Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While individual elements are moderate (25kg thrusters, 12kg kettlebell swings), the 7-round structure with 105 total reps creates significant fatigue accumulation. Strict toes-to-bar between thrusters and swings will compromise grip and core strength progressively. The continuous nature with no built-in rest, combined with grip-intensive movements back-to-back, will force most athletes to break movements frequently in later rounds, extending time domain considerably.

Benchmark Times for Thruster Buster

• Elite: <5:30
• Advanced: 6:30-7:30
• Intermediate: 8:30-9:30
• Beginner: >17:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume of 70 thrusters, 105 strict TTB, and 140 kettlebell swings will severely test muscular endurance across multiple muscle groups.
• Endurance (8/10): Seven rounds for time with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Speed (7/10): For-time format with grip-intensive movements creates urgency in transitions and movement cycling to minimize total workout duration.
• Flexibility (6/10): Strict toes-to-bar requires significant shoulder and hip flexibility, while thrusters demand good overhead and squat mobility throughout fatigue.
• Power (5/10): Kettlebell swings are inherently explosive, and thrusters require some power output, but high volume shifts focus toward endurance.
• Strength (4/10): Light thruster load and moderate kettlebell weight provide some strength demand, but emphasis is on endurance rather than maximal force.

Movements

• Thruster
• Toes-to-Bar
• Kettlebell Swing

Scaling Options

Reduce thruster weight to 15-20kg. Scale TTB to hanging knee raises, V-ups, or sit-ups. Reduce KTBS weight to 8kg or substitute with Russian swings. Consider reducing to 5 rounds or scaling reps to 8-12-16. Time cap at 20 minutes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 5+ strict TTB or complete 10 thrusters unbroken at prescribed weight. Priority is maintaining movement quality and intended time domain. Athletes should finish feeling challenged but not completely destroyed. If scaling significantly, focus on consistent pacing rather than maximum intensity.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-duration glycolytic workout targeting 12-18 minutes. Primary challenge is muscular endurance and grip strength under metabolic fatigue. Tests ability to maintain consistent movement quality across multiple rounds while managing lactate accumulation.

Coach Insight

Pace conservatively early - aim for unbroken sets in first 3 rounds, then break strategically. For thrusters, consider 6-4 or 5-5 splits when fatigue hits. TTB will be the limiting factor - break early into 8-7 or 5-5-5 to avoid complete failure. KTBS should remain unbroken throughout. Rest 10-15 seconds between movements, 30-45 seconds between rounds. Focus on breathing rhythm during thrusters and active recovery during transitions.

Benchmark Notes

This workout combines 7 rounds of thrusters (25kg), strict TTB, and kettlebell swings. Using Fran as the primary anchor (21-15-9 thrusters + pull-ups), this workout has 70 thrusters vs Fran's 45, but at lighter load (25kg vs 43kg for males). The strict TTB requirement significantly increases difficulty compared to kipping pull-ups. Round-by-round: Rounds 1-2 at base pace (thruster 2.5sec, TTB 3sec, KTBS 1.5sec = ~90sec/round), Rounds 3-4 with 1.2x fatigue (~108sec), Rounds 5-6 with 1.3x fatigue (~117sec), Round 7 with 1.5x fatigue (~135sec). Total calculated time plus transitions yields L5 target of 600 seconds, scaling proportionally from Fran's anchor points but adjusted upward for the strict TTB bottleneck and higher volume.

Modality Profile

Three movements: Thruster (W), Toes-to-Bar (G), Kettlebell Swing (W). Two weightlifting movements and one gymnastics movement results in 67% weightlifting, 33% gymnastics.