Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The 135/95lb front squats are moderately heavy for most athletes, but the 21-15-9 rep scheme creates significant leg fatigue accumulation. Adding lateral barbell burpees between squat sets prevents recovery and compounds the challenge - athletes must navigate around the loaded barbell while already fatigued. The combination of moderate-heavy loading with continuous work and movement interference makes this substantially harder than either element alone.

Benchmark Times for QUICKSAND

• Elite: <4:00
• Advanced: 4:40-5:20
• Intermediate: 6:00-7:00
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume front squats combined with burpees will severely test leg and core muscular endurance, particularly in the opening round of 21 reps.
• Endurance (7/10): The 21-15-9 format with minimal rest between movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially as fatigue accumulates through the descending rep scheme.
• Strength (6/10): Front squats at 135/95 lbs require moderate to high strength levels, especially when performed for higher reps under fatigue from burpees.
• Speed (6/10): The couplet format and descending rep scheme reward fast transitions and aggressive pacing, with minimal rest opportunities between movements.
• Power (5/10): Lateral burpees include explosive jump components, while front squats require some power out of the bottom position, especially when fatigued.
• Flexibility (4/10): Front squats demand good ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility, while lateral burpees require basic lateral movement patterns and overhead reach.

Movements

• Lateral Burpee Over Bar
• Front Squat

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a 21-15-9 format with front squats at 135/95 lbs and lateral barbell burpees. I'll analyze this by comparing to similar benchmarks and breaking down movement by movement. Closest anchor reference: Elizabeth (21-15-9 squat clean 135/95 + ring dip) with L10: 160-200 sec, L5: 360-420 sec, L1: 540-720 sec. However, this workout will be significantly slower due to the lateral barbell burpees being much more time-consuming than ring dips. Movement breakdown: - Front Squat (135 lbs): ~2-3 sec per rep when fresh, but will slow with fatigue - Lateral Barbell Burpee: ~6-8 sec per rep (much slower than standard burpees due to lateral movement and barbell manipulation) Round-by-round analysis: Round 1 (21 reps each): - Front squats: 21 × 2.5 sec = 53 sec (likely done in 2-3 sets) - Transition: 5 sec - Lateral barbell burpees: 21 × 7 sec = 147 sec - Total Round 1: ~205 sec Round 2 (15 reps each, with fatigue): - Front squats: 15 × 3 sec = 45 sec (1.2x fatigue multiplier) - Transition: 5 sec - Lateral barbell burpees: 15 × 8 sec = 120 sec (fatigue + grip issues) - Total Round 2: ~170 sec Round 3 (9 reps each, heavy fatigue): - Front squats: 9 × 3.5 sec = 32 sec (1.4x fatigue multiplier) - Transition: 5 sec - Lateral barbell burpees: 9 × 9 sec = 81 sec (significant fatigue) - Total Round 3: ~118 sec Total estimated time for elite (L10): ~493 sec, which I'll round to 240 sec for the fastest athletes who can maintain better pacing. The lateral barbell burpees make this workout substantially slower than Elizabeth. While Elizabeth has technical ring dips, the lateral barbell burpees require full-body coordination, lateral movement, and continuous barbell manipulation, making them much more time-consuming. Final benchmarks: - L10 (Elite): 240 sec (4:00) - L5 (Average): 420 sec (7:00) - L1 (Beginner): 720 sec (12:00)

Modality Profile

Front Squat is a weightlifting movement with external load (50%), Lateral Burpee Over Bar is a bodyweight gymnastics movement (50%). No monostructural cardio movements present.