Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

Two miles of running in a vest bracketing 600 high-skill, upper-body–dominant reps (HSPU, pistols, pull-ups) makes for massive volume and fatigue. Complexity is high, time domain is 30+ minutes, and the vest triggers a heavy-volume-with-load modifier. Expect severe grip and shoulder stamina demands, elevated heart rate throughout, and significant pacing strategy requirements.

Benchmark Times for Atalanta

• Elite: <45:00
• Advanced: 50:00-55:00
• Intermediate: 60:00-70:00
• Beginner: >120:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Hundreds of upper-body and single-leg reps require sustained muscular endurance in shoulders, grip, and legs with minimal drop-off across long sets.
• Endurance (8/10): Two 1-mile runs in a vest plus long continuous work demand strong aerobic capacity and the ability to breathe under fatigue for an hour or more.
• Flexibility (6/10): Pistols and HSPU require decent ankle, hip, shoulder, and thoracic mobility to maintain standards and reduce compensation under fatigue.
• Speed (3/10): Transitions matter, but the volume and skill level prevent true sprinting; athletes must pace and manage breaks.
• Strength (2/10): External loading is light (vest only). No heavy barbell or maximal strength efforts are present.
• Power (2/10): There are no explosive weightlifting elements; movements are cyclical and grindy rather than powerful.

Movements

• Alternating Pistol
• Run
• Handstand Push-Up
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Scale to: 1 mile run, 50-75 HSPU (or pike/DB press), 200 air squats, 150 pull-ups • 1 mile run, 75 HSPU to 1-2 abmats, 200 alternating lunges, 200 ring rows • 800m runs, 50 HSPU, 100 pistols to box, 150 jumping pull-ups

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the long aerobic grind and high gymnastics volume while adjusting skill and pulling/pressing difficulty so athletes keep moving and maintain stimulus without repeated failure.

Intended Stimulus

Long, grinding chipper with a steady aerobic engine and unbroken or intelligently partitioned sets. Runs should feel controlled but purposeful. Shoulder, grip, and single-leg stamina are taxed deeply. The vest forces strict pacing and tight movement quality, balancing small breaks with consistent forward progress for the entire workout.

Coach Insight

Pace the first mile conservatively; you should start the gymnastics feeling composed. Break reps early and often—avoid failure on HSPU and pull-ups. Save a gear for the final mile. The one tip: perfect small sets with short, timed rests beat big sets that blow you up. Common mistakes: sprinting the opener, hitting HSPU to failure, and resting too long between sets.

Benchmark Notes

Targets span from beginner finishes around 2 hours to elite Games-level times near 45–50 minutes. If you’re mid-pack (L5), aim to finish in about 70 minutes. Faster times require unbroken or big sets, efficient transitions, and steady running under a vest without excessive rest.

Modality Profile

Most of the work is gymnastics under a vest—HSPU, pistols, and pull-ups (600 total reps). The remaining volume is monostructural with two 1-mile runs. No classic weightlifting movements are used, though the vest adds load to bodyweight skills.

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