Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

Broken Arrow layers massive volume with strict upper-body work under a weight vest, then stacks long bike/run efforts and a high-skill 1,000 double-under set before repeating large gymnastics sets. The combination of time-on-task, grip/pressing fatigue, and compounding interference pushes well beyond a standard hero workout. Expect a grinding, near two-hour effort even for well-conditioned athletes.

Benchmark Times for Broken Arrow

• Elite: <85:00
• Advanced: 92:00-100:00
• Intermediate: 110:00-120:00
• Beginner: >180:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (10/10): Very high total reps with strict pulling and pushing, including vest work, demand sustained muscular endurance across legs, core, shoulders, and grip for an extended duration.
• Endurance (9/10): Long bike and run plus 1,000 double-unders make this primarily an aerobic test. You’ll spend well over an hour sustaining steady output with low-to-moderate heart rate spikes.
• Speed (3/10): Transitions are few and sets are large. Success comes from smooth, repeatable pacing rather than sprinting or cycling movements at high speed.
• Strength (2/10): No heavy external loads. The challenge is not max force but being able to repeatedly move bodyweight and a light vest under prolonged fatigue.
• Flexibility (2/10): Standard ranges of motion: squats below parallel, full extension on push-ups and pull-ups. No advanced mobility positions are required beyond sound, comfortable mechanics.
• Power (2/10): Explosiveness is rarely emphasized. Any bursts (e.g., DU rhythm) give way to steady, sustainable effort with deliberate, repeatable movement patterns.

Movements

• Push-Up
• Air Squat
• Run
• Bike
• Strict Pull-Up
• Double-Under

Scaling Options

Scale to: No vest + banded or ring-row pull-ups • 6-mile bike, 2-mile run, 500 double-unders (or 1,000 single-unders) • Partition strict work into smaller sets (e.g., 10s/5s/2s) to maintain movement quality

Scaling Explanation

These options keep the long aerobic grind and strict upper-body stimulus while reducing bottlenecks and failure points so athletes can keep moving with quality mechanics.

Intended Stimulus

A sustained, grindy endurance chipper with cumulative upper-body fatigue. Athletes should find a steady rhythm early, breathe through the bike/run, and protect grip/shoulders for the strict pulling on the back end. It’s not about sprinting—keep moving, minimize long breaks, and manage small, consistent sets to avoid failure.

Coach Insight

Pace the opening vest work with small, tidy sets and short rests. Treat the bike and run like active recovery—breathe and reset. The one tip: break early and often on push-ups and strict pull-ups to avoid failure. Singles are fine late. Common mistakes: going unbroken early, death-by-failure on strict pull-ups, sloppy DU rhythm. Fuel, hydrate, and chalk smartly.

Benchmark Notes

Times range from 3+ hours for beginners to ~85 minutes for elite athletes. Most intermediate athletes should target finishing around the 2-hour mark. Scale reps, vest, and distances to stay moving with minimal long breaks, preserving the aerobic grind and strict pulling stimulus.

Modality Profile

Time is split between extensive monostructural work (10-mile bike, 3-mile run, 1,000 double-unders) and large sets of bodyweight gymnastics (squats, push-ups, strict pull-ups). There is no traditional weightlifting; the vest only lightly loads the opening gymnastics volume.

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