Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout combines moderate loads with high-volume gymnastics and cardio in a way that creates significant fatigue accumulation. The 54 burpees total will tax the breathing, while 90 KB swings (heavy-ish) and 115 wall balls create substantial shoulder fatigue. The continuous nature with no built-in rest periods means athletes will need to self-pace carefully. Most will take 15-20 minutes with forced breaks.

Benchmark Times for Brad Harper

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High total volume (270 reps) across multiple movement patterns challenges muscular endurance in legs, posterior chain, and shoulders continuously.
• Endurance (7/10): Five rounds of high-rep compound movements with no prescribed rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially with the burpees driving heart rate.
• Power (7/10): All three movements are power-focused, requiring explosive hip extension. Wall balls and kettlebell swings particularly test power endurance.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions and cyclic movements are important, especially maintaining powerful movement patterns while fatigued across five rounds.
• Flexibility (5/10): Full depth squats in wall balls, hip hinge in swings, and burpee positions require good mobility throughout posterior chain and shoulders.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate loads in kettlebell swings and wall balls require strength, but not maximal effort. Focus is more on sustained power output.

Movements

• Kettlebell Swing
• Burpee
• Wall Ball

Scaling Options

Level 1: KB (53/35lb), Wall Ball (14/10lb), Regular Burpees, 4 rounds Level 2: KB (35/26lb), Wall Ball (10/8lb), Step-out Burpees, 3 rounds Level 3: Russian KB Swings, Med Ball Clean & Press, Walking Burpees, 3 rounds Maintain 10ft target for wall balls regardless of weight. Consider reducing reps to 15/10/20 for newer athletes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 15+ unbroken KB swings, maintain wall ball height consistently, or complete burpees without significant rest. Target time is 12-18 minutes - scale to maintain intensity rather than grind through. Form deterioration on KB swings or wall balls indicates need for weight reduction. Prioritize full range of motion and power output over Rx weights.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout targeting 12-18 minutes. Primary focus is on power endurance and lactate tolerance. The combination of explosive hip extension (KB swings), full body conditioning (burpees), and shoulder/leg endurance (wall balls) creates significant metabolic stress with moderate load.

Coach Insight

Break wall balls into sets of 8-8-7 to maintain height consistency. Quick-drop kettlebell swings in sets of 9-9 or 6-6-6. Burpees should be steady but unbroken - focus on efficient transitions. Rest 2-3 breaths between movements rather than during them. Most athletes fade in rounds 3-4 - manage pace early. Keep kettlebell swings powerful through full hip extension; don't turn into front raises.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is most similar to Kelly (5 rounds of running + box jumps + wall balls) but with kettlebell swings and burpees instead. Analysis: Per round fresh state: - 18 KB Swings (2 pood): ~36 sec - 13 Burpees: ~45 sec - 23 Wall Balls: ~57 sec - Transitions: ~15 sec Base round time: ~153 sec Fatigue multipliers: - Rounds 1-2: 1.0x (153 sec) - Rounds 3-4: 1.2x (184 sec) - Round 5: 1.3x (199 sec) Total projected time: Rounds 1-2: 306 sec Rounds 3-4: 368 sec Round 5: 199 sec Total: ~873 sec for median athlete Comparing to Kelly benchmark (L10 M/F: 930/1020, L5: 1260/1350, L1: 1800/1920): This workout is ~30% shorter due to: - No 400m runs (saves significant time) - KB swings faster than box jumps - Similar wall ball volume Scaled Kelly times by 0.7x and adjusted for higher intensity: L10 (Elite): 360/420 sec (6:00/7:00) L5 (Intermediate): 600/690 sec (10:00/11:30) L1 (Beginner): 1080/1200 sec (18:00/20:00)

Modality Profile

Of the 3 movements: Burpee is Gymnastics (G), while Kettlebell Swing and Wall Ball are both Weightlifting (W) as they involve external loads. With 1 G movement and 2 W movements, rounded to nearest 10%, this gives us 30/0/70 split.