Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This is a classic benchmark workout (Helen) with moderate volume and manageable loads. The 400m runs provide natural recovery between rounds, preventing excessive fatigue accumulation. While the kettlebell swings will tax the posterior chain and grip, and pull-ups become challenging as rounds progress, the built-in recovery from running allows most average CrossFitters to complete this as prescribed in 12-15 minutes with strategic pacing.

Benchmark Times for JACKED HELEN

• Elite: <9:30
• Advanced: 10:30-11:30
• Intermediate: 12:30-13:30
• Beginner: >19:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Five rounds of 400m runs with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, testing aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Stamina (7/10): High volume of kettlebell swings and pull-ups across five rounds will challenge upper body and posterior chain muscular endurance.
• Power (6/10): Kettlebell swings are inherently explosive hip extension movements, creating moderate power demands throughout each round.
• Speed (6/10): Fast transitions between movements and maintaining pace across five rounds requires good cycling speed and movement efficiency.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate kettlebell weight and bodyweight pull-ups require decent strength but not maximal force production capabilities.
• Flexibility (3/10): Kettlebell swings demand hip hinge mobility and pull-ups require shoulder flexibility, but nothing extreme.

Movements

• Run
• Kettlebell Swing
• Pull-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout is identical to the iconic benchmark 'Helen' (3 rounds: 400m run, 21 kettlebell swing 53/35, 12 pull-up), but with 5 rounds instead of 3. Using Helen as the anchor: L10: 450-510 sec, L5: 630-690 sec, L1: 900-1080 sec. For the 5-round version, I need to scale proportionally. Helen has 3 rounds totaling 63 reps per movement (21×3) plus 1200m running. This workout has 5 rounds totaling 105 reps per movement (21×5) plus 2000m running. The scaling factor is 5/3 = 1.67x. Movement breakdown per round: 400m run (75-120 sec fresh), 21 KBS at 53/35 (32-42 sec fresh), 12 pull-ups (12-24 sec fresh). Round-by-round with fatigue: Round 1: 400m (90s) + 21 KBS (35s) + 12 PU (18s) = 143s. Round 2: 1.1x fatigue = 157s. Round 3: 1.2x fatigue = 172s. Round 4: 1.3x fatigue = 186s. Round 5: 1.5x fatigue = 215s. Total: 873s for intermediate athlete. Adding transitions (4×8s = 32s) gives ~905s. Scaling Helen's anchors by 1.67x: L10: 450×1.67 = 752s to 510×1.67 = 852s (using 570s as elite target), L5: 630×1.67 = 1052s to 690×1.67 = 1152s (using 810s as median), L1: 900×1.67 = 1503s to 1080×1.67 = 1804s (using 1140s as beginner). Final targets - L10: 570s (9:30), L5: 810s (13:30), L1: 1140s (19:00).

Modality Profile

Three movements across all modalities: Pull-Up (Gymnastics), Run (Monostructural), Kettlebell Swing (Weightlifting). Equal distribution with slight rounding adjustment.