Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

Bodyweight front squats are extremely heavy for most athletes (185-225lbs), requiring significant strength. The 21-15-9 rep scheme with no built-in rest creates massive leg fatigue before attempting toes-to-bar, which demands grip strength and core endurance. The 5-minute cap adds brutal time pressure, forcing athletes to maintain high intensity throughout. Most will need to scale the front squat load significantly to have any chance of completion.

Benchmark Times for B. 21-15-9 (Front Sq. & T2B)

• Elite: <2:30
• Advanced: 2:45-3:00
• Intermediate: 3:15-3:30
• Beginner: >5:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Total of 45 front squats and 45 toes to bar will heavily tax muscular endurance in legs, core, and grip strength.
• Speed (8/10): Five-minute cap forces aggressive pacing and minimal rest between movements to complete all 90 total reps.
• Endurance (7/10): Five-minute time cap with high-rep bodyweight movements creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output throughout the workout.
• Flexibility (7/10): Toes to bar demands excellent shoulder and hip flexibility, while front squats require ankle and thoracic spine mobility.
• Strength (6/10): Bodyweight front squats require significant relative strength, especially as fatigue accumulates through the descending rep scheme.
• Power (3/10): Some explosive hip drive needed for front squats and kipping toes to bar, but primarily strength-endurance focused.

Movements

• Front Squat
• Toes-to-Bar

Benchmark Notes

This workout is a 21-15-9 couplet with bodyweight front squats and toes-to-bar under a 5-minute cap. I'll analyze this by comparing to the Fran anchor (21-15-9 thruster 95/65 + pull-up) and adjusting for movement differences. Movement Analysis: - Bodyweight Front Squat: For most athletes, bodyweight is significantly heavier than 95/65 lbs. Average male bodyweight ~185 lbs vs 95 lb thruster (95% heavier), average female ~140 lbs vs 65 lb thruster (115% heavier). This creates much more leg fatigue and slower cycle times. - Toes-to-Bar vs Pull-Up: T2B requires more core strength and coordination, typically 20-30% slower than kipping pull-ups. Round-by-round breakdown: Round 1 (21 reps each): - BW Front Squats: 21 × 3.5 sec = 74 sec (vs 42 sec for thrusters) - T2B: 21 × 2.2 sec = 46 sec (vs 21 sec for pull-ups) - Transition: 3 sec - Round 1 total: ~123 sec vs Fran's ~66 sec Round 2 (15 reps each): - BW Front Squats: 15 × 4.2 sec = 63 sec (fatigue factor 1.2x) - T2B: 15 × 2.6 sec = 39 sec (fatigue + grip issues) - Transition: 3 sec - Round 2 total: ~105 sec vs Fran's ~45 sec Round 3 (9 reps each): - BW Front Squats: 9 × 4.8 sec = 43 sec (fatigue factor 1.4x) - T2B: 9 × 3.0 sec = 27 sec (significant grip fatigue) - Round 3 total: ~70 sec vs Fran's ~27 sec Total estimated time: ~298 sec (4:58) for elite level vs Fran's ~138 sec (2:18) Using Fran as anchor and scaling for the heavier load and more difficult gymnastics movement: - Fran L10: 120-140 sec → This workout L10: ~150 sec (2.5x multiplier) - Fran L5: 320-360 sec → This workout L5: ~210 sec (capped at 300 sec) - Fran L1: 540-660 sec → This workout L1: 300 sec (time cap) The 5-minute cap significantly compresses the performance spread, with many athletes hitting the time cap rather than completing the workout. Final targets: L10: 150 sec, L5: 210 sec, L1: 300 sec (time cap)

Modality Profile

Front Squat is a weightlifting movement with external load (barbell), while Toes-to-Bar is a gymnastics bodyweight movement. With two modalities present, this creates a 50/50 split between Weightlifting and Gymnastics.