderate-heavy thrusters with high-rep burpees in a descending ladder format that prevents meaningful recovery. The 115/75lb thrusters become increasingly difficult as shoulder and leg fatigue accumulates from the burpees. The continuous nature with 45 total reps of each movement creates significant metabolic demand. Most average CrossFitters will need multiple breaks and potentially scale the weight, making this a challenging but achievable workout.

Benchmark Times for HEART BREAK

• Elite: <3:45
• Advanced: 4:15-4:45
• Intermediate: 5:30-6:30
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume of thrusters and burpees will severely test muscular endurance in legs, shoulders, and core with minimal rest between movements.
• Endurance (8/10): The 21-15-9 format with thrusters and burpees creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output throughout the descending rep scheme.
• Speed (8/10): Fast cycling between movements and quick transitions are crucial for competitive times in this sprint-style workout format.
• Power (7/10): Both thrusters and burpees require explosive hip extension and quick transitions, especially maintaining power output as fatigue increases.
• Strength (6/10): 115/75lb thrusters require moderate strength, especially as fatigue accumulates, but not maximal strength output like heavy singles or doubles.
• Flexibility (4/10): Thrusters demand good overhead mobility and ankle flexibility, while burpees require basic hip and shoulder range of motion throughout.

Movements

• Thruster
• Burpee

Benchmark Notes

This workout is a modified version of the iconic Fran benchmark, with burpees replacing pull-ups and heavier thrusters (115/75 vs 95/65). Using Fran as the primary anchor: L10: 120-140 sec, L5: 320-360 sec, L1: 540-660 sec. Movement breakdown: Thrusters at 115/75 (20-30% heavier than Fran) will be significantly slower - elite athletes averaging 3-4 sec per rep vs 2-3 sec in Fran. Burpees are much more metabolically demanding than pull-ups, averaging 4-5 sec per rep vs 1-2 sec for kipping pull-ups. Round-by-round analysis: Round 1 (21 reps each): Thrusters 63-84 sec, transition 3-5 sec, Burpees 84-105 sec = 150-194 sec. Round 2 (15 reps each): Thrusters 54-72 sec (1.2x fatigue), transition 3-5 sec, Burpees 72-90 sec (1.2x fatigue) = 129-167 sec. Round 3 (9 reps each): Thrusters 36-48 sec (1.3x fatigue), transition 3-5 sec, Burpees 45-58 sec (1.3x fatigue) = 84-111 sec. Total estimated times: Elite 363-472 sec, Intermediate 540-720 sec, Novice 900-1200 sec. The heavier load and burpee substitution justifies approximately 2.5-3x slower than Fran times. Final targets: L10: 225 sec (3:45), L5: 390 sec (6:30), L1: 720 sec (12:00).

Modality Profile

Two movements: Thruster (weightlifting with barbell/external load) and Burpee (gymnastics bodyweight movement). Equal split between weightlifting and gymnastics modalities.