Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

11 rounds of push-ups, air squats, and 120m rows are all basic bodyweight/monostructural movements with no loading. The volume is moderate — 88 push-ups, 275 squats, and ~1320m of rowing total. The 120-second plank finisher adds a mild core challenge but nothing severe. The 45-minute cap is generous, giving most athletes ample time. Fatigue accumulates gradually but no single limiting factor overwhelms the average CrossFitter.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High cumulative volume — 88 push-ups, 275 air squats, and 1320 meters of rowing — taxes muscular endurance substantially. The plank hold adds additional core stamina demand at the end.
• Endurance (6/10): Eleven rounds of mixed modalities with rowing creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The 45-minute time cap and continuous nature push aerobic capacity significantly, though intensity remains moderate rather than maximal.
• Speed (4/10): For-time format incentivizes efficient transitions and steady pacing across 11 rounds. Short rowing intervals reward quick turnaround, but the long duration discourages true sprinting efforts.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic range of motion required for air squats, push-ups, and rowing. No extreme mobility demands, though consistent squat depth and rowing posture require functional hip and ankle mobility.
• Strength (1/10): Entirely bodyweight movements with no external loading. Push-ups, air squats, rowing, and planks require minimal maximal force production; this is endurance-focused rather than strength-focused.
• Power (1/10): No explosive movements are programmed. Push-ups, air squats, and rowing at moderate pacing are slow and sustained efforts with no emphasis on rate of force development.

Movements

• Push-Up
• Air Squat
• Plank
• Row

Scaling Options

Push-Ups: Scale to knee push-ups or elevate hands on a box or bench to reduce load — maintain a rigid plank position regardless of variation. Avoid worming. Air Squats: Reduce range of motion with a target (box squat to a med ball or low box) if mobility or knee pain is a concern. Volume can be reduced to 15-18 reps per round for newer athletes. Row: If no rower is available, substitute 120m run, 10 calories on a bike, or 10 calories on a ski erg. For athletes with shoulder limitations, substitute the row with 200m walk or light bike. Rounds: Reduce to 7-8 rounds for newer athletes or those with limited conditioning base. Plank: Scale to a forearm plank, reduce hold time to 60-90 seconds, or allow one rest break during the hold.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot complete 8 push-ups unbroken with a rigid body position, or if 25 air squats causes significant knee or hip discomfort. Athletes should scale if they anticipate finishing beyond the 40-minute mark — the goal is to finish the 11 rounds with 3-5 minutes remaining to compose yourself for the plank. Prioritize movement quality over Rx volume every time — a worming push-up or a caved-knee squat is not worth the rep. Newer athletes should reduce rounds to 7-8 and drop push-ups to 5-6 per round to preserve intensity and avoid excessive rest. The plank is non-negotiable for all levels — scale the duration or variation, but everyone should finish with a core hold. The intended stimulus is a hard, sustained effort that leaves you breathing heavy but in control — if you're stopping every round to recover for more than 20-30 seconds, scale the volume or movement.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long time domain workout targeting aerobic capacity and muscular endurance, designed to be completed in the 25-40 minute range. The stimulus is a sustained, steady engine effort — not a sprint, but never fully comfortable. The combination of push-ups, air squats, and rowing creates a full-body cyclical grind that taxes the upper body, lower body, and cardiovascular system in rotation, allowing partial recovery between muscle groups. The 120-second plank at the end is a mental and core endurance finisher that rewards athletes who paced smartly and didn't burn out early. Primary challenge is mental — staying consistent across 11 rounds when fatigue accumulates and the work feels repetitive.

Coach Insight

The key to this workout is finding a sustainable pace in round one and holding it through round eleven — resist the urge to go fast early. The 120m row is short (roughly 30-45 seconds), so treat it as active recovery between the push-ups and squats rather than a sprint. On push-ups, break them before failure — sets of 4-4 or 5-3 are smarter than going to failure and resting 30 seconds. Air squats should be unbroken for most athletes; keep a consistent tempo and don't rush the descent. On the rower, use a moderate damper setting (4-6) and focus on a strong leg drive with a controlled recovery — avoid yanking with your arms. Transitions between movements should be brisk but not frantic. For the plank, get into position immediately after your last row, brace your core hard, squeeze your glutes, and keep your hips level. Break it into mental chunks of 30 seconds if needed. Common mistakes: going out too hot on rounds 1-3, sprinting the row and arriving at push-ups gassed, and letting push-up form collapse into worming reps that won't count.

Benchmark Notes

Eleven rounds of 8 push-ups, 25 air squats and a 120 m row, then a 2-minute plank, with a 45-minute cap. The cap rarely matters: an average athlete finishes in about 27 minutes (L5, 26-29:30). L10 (under 14:30) holds about 70 seconds a round.

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Push-Up (G), Air Squat (G), Plank (G) = 3 Gymnastics; Row (M) = 1 Monostructural. 3/4 = 75% G, 1/4 = 25% M, 0% W.

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