Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

This workout's ascending rep scheme with forced progression creates a brutal combination of volume and time pressure. While early minutes are manageable, the exponential increase in reps (10+ reps by minute 10, 20+ by minute 20) quickly becomes unsustainable. The EMOM format prevents adequate recovery as minutes progress, making this a test of both work capacity and mental fortitude that will push even experienced athletes to their limit.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): The ever-increasing rep scheme creates extreme muscular endurance demands. Each minute requires more work while fatigue accumulates from previous efforts.
• Endurance (8/10): As the minutes and reps accumulate, cardiovascular demands increase significantly. The sustained effort with increasing volume creates substantial aerobic challenge.
• Speed (7/10): Quick transitions and efficient movement patterns become crucial as rep counts increase. Time management within each minute is essential.
• Strength (3/10): While individual reps may be manageable, accumulated fatigue makes later sets more strength-intensive as muscles tire.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic movement patterns require standard mobility. No exceptional range of motion demands unless movement choice is particularly challenging.
• Power (2/10): Early minutes allow for explosive movement, but as fatigue and volume increase, power output naturally decreases.

Scaling Options

Reduce movement complexity: substitute technical movements for fundamental patterns (e.g., air squats instead of snatches). Cap total minutes at 15-20 for intermediate athletes, 10-15 for beginners. Consider alternating between two movements each minute to distribute fatigue. For strength movements, use 40-50% of 1RM. For gymnastics, scale to variations that allow 8-10 unbroken reps when fresh.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 15+ unbroken reps of the movement with excellent technique when fresh. The goal is to maintain movement quality throughout - technique breakdown is a clear sign to scale. Target RPE should be 7/10 in early minutes, progressing to 9/10 in final minutes. Better to scale early and complete the workout than reach technical failure. Success metric is consistent execution rather than total minutes completed.

Intended Stimulus

Progressive aerobic capacity test that becomes increasingly glycolytic. Time domain is long (20+ minutes for advanced athletes). Primary challenge is mental fortitude and pacing strategy while maintaining movement quality under accumulating fatigue. Tests both stamina and ability to execute perfect reps when tired.

Coach Insight

Start slower than you think necessary - the workout gets exponentially harder. Perfect your setup and execution in early minutes when reps are low. Minimize transition time between reps but don't rush movements. Have a consistent tempo and breathing pattern. Plan break points in advance once you hit higher rep minutes. A common mistake is going too fast in minutes 1-10, leading to technique breakdown later. Consider capping at 20-25 minutes for most athletes.

Benchmark Notes

This is an EMOM ladder where athletes add 1 rep each minute until failure. Key analysis: 1. Movement pattern suggests burpees, thrusters, or similar moderate-intensity movement 2. Rep scheme progression: Minute 1: 1 rep Minute 2: 2 reps Minute 3: 3 reps etc. 3. Total reps calculation: - Elite (L10): Can maintain through minute 15 (120 total reps) - Advanced (L8-9): Fails around minute 12-13 (78-91 reps) - Intermediate (L5-7): Fails around minute 9-11 (45-66 reps) - Beginner (L2-4): Fails around minute 6-8 (21-36 reps) - Novice (L1): Fails before minute 6 (<15 reps) 4. Closest benchmark comparison is Fight Gone Bad (FGB) which tests work capacity across 3 rounds. While FGB uses fixed time domains, this workout's increasing intensity creates similar metabolic demands. FGB anchors (L10: 430-500, L5: 300-340, L1: 180-220) were scaled down proportionally since this workout has a steeper fatigue curve due to the increasing rep scheme. Final targets: L10: 110+ reps (≈15 minutes) L5: 55 reps (≈10 minutes) L1: 15 reps (≈5 minutes)

Modality Profile

This EMOM format only mentions reps increasing each minute but doesn't specify the movement. However, since it's described as '1 Rep' terminology, this typically implies a weightlifting movement (like a Clean & Jerk or Snatch) rather than gymnastics or monostructural movements, which are usually described in terms of 'rounds' or 'meters/calories'. Therefore, this is classified as 100% weightlifting based on conventional CrossFit terminology and context.