Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines high-volume bike calories (275/220 total) with heavy behind-neck shoulder presses under significant fatigue. The descending ladder creates no meaningful recovery between movements. Behind-neck presses are technically demanding and dangerous when fatigued, while the bike volume will severely compromise shoulder stability and pressing power. The combination of respiratory fatigue from biking plus heavy overhead pressing creates multiple limiting factors simultaneously.

Benchmark Times for WOD - Part A

• Elite: <14:00
• Advanced: 16:00-18:00
• Intermediate: 20:00-22:00
• Beginner: >35:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Descending calorie bike ladder creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output across multiple rounds with minimal rest.
• Flexibility (8/10): Behind neck shoulder press demands exceptional shoulder mobility and thoracic spine extension, creating high flexibility requirements throughout.
• Stamina (7/10): High volume of behind neck shoulder press reps (55 total) combined with bike calories tests upper body muscular endurance significantly.
• Strength (6/10): Moderate loading at 115/75 lbs for behind neck shoulder press requires meaningful strength, especially as fatigue accumulates through rounds.
• Speed (6/10): Descending ladder format encourages faster cycling between movements, with transition speed becoming increasingly important as rounds progress.
• Power (3/10): Limited explosive demand; bike work is steady state and shoulder press is controlled strength movement rather than power-focused.

Movements

• Air Bike
• Behind Neck Shoulder Press

Benchmark Notes

This is a descending ladder workout with bike calories and behind-neck shoulder press (BNS Press). Total volume: 275/220 calories on bike + 55 BNS Press reps at 115/75 lbs. I'll analyze this by breaking down the bike work and strength components separately, then account for transitions and fatigue. Bike Calorie Analysis: The total bike volume (275 cal male/220 cal female) is substantial. Fresh bike pace estimates: Elite ~12-15 cal/min, Intermediate ~8-10 cal/min, Recreational ~6-8 cal/min. However, this is broken into 11 separate sets with strength work between, so recovery occurs. Estimated bike times: Elite 18-22 min, Intermediate 22-27 min, Recreational 27-35 min. Behind-Neck Shoulder Press Analysis: 55 total reps at 115/75 lbs is moderate-heavy loading for most athletes. BNS Press is technically demanding and shoulder-intensive. Fresh pace estimates: Elite 2-3 sec/rep, Intermediate 3-4 sec/rep, Recreational 4-6 sec/rep. With fatigue and set breaks: Elite 3-4 min total, Intermediate 4-6 min, Recreational 6-9 min. Transition and Set Break Considerations: 11 transitions between bike and barbell work. Elite athletes: 5-8 sec per transition (55-88 sec total). Intermediate: 8-12 sec (88-132 sec). Recreational: 12-20 sec (132-220 sec). The descending ladder allows some recovery between sets. Fatigue Multipliers: The bike work will accumulate leg fatigue but shouldn't severely impact shoulder pressing. The BNS Press will create significant shoulder fatigue by the later rounds. Applied 1.1-1.3x multiplier for later rounds. Cross-Reference Check: This workout doesn't match any iconic benchmarks exactly, but the total volume and mixed modal nature suggests times similar to longer CrossFit workouts. The bike volume is comparable to multiple rounds of moderate cardio work, while the strength component adds significant time. Final Calculation: Elite (L9-L10): 14-16 min, Intermediate (L5): 22 min, Recreational (L1-L2): 30-35 min. These times account for the substantial bike volume, moderate-heavy pressing load, and accumulated fatigue across 11 rounds. Recap - Male targets: L10: 840 sec (14:00), L5: 1320 sec (22:00), L1: 2100 sec (35:00)

Modality Profile

Two movements: Bike (monostructural cardio) and Behind Neck Shoulder Press (weightlifting with external load). Equal split between M and W modalities.