Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 45/25lb overhead plate creates significant shoulder fatigue during 40 walking lunges, which directly compromises the subsequent strict pull-ups. Five rounds with no built-in rest means cumulative fatigue builds substantially. The combination of overhead stability demands, leg fatigue from lunges, and strict pulling strength requirements under mounting fatigue pushes this beyond medium difficulty. Most athletes will need to break movements significantly or scale the plate weight.

Benchmark Times for VADER

• Elite: <12:00
• Advanced: 14:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
• Beginner: >30:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of overhead lunges plus strict pull-ups and toes-to-bar will severely test upper body and core muscular endurance.
• Endurance (7/10): Five rounds for time with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially with overhead lunges taxing the aerobic system continuously.
• Flexibility (6/10): Overhead lunges demand significant shoulder mobility and hip flexibility, while toes-to-bar requires good hamstring and lat flexibility.
• Speed (6/10): For time format encourages quick transitions and steady pacing, though grip fatigue from pull-ups may limit cycling speed.
• Strength (4/10): Overhead plate lunges require moderate strength, while strict pull-ups demand relative strength, but not maximal loads.
• Power (2/10): Primarily strength endurance movements with minimal explosive demands; strict pull-ups and controlled lunges emphasize control over power.

Movements

• Lunge
• Toes-to-Bar
• Strict Pull-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 5 rounds of 40 lunges with plate overhead (45/25), 5 strict pull-ups, and 5 toes-to-bar. I'll analyze each movement and apply fatigue multipliers across rounds. Movement Analysis: - 40 Lunges with plate overhead: This is a challenging movement combining lower body work with overhead stability. At fresh state, lunges take ~1.5 sec per rep, but with overhead loading expect 2-2.5 sec per rep initially. - 5 Strict pull-ups: More demanding than kipping, requiring 2-3 sec per rep when fresh. - 5 Toes-to-bar: Standard gymnastics movement, 2-2.5 sec per rep when fresh. Round-by-round breakdown: Round 1 (fresh): 40 lunges × 2.5 sec = 100 sec, 5 strict pull-ups × 2.5 sec = 12.5 sec, 5 toes-to-bar × 2 sec = 10 sec, transitions = 10 sec. Total: ~133 sec Round 2 (1.1x fatigue): 40 lunges × 2.8 sec = 112 sec, 5 strict pull-ups × 2.8 sec = 14 sec, 5 toes-to-bar × 2.2 sec = 11 sec, transitions = 10 sec. Total: ~147 sec Round 3 (1.2x fatigue): 40 lunges × 3.0 sec = 120 sec, 5 strict pull-ups × 3.0 sec = 15 sec, 5 toes-to-bar × 2.4 sec = 12 sec, transitions = 10 sec. Total: ~157 sec Round 4 (1.3x fatigue): 40 lunges × 3.3 sec = 132 sec, 5 strict pull-ups × 3.3 sec = 16.5 sec, 5 toes-to-bar × 2.6 sec = 13 sec, transitions = 10 sec. Total: ~172 sec Round 5 (1.4x fatigue): 40 lunges × 3.5 sec = 140 sec, 5 strict pull-ups × 3.5 sec = 17.5 sec, 5 toes-to-bar × 2.8 sec = 14 sec, transitions = 10 sec. Total: ~182 sec Total for elite (L10): ~791 sec, rounded to 720 sec accounting for superior movement efficiency and minimal rest. This workout doesn't match any iconic benchmark exactly, but shares similarities with Helen (3 rounds with pull-ups) and other gymnastics-heavy workouts. Helen's L10 anchor is 450-510 sec for 3 rounds, so scaling to 5 rounds with more challenging movements (strict pull-ups, overhead lunges) suggests 720-840 sec is appropriate for L10. Final targets - Male: L10: 720 sec (12:00), L5: 1200 sec (20:00), L1: 1800 sec (30:00)

Modality Profile

All three movements (Lunge, Strict Pull-Up, Toes-to-Bar) are bodyweight gymnastics movements with no external load or cyclical cardio components.