Workout Description
For Time
50-40-30-19-12 reps of:
Burpees
Air Squats
Push-Ups
Sit-Ups
At the end of each round, perform:
4 Pull-Ups
154 meter Sprint
Why This Workout Is Hard
While using only bodyweight movements, the high volume (151 reps each) combined with the descending rep scheme creates significant fatigue accumulation. The sprint and pull-ups after each round prevent recovery and add complexity. The combination of push-ups after burpees particularly taxes the upper body, while the continuous nature and estimated 20-25 minute duration makes pacing crucial.
Benchmark Times for Marco DiFranco
- Elite: <12:00
- Advanced: 14:00-16:00
- Intermediate: 18:00-20:00
- Beginner: >30:00
Training Focus
This workout develops the following fitness attributes:
- Stamina (9/10): Extremely high volume of pushing, squatting, and core work tests local muscular endurance. Total reps exceed 150 per movement.
- Endurance (8/10): High-volume bodyweight movements combined with sprints create significant cardiovascular demand across multiple rounds. The descending rep scheme maintains intensity throughout.
- Speed (7/10): Sprint intervals and quick transitions between movements are crucial. Fast cycling of bodyweight movements essential for good times.
- Power (4/10): Burpees and sprints require power output, but fatigue makes sustained explosive movement difficult as rounds progress.
- Flexibility (3/10): Standard mobility requirements for squats, burpees, and pull-ups. No extreme ranges of motion needed.
- Strength (2/10): Relies primarily on bodyweight movements. Pull-ups add relative strength element but volume indicates endurance focus.
Movements
- Push-Up
- Sprint
- Air Squat
- Burpee
- Sit-Up
- Pull-Up
Scaling Options
Push-ups: Elevate hands on box/bench or do from knees. Burpees: Step-back instead of jump-back, no push-up. Pull-ups: Ring rows or banded pull-ups. Reduce reps to 40-30-20-15-10 or 30-25-20-15-10. Sprint distance can drop to 100m. Rest 30-60s between rounds if needed. For beginners, remove one movement or alternate rounds between upper/lower body focus.
Scaling Explanation
Scale if unable to do 15+ push-ups unbroken when fresh, 5+ strict pull-ups, or if burpees take longer than 3-4 seconds each. Goal is to maintain consistent movement and finish under 25 minutes. Prioritize full range of motion over speed. Scale volume if unable to maintain proper push-up or burpee form past round 2. Better to reduce volume and maintain intensity than grind through poor reps.
Intended Stimulus
Moderate-to-long glycolytic workout (15-25 minutes) with oxidative system contribution. High-volume bodyweight movements test muscular endurance and mental toughness. Descending rep scheme creates early burn but allows faster pacing late. Sprint/pull-up finishers maintain intensity between rounds.
Coach Insight
Break up reps early to avoid burnout - suggested patterns: Burpees (15-20-15, 15-15-10, etc), Push-ups (10-10-10-10-10 then 8-8-8-8-8). Keep transitions quick but controlled. Sprint at 85-90% effort - don't all-out sprint early rounds. Pull-ups should be quick singles or doubles. Watch form degradation on push-ups and burpees as fatigue sets in. Consider alternating movements (e.g., 10 burpees, 10 squats, etc) rather than completing all reps of one movement.
Benchmark Notes
This workout is most similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10 double-unders + sit-ups) in rep scheme, but with more movements and volume. Let's break it down:
Base movement times:
- Burpees: 3.5s/rep
- Air Squats: 1.5s/rep
- Push-Ups: 1.5s/rep
- Sit-Ups: 1.5s/rep
- Pull-Ups: 2s/rep
- 154m Sprint: ~25s
Round breakdown (elite pace with fatigue):
Round 1 (50 reps each):
- Burpees: 175s
- Air Squats: 75s
- Push-Ups: 75s
- Sit-Ups: 75s
- 4 Pull-Ups: 8s
- Sprint: 25s
Total: 433s + transitions
Round 2 (40 reps each, 1.1x fatigue):
- Movement total: 320s
- Pull-Ups/Sprint: 33s
Round 3 (30 reps each, 1.2x fatigue):
- Movement total: 260s
- Pull-Ups/Sprint: 33s
Round 4 (19 reps each, 1.3x fatigue):
- Movement total: 180s
- Pull-Ups/Sprint: 33s
Round 5 (12 reps each, 1.4x fatigue):
- Movement total: 120s
- Pull-Ups/Sprint: 33s
Total elite time ~720s (12:00) including transitions.
Comparing to Annie (L10: 5-6 min, L5: 8-10 min, L1: 13-16 min), this workout has roughly 2x the volume plus sprints. Scaling up Annie's benchmarks by 2x and adding sprint time yields:
Male:
L10: 11-13 min
L5: 18-22 min
L1: 28-32 min
Female (15% slower due to push-ups/pull-ups):
L10: 13-15 min
L5: 21-25 min
L1: 32-37 min
Modality Profile
Of the 6 movements, 5 are gymnastics (Air Squat, Burpee, Pull-Up, Push-Up, Sit-Up = 5/6) and 1 is monostructural (Sprint = 1/6). Rounded to nearest 10%, this gives us 80% gymnastics and 20% monostructural, with no weightlifting movements present.
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