Workout Description
Why This Workout Is Very Hard
This 12 Days of Christmas format creates extreme volume accumulation - 78 total exercises with wall walks and handstand push-ups repeated 12 and 2 times respectively. The combination of high-skill movements (wall walks, HSPUs, pistols) performed under severe fatigue, plus the continuous nature with no programmed rest, creates multiple limiting factors. Average athletes will struggle with skill breakdown and volume tolerance, requiring significant scaling.
Benchmark Times for 12 Days of Christmas
- Elite: <20:00
- Advanced: 22:00-24:00
- Intermediate: 27:00-31:00
- Beginner: >60:00
Training Focus
This workout develops the following fitness attributes:
- Stamina (10/10): Extreme muscular endurance test with 78 total exercises performed, heavily taxing upper body, core, and leg stamina through continuous bodyweight movements.
- Endurance (9/10): The cumulative 12 rounds with increasing volume creates massive cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the extended workout duration.
- Flexibility (6/10): Wall walks, candlesticks, handstand push-ups, and pistols all require above-average mobility and range of motion in shoulders, hips, and ankles.
- Strength (4/10): Handstand push-ups and pistols require significant relative strength, while wall walks and other movements demand moderate bodyweight strength throughout.
- Speed (4/10): Efficient transitions between the 12 different movements and maintaining pace through fatigue becomes increasingly important as rounds accumulate.
- Power (3/10): Jumping squats, jumping lunges, and broad jumps provide moderate explosive demands, but most movements focus on controlled strength endurance.
Movements
- Pistol Squat
- Candlestick
- Push-Up
- Air Squat
- Walking Lunge
- Wall Walk
- Jumping Squat
- Burpee
- Sit-Up
- Jumping Lunge
- Broad Jump
- Handstand Push-Up
Benchmark Notes
This is a complex 'Christmas Tree' style workout with 12 rounds, where each round adds a new exercise while repeating all previous ones. Total movement count: Round 1: 1 rep, Round 2: 3 reps, Round 3: 6 reps... Round 12: 78 reps, for a grand total of 364 total repetitions across 12 different movements. Movement-by-movement breakdown: - Wall walks (78 total): 3-5 sec each = 234-390 sec - Candlesticks (66 total): 2-3 sec each = 132-198 sec - Burpees (55 total): 3-4 sec each = 165-220 sec - Push-ups (45 total): 1-1.5 sec each = 45-68 sec - Walking lunges (36 total): 1.5 sec each = 54 sec - Air squats (28 total): 1-1.5 sec each = 28-42 sec - Sit-ups (21 total): 1.5 sec each = 32 sec - Jumping squats (15 total): 2 sec each = 30 sec - Jumping lunges (10 total): 2 sec each = 20 sec - Broad jumps (6 total): 3 sec each = 18 sec - Handstand push-ups (3 total): 8-12 sec each in complex = 24-36 sec - Pistols (1 total): 3 sec = 3 sec Base movement time: 785-1061 seconds Fatigue multipliers applied progressively: - Rounds 1-3: 1.0x (fresh) - Rounds 4-6: 1.15x (moderate fatigue) - Rounds 7-9: 1.3x (significant fatigue) - Rounds 10-12: 1.5x (heavy fatigue) Transition time between movements: ~2-4 seconds per transition, approximately 150 total transitions = 300-600 seconds Set breaking considerations: Wall walks and handstand push-ups will require rest, burpees will slow significantly in later rounds. Mental fatigue from the complex pattern adds 10-15%. Total estimated time with fatigue and transitions: 1200-3600 seconds (20-60 minutes) This workout is most similar to Angie (100-100-100-100 bodyweight movements) but with much higher complexity and skill requirements. Angie benchmarks: L10: 900-1080 sec, L5: 1320-1500 sec, L1: 1980-2400 sec. However, this workout has higher skill movements (wall walks, handstand push-ups, pistols) and complex sequencing, justifying 20-30% longer times. Final targets - L10: 1200 sec (20:00), L5: 1860 sec (31:00), L1: 3600 sec (60:00)
Modality Profile
All 12 movements (Wall Walk, Candlestick, Burpee, Push-Up, Walking Lunge, Air Squat, Sit-Up, Jumping Squat, Jumping Lunge, Broad Jump, Handstand Push-Up, Pistol) are bodyweight gymnastics movements with no external load or cyclical cardio components.
Training Profile
| Attribute | Score | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance | 9/10 | The cumulative 12 rounds with increasing volume creates massive cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the extended workout duration. |
| Stamina | 10/10 | Extreme muscular endurance test with 78 total exercises performed, heavily taxing upper body, core, and leg stamina through continuous bodyweight movements. |
| Strength | 4/10 | Handstand push-ups and pistols require significant relative strength, while wall walks and other movements demand moderate bodyweight strength throughout. |
| Flexibility | 6/10 | Wall walks, candlesticks, handstand push-ups, and pistols all require above-average mobility and range of motion in shoulders, hips, and ankles. |
| Power | 3/10 | Jumping squats, jumping lunges, and broad jumps provide moderate explosive demands, but most movements focus on controlled strength endurance. |
| Speed | 4/10 | Efficient transitions between the 12 different movements and maintaining pace through fatigue becomes increasingly important as rounds accumulate. |
12 rounds for time, starting with 1 and adding an exercise each round of:1 wall walk2 candlesticks3 burpees4 push-ups5 walking lunges6 air squats7 sit-ups8 jumping squats9 jumping lunges10 broad jumps11 handstand push-ups12 pistolsPerform the workout like the "12 Days of Christmas" song. In round 1 perform 1 wall walk. In round 2 perform 2 candlesticks and then one wall walk. In round 3 perform 3 burpees, then 2 candlesticks, then 1 wall walk. Continue adding a new exercise each round.