Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While individual elements seem manageable, the combination creates significant challenges. Alternating pistols require high unilateral strength and balance - most athletes will struggle with 20 reps, especially after running. Push-ups following pistols means compromised upper body with pre-fatigued legs. The continuous format across 3 rounds with no built-in rest amplifies fatigue accumulation. Many will need to scale pistols to assisted versions.

Benchmark Times for Run, Pistols, Push Ups (:34 - :50)

• Elite: <7:00
• Advanced: 8:00-9:00
• Intermediate: 10:00-11:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of pistols and push-ups across three rounds will heavily tax muscular endurance, especially in the legs and upper body.
• Endurance (7/10): Three rounds of 400m runs with bodyweight movements creates significant cardiovascular demand and tests aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Flexibility (7/10): Pistols demand exceptional ankle, hip, and knee mobility while maintaining balance and control through full range of motion.
• Speed (5/10): Maintaining consistent pace across three rounds and efficient transitions between movements will determine overall performance.
• Strength (4/10): Pistols require significant single-leg strength and push-ups demand upper body strength, though primarily bodyweight resistance.
• Power (3/10): Running provides some power element, but pistols and push-ups are more strength-endurance focused with minimal explosive demand.

Movements

• Run
• Pistol Squat
• Push-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 3 rounds of 400m run, 20 alternating pistols, and 30 push-ups for time. I'll analyze this using Helen as the primary anchor, which is 3 rounds of 400m run, 21 KB swings (53/35), and 12 pull-ups. Helen benchmarks: L10 450-510 sec, L5 630-690 sec, L1 900-1080 sec. Movement breakdown per round: 400m run takes 75-120 sec across levels. 20 alternating pistols (10 per leg) at 2-3 sec per rep = 20-30 sec fresh, but pistols require significant balance and unilateral strength, adding fatigue. 30 push-ups at 1-1.5 sec per rep = 30-45 sec fresh. Round 1 (fresh): Run 75-120 sec, pistols 20-30 sec, push-ups 30-45 sec = 125-195 sec. Round 2 (1.1x fatigue): Run 83-132 sec, pistols 22-33 sec, push-ups 33-50 sec = 138-215 sec. Round 3 (1.2x fatigue): Run 90-144 sec, pistols 24-36 sec, push-ups 36-54 sec = 150-234 sec. Total: 413-644 sec plus transitions (15-30 sec total). Compared to Helen, this workout has similar running volume but pistols are more technically demanding than KB swings, and 30 push-ups vs 12 pull-ups creates more upper body volume. The pistol complexity and higher push-up volume should add 10-15% to Helen times. Adjusted from Helen: L10 495-560 sec, L5 693-759 sec, L1 990-1188 sec. Final targets: L10: 420-480 sec, L5: 660 sec, L1: 1080 sec.

Modality Profile

Run (M), Pistol Squat (G), Push-Up (G). Two gymnastics movements and one monostructural movement, so 67% Gymnastics and 33% Monostructural.