Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This workout combines moderate cardiovascular demand with basic bodyweight movements. The 800m runs provide aerobic challenge while backwards running adds coordination complexity. Air squats and death march steps are manageable volumes for average athletes. The 2-round structure allows brief recovery between rounds. While the backwards running creates some skill demand and the total volume accumulates fatigue, the movements don't significantly interfere with each other, keeping it in medium territory.

Benchmark Times for Part 1 of Our 2 Part Series

• Elite: <8:30
• Advanced: 9:30-10:30
• Intermediate: 11:30-12:30
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Two rounds of running with bodyweight movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, testing aerobic capacity over sustained effort.
• Stamina (7/10): Air squats and death march steps challenge leg muscular endurance, while backwards running adds unique stamina demands.
• Speed (5/10): Pacing strategy important across different movement patterns; transitions between running variations and bodyweight movements affect overall time.
• Flexibility (4/10): Backwards running requires hip mobility and coordination; death march and air squats demand moderate range of motion.
• Strength (2/10): Primarily bodyweight movements with minimal strength requirements; death march may provide moderate load depending on implementation.
• Power (2/10): Limited explosive demands; primarily steady-state movements with minimal power output requirements throughout the workout.

Movements

• Air Squat
• Death March
• Run
• Run Backwards

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 2 rounds of: 800m run, 30 air squats, 400m run backwards, 30 steps 'death' march. I'll analyze each component and apply fatigue multipliers. Movement breakdown per round: - 800m run: 150-210 sec (fresh state) - 30 air squats: 30-45 sec (1-1.5 sec per rep) - 400m run backwards: 120-180 sec (significantly slower than forward running, ~50% penalty) - 30 steps death march: 60-90 sec (weighted overhead carry, ~2-3 sec per step) Round 1 (fresh): 800m run (180 sec) + 30 air squats (35 sec) + 400m backwards run (150 sec) + 30 death march steps (75 sec) = 440 sec Transitions: 3 transitions × 5 sec = 15 sec Round 1 total: 455 sec Round 2 (fatigued): Apply 1.2x fatigue multiplier due to accumulated leg fatigue from running and squats 800m run (216 sec) + 30 air squats (42 sec) + 400m backwards run (180 sec) + 30 death march steps (90 sec) = 528 sec Transitions: 3 transitions × 5 sec = 15 sec Round 2 total: 543 sec Total workout time estimate: 455 + 543 = 998 sec (~16:40) This workout is most similar to Helen (3 rounds: 400m run, 21 KB swings, 12 pull-ups) but with different movement patterns and longer total distance. Helen benchmarks: L10: 450-510 sec, L5: 630-690 sec, L1: 900-1080 sec. However, this workout has significantly more running volume (2400m total vs 1200m in Helen) and the backwards running component adds substantial difficulty. Adjusting from Helen anchor with +60-80% time due to: doubled running volume, backwards running penalty, and death march complexity. This places elite times around 8-9 minutes, recreational around 15-18 minutes. Final targets - L10: 510 sec (8:30), L5: 750 sec (12:30), L1: 1080 sec (18:00)

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Run and Run Backwards are monostructural (50%), Air Squat is gymnastics (25%), Death March is weightlifting (25%)