Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While the movements are simple and bodyweight-only, the EMOM format with increasing reps creates significant cumulative fatigue. By minute 10, athletes are doing 10 lunges and 10 air squats (20 total reps) with only brief rest. The forced pace and continuous leg volume becomes extremely challenging around minute 12-15 for average athletes, when rest periods become minimal and legs are heavily taxed.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Lower body muscular endurance is heavily taxed through accumulating volume. The increasing rep scheme creates local muscle fatigue in legs and hips.
• Endurance (8/10): The escalating volume and EMOM format creates significant cardiovascular demand as reps increase. Heart rate will climb steadily with minimal rest between sets.
• Speed (7/10): As reps increase, quick transitions and efficient movement patterns become crucial to complete work within each minute.
• Flexibility (4/10): Lunges and squats require moderate hip and ankle mobility. The movements aren't extremely demanding but good range of motion is important.
• Strength (2/10): Uses only bodyweight movements. While challenging as volume increases, the individual movements don't require significant absolute strength.
• Power (1/10): These are grinding movements performed at a steady pace. No explosive or dynamic power requirements in the workout.

Movements

• Lunge
• Air Squat

Scaling Options

Option 1: Cap total rounds at 12-15 minutes for newer athletes. Option 2: Start adding reps every 2 minutes instead of every minute. Option 3: Reduce movement complexity by doing all lunges on same leg before switching, or substituting reverse lunges. Option 4: Hold plank position during rest periods instead of adding reps to maintain intensity while reducing volume.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to maintain proper lunge form past minute 8, or if rounds consistently take more than 40 seconds. Priority is maintaining movement quality over quantity - lunges should show clear hip/knee control throughout. Target is reaching at least 10 rounds while keeping heart rate in sustainable zone (able to speak in short sentences). Scale to preserve intended stimulus of steady-state work with gradual fatigue accumulation.

Intended Stimulus

Long-duration oxidative workout testing mental toughness and muscular endurance. The ascending rep scheme creates progressive fatigue while maintaining simple movements. Time domain is 15-25 minutes for most athletes, targeting aerobic capacity with increasing local muscle demands.

Coach Insight

Start deliberately slow - rushing early minutes wastes energy for minimal benefit. Establish consistent movement patterns when fresh. Break up sets early (even when easy) to establish sustainable rest periods. Aim for 20-25 seconds per round initially, leaving 35-40 seconds rest. Watch for form degradation in lunges as fatigue sets in - maintain vertical torso and knee tracking. Consider alternating lead leg each round on lunges to balance fatigue.

Benchmark Notes

This is an EMOM ladder workout where athletes add 1 rep of each movement per minute. Analysis: Minute breakdown (total reps per round): Min 1: 2 reps (1+1) Min 5: 10 reps (5+5) Min 10: 20 reps (10+10) Min 15: 30 reps (15+15) Min 20: 40 reps (20+20) Failure point analysis: - Air squats and lunges are relatively simple movements - Main limiting factor is time domain within the minute - Fresh state timing: * Lunge: ~1.5s/rep * Air Squat: ~1.5s/rep * Transition: ~2s At minute 20: - 20 lunges = 30s - 20 air squats = 30s - Transition = 2s - Total = 62s (failure point) Compared to Cindy benchmark (AMRAP 20 of more complex movements): - L10: 25-30 rounds - L5: 15-18 rounds - L1: 6-8 rounds This workout is simpler but has increasing volume. Adjusting benchmarks: L10 (Elite): 24+ minutes L5 (Intermediate): 16 minutes L1 (Beginner): 8 minutes No gender adjustment needed as movements are bodyweight and equally challenging for all athletes.

Modality Profile

Both Air Squat and Lunge are bodyweight movements that fall under Gymnastics (G) modality. With 2 gymnastics movements and no monostructural or weightlifting movements, this results in 100% gymnastics.

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