Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

High-skill jump rope and substantial hanging gymnastics make this a demanding chipper. The total volume (300 double-unders, 70 bar reps, 50 burpees) taxes grip, core, and breathing. Most athletes will need strategic sets and short breaks, putting this in the 16–25 minute range. No heavy loads, but skill and stamina demands are significant.

Benchmark Times for Icarus

• Elite: <14:00
• Advanced: 16:00-18:00
• Intermediate: 19:00-20:00
• Beginner: >25:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (7/10): Sustained breathing challenge from 300 double-unders and 50 burpees with limited rest. Heart rate stays elevated throughout, demanding steady aerobic output while recovering between sets on the rig.
• Stamina (7/10): High total reps on core and pulling (70 on the bar) plus 50 burpees require muscular endurance in shoulders, grip, and midline with repeated sets and short rest breaks.
• Speed (6/10): Fast rope cadence and burpee cycling matter, but bar work requires strategic breaks, keeping overall speed sub-maximal with deliberate transitions.
• Flexibility (4/10): Toes-to-bar ask for active shoulder flexion and hamstring mobility, but demands are moderate for most athletes with standard kipping positions.
• Power (3/10): Double-unders have a light plyometric element, but the workout primarily rewards sustainable pacing rather than peak explosiveness.
• Strength (2/10): No external loads and minimal maximal-force demands. Strength is not the limiter; technique and endurance dominate performance here.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 75 Single-Unders each set + 20 Hanging Knee Raises + 30 Jumping Pull-Ups + 40 Up-Downs • 100 Single-Unders each set + 20 Toes-to-Bar + 30 Ring Rows + 40 Burpees • Cap each DU set at 2:00, then 30 TTB, 40 PU, 50 Burpees

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the cardio flow, grip/midline challenge, and overall time domain by adjusting skill and volume while maintaining the chipper structure and intended stimulus.

Intended Stimulus

A sustained, gritty engine piece with deliberate breaks on the rig and confident rope work. Aim for smooth double-unders, controlled sets on toes-to-bar and pull-ups, and steady, no-drama burpees. You should breathe hard but never redline so much that bar work falls apart. Finish feeling taxed in the grip and midline, not fully blown up.

Coach Insight

Open with composure. Keep rope sets unbroken or in one planned break. Hit the rig with short, consistent sets and fast chalk/turnarounds. Save a push for the last 25 burpees. Your one big tip: cap your rest—5–8 breaths max between bar sets. Avoid early redline, death grips on the rig, and sloppy kip rhythm that spikes fatigue.

Benchmark Notes

Levels are finish-time targets from beginner (L1) to elite (L9). Most intermediates should finish near 20 minutes (L5). If you’re well under 18 minutes, you’re moving efficiently and unbroken often; over 23 minutes suggests scaling reps or movements to maintain stimulus.

Modality Profile

Most time is spent on gymnastics: toes-to-bar, pull-ups, and burpees. Double-unders provide the monostructural element between rig efforts. With no external loading, this skews toward bodyweight gymnastics capacity and midline control, with jump rope providing aerobic pacing and transition management.

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