Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This workout combines moderate-intensity cardio on the Assault Bike with simple bodyweight movements. While the bike calories will elevate heart rate, the air squats and sit-ups provide natural breaks. The 5-round format allows for sustainable pacing, and movement transitions are smooth with no significant interference effects. Most CrossFitters can complete this in 12-15 minutes without scaling.

Benchmark Times for Clear the Air

• Elite: <5:00
• Advanced: 6:00-7:00
• Intermediate: 8:00-9:00
• Beginner: >15:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (7/10): Five rounds of assault bike and bodyweight movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, with the bike being the primary driver of sustained elevated heart rate.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions and maintaining high bike output are crucial. Short rounds encourage faster cycling of movements.
• Stamina (6/10): Moderate volume of air squats and sit-ups tests local muscular endurance, while assault bike challenges leg stamina across multiple rounds.
• Power (4/10): Assault bike allows for power output variation, but sustained pace is more important than explosive efforts.
• Flexibility (3/10): Basic hip and trunk mobility required for air squats and sit-ups. No extreme ranges of motion needed.
• Strength (2/10): Primarily bodyweight movements with minimal strength demands. Assault bike resistance is self-regulated based on output.

Movements

• Air Squat
• Sit-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce bike calories to 15/10 or time-based intervals (30-45 seconds). Substitute box squats or wall-ball squats for air squats if mobility is limited. Scale sit-ups to crunches or V-ups if experiencing neck strain. Can reduce to 3-4 rounds while maintaining intended stimulus. Consider adding 1-2 minutes rest between rounds for beginners.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to maintain consistent bike output across rounds or if air squat depth/form deteriorates. Priority is maintaining intensity while moving well - form should not break down significantly between rounds 1 and 5. Target completion time is 12-18 minutes. Scale if projected time exceeds 20 minutes. Athletes should feel challenged but able to maintain steady work rate throughout.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-intensity glycolytic workout targeting 12-18 minutes. Primary focus is aerobic capacity with short bursts of intensity on the bike. The workout challenges both leg endurance and midline stability while maintaining consistent output across rounds.

Coach Insight

Pace the bike calories consistently - aim for 45-60 seconds per set. Break air squats into 8-7 or 10-5 if needed to maintain form. Keep transitions quick between movements. Common mistake is going too hard on round 1-2 and falling apart. Sit-ups should be unbroken - focus on controlled eccentric to protect lower back. Target even round times with no more than 30 seconds variance between fastest/slowest round.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10 double-unders + sit-ups) in structure and movement patterns, but with 5 equal rounds and an assault bike component. Breaking it down: Per Round: - 20/15 cal Assault Bike: 30-50 sec fresh, increasing with fatigue - 15 Air Squats: ~20 sec (1.3 sec/rep) - 10 Sit-Ups: ~15 sec (1.5 sec/rep) - Transitions: ~10 sec between movements Round Breakdown (L10 Male): R1: 75s (40s bike + 20s squats + 15s sit-ups) R2: 80s (43s bike + 22s squats + 15s sit-ups) R3: 85s (46s bike + 23s squats + 16s sit-ups) R4: 90s (49s bike + 24s squats + 17s sit-ups) R5: 95s (52s bike + 25s squats + 18s sit-ups) Total: ~425s for elite performers, scaling to Annie's benchmark ranges for L5 (8-10 min) and L1 (13-15 min). Female adjustments account for lower calorie targets on bike (15 vs 20) but similar bodyweight movement capacity. Final Targets: Male - L10: 5:00-6:00, L5: 9:00-10:00, L1: 15:00-16:00 Female - L10: 6:00-7:00, L5: 10:00-11:00, L1: 16:00-17:00

Modality Profile

Of the 3 movements: Bike is Monostructural (M), while Air Squat and Sit-Up are both Gymnastics (G). This gives us 2 G movements and 1 M movement, resulting in a 70/30/0 split.