Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This is a maximal strength test under time pressure. A true 4-rep max demands advanced technique, bracing, and mobility in the front rack and squat depth. The load will be near an athlete’s limit, challenging core stability and leg drive. Heart rate elevation and fatigue accumulate across attempts, but the primary limiter is maximal force production with precise mechanics.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (9/10): Maximal strength is the decisive factor. The 4-rep max stresses quads, glutes, and midline, with heavy emphasis on upper-back integrity, bracing, and force production near an athlete’s limit.
• Power (5/10): Not ballistic, but driving out of the hole requires aggressive intent and rate of force development—especially on reps three and four—without losing tension or bar position.
• Flexibility (4/10): Adequate front rack, wrist, thoracic, hip, and ankle mobility is needed to hit depth and stay upright. Limited mobility can cap load or compromise position, though demands aren’t extreme like advanced gymnastics.
• Stamina (3/10): Repeated heavy sets of four tax leg and trunk stamina, especially maintaining positions across attempts. Total reps remain low, so muscular endurance supports strength but does not dominate the effort.
• Speed (2/10): No fast cycling or transitions. Controlled set-up and long rest between attempts are key. Rushing increases the likelihood of positional collapse; success favors patient, repeatable mechanics.
• Endurance (1/10): Little to no cardio demand. Heart rate rises during heavy sets, but there’s no sustained breathing work. Focus is on recovery between attempts, strong bracing, and short efforts under the bar rather than aerobic capacity.

Movements

• Front Squat

Scaling Options

Scale to: Heavy but technically sound 4-rep Front Squat (not a true max) • Back Squat 4-rep max if front rack limits position • Goblet Squat 6-rep max if no rack or new to barbell

Scaling Explanation

Each option preserves a heavy lower-body strength stimulus while adjusting skill, equipment, and mobility demands to keep positions safe and consistent.

Intended Stimulus

Heavy and focused. You should feel strong, braced, and deliberate with each rep, building to your best unbroken set of four. Expect high tension, long rest between attempts, and a sharp increase in effort on reps three and four. Technique and position should dictate loading—no grinding through unsafe form.

Coach Insight

Plan your jumps: thorough warm-up, then 3–5 working attempts. Rest 2–4 minutes between heavy sets. If a rep slows drastically, rack it and save it. The one thing: elbows high and torso tall. Front rack integrity wins the set. Avoid big early jumps, cutting depth, soft lockouts, and rushing. Make small, confident increases and stop when form slips.

Benchmark Notes

Choose the heaviest load you can front squat for 4 unbroken reps with full depth and control. Compare your best set to the levels: beginners at the lower end, elites at the top. Use these to guide target loading and progress over time.

Modality Profile

This event is pure weightlifting: a single barbell lift performed from the rack with no gymnastics or monostructural elements. All time is spent warming up, building to heavy sets, and resting between attempts to execute one maximal weightlifting effort.

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