Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 21-minute AMRAP creates significant cardiovascular fatigue with no built-in rest. The 400m run prevents full recovery between rounds, while the high-volume push-ups (21) immediately after running challenges upper body endurance. The combination of burpees after box jumps creates leg fatigue that makes the pull-ups more challenging. Most athletes will complete 4-5 rounds but struggle with maintaining pace throughout.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High-volume bodyweight movements combined with running creates substantial muscular endurance demands, especially in pushing and pulling patterns.
• Endurance (7/10): The 21-minute AMRAP with 400m runs creates significant cardiovascular demand. Continuous movement with minimal rest taxes aerobic capacity throughout.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions between movements and fast-paced running intervals are crucial. Workout rewards efficient movement cycling.
• Power (6/10): Box jumps require explosive hip extension, while burpees demand power endurance. Running and gymnastics movements are less power-focused.
• Flexibility (4/10): Box jumps and burpees require moderate hip mobility, while pull-ups demand shoulder flexibility. Nothing extreme in ROM requirements.
• Strength (3/10): Primarily tests relative bodyweight strength endurance through push-ups and pull-ups, but maximal strength is not the limiting factor.

Movements

• Run
• Push-Up
• Box Jump
• Burpee
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Run: Reduce to 200m or substitute row/bike. Push-ups: Elevate hands on box or do knee push-ups maintaining hollow body. Box Jumps: Lower height to 20/16" or substitute step-ups. Burpees: Step back instead of jumping, remove push-up. Pull-ups: Ring rows or banded pull-ups. For newer athletes, reduce to 15-12-9 rep scheme. Time cap can be adjusted to 15-18 minutes based on fitness level.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 10+ strict push-ups, 5+ strict pull-ups, or run 400m under 2:30. Priority is maintaining consistent movement through all rounds - you should be able to complete at least 3-4 full rounds. Target effort is conversational pace on runs with 20-30 seconds rest needed between movements. Scale to maintain intensity across full time domain rather than maxing out early and struggling to finish.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length mixed modal conditioning piece (15-25 min) targeting primarily oxidative energy system with glycolytic spikes. The 400m run creates natural rest periods between ground-based calisthenics. Primary challenge is maintaining consistent output across multiple movement patterns while managing cardiovascular fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break the workout into manageable chunks centered around the run. Use the 400m as active recovery with steady sustainable pace. Push-ups and box jumps should be broken into 2-3 sets early (11-10 or 7-7-7) to prevent burnout. Quick singles on box jumps are better than failing big sets. For pull-ups, sets of 3-4 are optimal for most. Don't rush transitions - take 5-10 seconds between movements to control breathing. Common mistake is going too fast in first 7-8 minutes leading to significant slowdown later.

Benchmark Notes

This 21-minute AMRAP is most similar to Cindy in structure and movement patterns, though with added running. Analysis: 1. Base movement times (fresh): - 400m Run: 90-120s - 21 Push-Ups: ~30s - 21 Box Jumps: ~40s - 15 Burpees: ~50s - 9 Pull-Ups: ~15s Total fresh round: ~225-255s (3:45-4:15) 2. Fatigue factors: - Running creates significant leg fatigue affecting box jumps - Push-ups/burpees/pull-ups create upper body compound fatigue - Expect 10-15% slowdown per round after round 2 3. Transitions: ~20s per round moving between stations 4. Using Cindy as anchor (20 min AMRAP, L10=25-30 rounds, L5=15-18 rounds): - This workout is ~40% longer per round due to 400m run - 21 min vs 20 min (+5% capacity) - Expect 65-70% of Cindy rounds Projected targets: Male: L10: 8.2+ rounds L5: 5.9 rounds L1: 3.2 rounds Cross-referenced against typical 21-min AMRAP patterns and verified against Cindy scaling.

Modality Profile

Of the 5 movements: Push-Up, Box Jump, Burpee, Pull-Up are gymnastics (4 movements = 60%); Run is monostructural (1 movement = 40%); No weightlifting movements present (0%). Rounded to nearest 10%.