Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

Heavy barbell cycling at 165/115 lb for both squatting and overhead positions plus high-skill burpee chest-to-bar pull-ups creates a demanding blend of strength, stamina, and skill. The mandatory 2-minute rests push athletes to attack each round hard, but total working volume (105 total reps per domain) and technical complexity keep this in the very hard category.

Benchmark Times for The Lyon

• Elite: <20:00
• Advanced: 22:00-24:00
• Intermediate: 26:00-28:00
• Beginner: >38:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (7/10): Squat cleans and jerks demand explosive hips and leg drive; efficient, powerful reps reduce total time and fatigue across rounds.
• Stamina (7/10): Seventy barbell reps and thirty-five burpee C2B reps tax local muscular endurance in legs, shoulders, and pulling musculature over multiple rounds.
• Strength (6/10): Loads are moderate-heavy for repeated efforts, demanding solid front rack, leg strength, and overhead stability without reaching true max-effort territory.
• Speed (6/10): This is not an all-out sprint, but quick, crisp barbell cycling and fast burpee transitions separate top times from average efforts.
• Endurance (5/10): Interval rest reduces pure cardio demand, but five rounds of sustained, compound work still require solid aerobic support to recover between efforts and keep round times stable.
• Flexibility (4/10): Front rack, squat depth, and overhead positions require decent mobility; limitations here will slow cycling and increase energy cost.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 135/95 lb barbell with burpee pull-ups • 115/75 lb barbell with burpee jumping chest-to-bar • 5 rounds of 5-5-7 with 2-minute rest (maintain RX movement standards)

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the heavy-cycling stimulus, pressing challenge, and pulling pattern while adjusting load and gymnastics difficulty so athletes can keep consistent round times and attack each interval.

Intended Stimulus

Each round should feel like a hard interval: deliberate barbell singles or small sets on the squat cleans, quick but controlled sets on shoulder-to-overheads, then relentless, steady burpee chest-to-bars. The 2-minute rest is for recovery—push pace during work, then reset. Aim to keep round times nearly identical without redlining early.

Coach Insight

Pace the cleans as fast singles or 3-2-2. Go for 7 unbroken or 4-3 on shoulder-to-overheads if you can hit clean reps. Keep burpees smooth with short, consistent jumps to the bar. One tip: Transition fast—finish the last clean and immediately start your first shoulder-to-overhead. Avoid early redline, sloppy front rack positions, and missed jerks. Grip management matters: shake out between movements, not during reps.

Benchmark Notes

Times include the 8 minutes of prescribed rest (2 minutes after rounds 1–4). Use these tiers to gauge pacing and scaling; faster athletes finish closer to 20 minutes, while developing athletes may take 30–40 minutes. Aim to keep each working round consistent within 10–15 seconds across all five rounds.

Modality Profile

Two of the three movements are barbell-based, and they usually consume most of each round’s time due to loading and setup, placing the emphasis on weightlifting. Burpee chest-to-bar pull-ups contribute significant gymnastics demand and grip fatigue but are a smaller portion of total time.

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