Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Simple movements but brutal volume: 84 thrusters and 84 bar-facing burpees. The load is moderate, yet cycling thrusters under rising fatigue and maintaining steady burpees drives heart rate and breathing very high for 12–25 minutes. No time cap adds mental stress. Skill demands are low, but stamina and pacing are critical for success.

Benchmark Times for Open 16.5

• Elite: <9:00
• Advanced: 13:00-16:00
• Intermediate: 19:00-22:00
• Beginner: >40:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High-rep barbell plus bodyweight repeats tax shoulder, leg, and core endurance. Managing sets and maintaining movement quality under fatigue is the central challenge of this workout.
• Endurance (8/10): A long, continuous effort with no true rest. Expect sustained breathing and heart rate near threshold for 12–25 minutes, rewarding a strong aerobic base and steady pacing without redlining early.
• Speed (7/10): Fast yet sustainable cycling wins. Top times come from quick transitions, consistent burpee cadence, and minimal rest between thruster sets without slipping into unsustainable sprinting.
• Power (5/10): Thrusters benefit from a powerful leg drive to accelerate the bar, but the session trends toward sustained output rather than pure explosiveness due to the extended time domain.
• Flexibility (3/10): Requires adequate front rack and overhead mobility for safe thrusters, plus hip/ankle range for efficient burpees. Not extreme, but poor positions will slow cycle speed and increase fatigue.
• Strength (3/10): Load is moderate and accessible; absolute strength isn’t the limiter. Strong athletes gain efficiency but success depends more on repeated submaximal efforts than one-rep power.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 75/55 lb • Lateral burpees over bar (step if needed) • 15-12-9-6-3

Scaling Explanation

Lowering load, simplifying the burpee, or reducing total reps preserves the nonstop couplet stimulus while matching capacity to keep intensity and movement quality high.

Intended Stimulus

A grinding, high-breathing effort with constant movement. Aim for moderate, repeatable thruster sets and a metronome-like burpee pace. You should feel hot, breathless, and under steady tension rather than sprinting. Minimal chalking and short breaks keep intensity high without crashing late.

Coach Insight

Pace the 21 and 18: planned breaks on thrusters (e.g., 12-9 or 10-8) and a steady burpee cadence. Fast transitions beat big rests. The one tip: Never stop moving. Micro-breaks over long rests. Avoid opening unbroken if it forces long pauses later. No-rep risks rise with sloppy standards—stay tight on lockouts and two-foot burpee jumps.

Benchmark Notes

Times are slowest-to-fastest. If you’re above L3, scale load or volume to keep intensity. Most intermediate athletes land between L4–L6. Advanced athletes push L7–L9 with unbroken or near-unbroken thrusters and relentless, steady burpees.

Modality Profile

Two movements split evenly between weightlifting (thrusters) and gymnastics (bar-facing burpees). There’s no monostructural component; the cardio demand comes from continuous work and high turnover through both modalities at moderate load and high volume.

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