Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Heavy thrusters at 115/75 lb elevate this simple couplet into a high-power grind. Across 5 rounds you’ll accumulate 50 challenging barbell reps and 2,000 meters of running, pushing a 14–22 minute window for most. Movement complexity is low, but load and sustained pace demand solid strength-endurance and aerobic capacity. Poor pacing or breaking thrusters excessively can turn it brutal.

Benchmark Times for Thunder Run

• Elite: <11:00
• Advanced: 12:00-13:30
• Intermediate: 15:00-17:00
• Beginner: >27:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (7/10): Two kilometers of running across five intervals keeps heart rate elevated and rewards aerobic capacity. Sustainable 400-meter pacing with minimal walk breaks and quick transitions is the key to maintaining output from round one through round five.
• Stamina (7/10): Fifty heavy thrusters tax legs, shoulders, and midline under fatigue. Managing sets, breathing, and bar path preserves form as reps accumulate, emphasizing muscular endurance more than top-end strength.
• Power (6/10): The thruster’s squat-to-drive pattern rewards explosive hip extension and bar speed, especially when cycling unbroken sets. However, repeated running intervals dilute peak power expression toward sustained, repeatable power output.
• Speed (6/10): Fast transitions and confident barbell cycling determine splits. Athletes who reset quickly after the run and immediately pick up the bar save significant time; excessive chalking or resting adds minutes across five rounds.
• Strength (5/10): The prescribed thruster load is moderately heavy for repeated sets. Athletes need enough strength to clean from the floor and drive solid front squat-to-press mechanics, but it’s not a max-load test.
• Flexibility (4/10): Thrusters demand solid front rack mobility, hip and ankle depth in the squat, and shoulder range to finish overhead. Limited positions slow cycling and increase energy cost, though demands remain within standard CrossFit movement ranges.

Scaling Options

Scale to: Thrusters 95/65 lb, 400 m run • Thrusters 75/55 lb, 300 m run • 10 Double DB Thrusters (2x35/2x20 lb), 300 m run

Scaling Explanation

These options adjust load and running volume to preserve quick thruster sets and a steady run pace, maintaining the intended stimulus of sustained effort with brief, high-power barbell bouts.

Intended Stimulus

This should feel like a sustained grind with brief spikes when you pick up the barbell. Run at a pace you can hold for all five 400s without fading, then attack thrusters in one unbroken set or two quick sets. Breathing control and efficient barbell cycling should keep total time in the mid-teen minutes.

Coach Insight

Open with a controlled first 400, then settle into consistent splits. Put hands on the bar within 5–10 seconds of finishing each run. Aim for unbroken thrusters early or a planned 6/4. One tip: breathe every rep—inhale in the squat, exhale as you drive up—so you don’t panic-breathe and drop the bar. Avoid sprinting round one, over-chalking, soft lockouts, and staring at the bar. If form degrades, take a quick breath, then get right back on for small, fast sets.

Benchmark Notes

Times reflect broad ability ranges. Beginners may land in the 24–27 minute range with breaks on the bar and slower runs. Intermediates target 15–19 minutes by keeping thrusters mostly unbroken and steady 400s. Advanced to elite push 11–14 minutes, running hard and cycling thrusters unbroken with crisp transitions.

Modality Profile

Most time is spent running, so monostructural dominates. The barbell portion is a single weightlifting movement performed in short, intense sets each round. There are no gymnastics elements. Overall feel blends steady cardio from the runs with heavy, high-power barbell efforts.

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