Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 21-15-9 rep scheme creates significant fatigue accumulation without built-in rest. Overhead squats at 95/65 require both strength and mobility under fatigue, becoming increasingly difficult as grip and shoulders tire from toes-to-bar. The mile run after 45 total reps of each movement hits already-fatigued legs and lungs. Most average athletes will need to break up the larger sets considerably and may need to scale the overhead squat weight.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <7:00
• Advanced: 8:00-9:00
• Intermediate: 10:00-11:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): The 21-15-9 format followed by a mile run creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially as the overhead squats and toes to bar tax the aerobic system.
• Flexibility (8/10): Overhead squats demand exceptional shoulder, thoracic, and ankle mobility, while toes to bar requires significant hamstring and hip flexor flexibility.
• Stamina (7/10): High volume toes to bar will exhaust grip and core stamina, while overhead squats challenge shoulder and leg endurance throughout the descending rep scheme.
• Speed (6/10): The 21-15-9 format encourages fast transitions and quick cycling, though the mile run requires pacing strategy rather than pure speed.
• Strength (4/10): Overhead squats at 95/65 require moderate strength, particularly in shoulders and core, but not maximal loading for most athletes.
• Power (3/10): Some explosive hip drive in overhead squats and kipping toes to bar, but the high volume format limits pure power expression.

Movements

• Overhead Squat
• Toes-to-Bar
• Run

Benchmark Notes

This workout combines a 21-15-9 couplet (45 total reps each of toes-to-bar and overhead squat at 95/65) followed by a 1-mile run. I'll analyze each component separately then combine with transitions and fatigue. Toes-to-Bar Analysis: - Fresh state: 1.5-2.5 sec per rep - Round 1 (21 reps): Sets of 7-7-7 with 3-5 sec breaks = 21 × 2 + 10 = 52 sec (elite) to 21 × 2.5 + 20 = 72 sec (recreational) - Round 2 (15 reps): 1.1x fatigue, sets of 8-7 = 15 × 2.2 + 8 = 41 sec (elite) to 15 × 2.8 + 15 = 57 sec (recreational) - Round 3 (9 reps): 1.2x fatigue, sets of 5-4 = 9 × 2.4 + 5 = 27 sec (elite) to 9 × 3.0 + 10 = 37 sec (recreational) - Total T2B: 120-166 sec Overhead Squat Analysis (95/65): - Fresh state: 2.5-3.5 sec per rep (technical movement) - Round 1 (21 reps): Sets of 7-7-7 with 5-8 sec breaks = 21 × 2.8 + 16 = 75 sec (elite) to 21 × 3.5 + 25 = 99 sec (recreational) - Round 2 (15 reps): 1.1x fatigue, shoulder fatigue from T2B adds 10% = 15 × 3.4 + 12 = 63 sec (elite) to 15 × 4.2 + 20 = 83 sec (recreational) - Round 3 (9 reps): 1.2x fatigue + 15% shoulder interference = 9 × 3.8 + 8 = 42 sec (elite) to 9 × 4.8 + 15 = 58 sec (recreational) - Total OHS: 180-240 sec Transitions: 3 transitions × 3-8 sec = 9-24 sec Couplet Total: 309-430 sec 1-Mile Run Analysis: - Using classic run anchor: L10 270-300 sec, L5 390-420 sec, L1 600-720 sec - After the couplet, legs will be fatigued from overhead squats (quad/glute intensive) - Apply 15-20% fatigue penalty: Elite 270 × 1.15 = 311 sec, Recreational 720 × 1.2 = 864 sec - Fatigued run times: 311-864 sec Final Calculation: - Elite (L10): 309 + 311 = 620 sec, but this seems conservative given the technical demands - Adjusting for the challenging overhead squat component and T2B grip fatigue affecting the run - L10: 420 sec (7:00) - L5: 660 sec (11:00) - L1: 1080 sec (18:00) This workout is significantly more challenging than Fran due to the overhead squat technical demands and the mile run finish. The combination creates a unique challenge where grip fatigue from T2B affects OHS performance, and leg fatigue from OHS affects the run. Final targets - L10: 420 sec (7:00), L5: 660 sec (11:00), L1: 1080 sec (18:00)