Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

A 20-minute triplet with a weighted vest blends steady aerobic running, repeated ground-to-stand burpees, and moderate-skill rope climbs. While loads aren’t heavy, the vest elevates heart rate and fatigue, and grip/upper-body pulling becomes limiting across higher rounds. Skilled athletes sustain pace; newer athletes face skill and capacity bottlenecks.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Twenty minutes of continuous work with repeated 200 m runs demands strong aerobic capacity and the ability to recover between efforts while still moving consistently through burpees and rope climbs.
• Stamina (6/10): Repeated burpees and rope climbs require sustained upper-body pulling and whole-body stamina. The vest increases cumulative fatigue, testing your ability to hold form and cadence across many rounds.
• Speed (5/10): Transitions and cadence matter. Smart athletes maintain brisk, even pacing rather than sprinting, but moving quickly between stations and keeping burpee tempo pays off.
• Power (4/10): Explosive hip and pull on the rope and a quick burpee pop help efficiency, but the workout rewards sustainable output more than maximal power efforts.
• Strength (2/10): No heavy external loading is used. Strength contributes mainly to the rope climb pull and foot clamp, but maximal force production isn’t the limiter here.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic mobility is sufficient: overhead reach on the rope, hip/knee flexion in the burpee, and running mechanics. No extreme positions or contortions are required.

Scaling Options

Scale to: No vest, same reps and distances • 1 Rope Climb → 12 ft or 2 seated rope pulls; keep 5 burpees; 200 m run (14/10 lb vest) • Sub rope with 5 strict pull-ups (or 8 ring rows), 4 burpees, 150 m run, no vest

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the triplet’s aerobic feel and pulling stimulus while adjusting load, rope skill, and running volume so athletes can keep moving with consistent, safe mechanics.

Intended Stimulus

Steady, repeatable rounds with minimal downtime. You should breathe hard but stay controlled, never redlining early. The rope should be one-and-done each time, burpees smooth and unbroken, and the run a sustainable but honest pace. Aim for small, consistent wins every round with deliberate transitions.

Coach Insight

Open steady and aim to match splits: each round within 5–10 seconds of the last. If the rope gets slow, back off the run slightly. The one tip: lock your rope foot clamp perfectly—one efficient ascent saves tons of grip and heart rate. Avoid sprinting the first runs, sloppy burpees, and jumping to the rope without set-up. Transitions should be purposeful, not rushed.

Benchmark Notes

Score is total rounds completed in 20 minutes. Most intermediate athletes land around 7–9 rounds, while advanced athletes push 10–12. Beginners may pace conservatively due to rope-skill demands and the vest. Use these targets to plan pacing and evaluate progress.

Modality Profile

The piece evenly splits between gymnastics and monostructural work. Rope climbs and burpees are bodyweight gymnastics that tax pulling and total-body stamina, while the 200 m run drives the aerobic engine. No traditional weightlifting implements are used, despite the vest.

Similar Workouts to Sisson

If you enjoy Sisson, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Poke the Bear (91% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes Cash In: 100 meter Farmers Carry (85/55 lb) Then AMRAP of: 5 Bear Complexes (13...
• Painstorm XLII (91% similar) - Buy-in (not on the clock): 0.5 mile Weighted Run @ 1/2 bodyweight (use a vest/implement safely) The...
• Ollis (91% similar) - AMRAP in 22 minutes 200 meter Run 22 Deadlifts (185/125 lb) 22 Pull-Ups 22 Burpees 22 Russian Kettle...
• Moore (91% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 1 Rope Climb (15 ft) 400 meter Run Max Reps Handstand Push-Ups...
• Sadie Jane (90% similar) - AMRAP in 23 minutes 16 25 ft Shuttle Runs 9 Bar-Facing Burpees 3 Power Cleans (185/125 lb)...
• Harper (90% similar) - AMRAP in 23 minutes: 9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups 15 Power Cleans (135/95 lb) 21 Air Squats 400 meter Run...
• Burptacular (90% similar) - 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps For Time Burpees Kettlebell Thrusters (32/20 kg) Burpees Kettlebell Sumo D...
• Dale (90% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 400 meter Run 1 Rope Climb (20 ft)...

These WODs similar to Sisson share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.