Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout combines significant volume (150 total reps per round) with moderate loads across 5 rounds, creating substantial fatigue accumulation. The 400m runs provide minimal recovery while pre-fatiguing legs for step-ups. Heavy dumbbell step-ups (50/35 lbs) will challenge grip and legs, then immediately transition to wall balls with already compromised lower body. The continuous nature and 25+ minute duration for average athletes makes this challenging despite using fundamental movements.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <17:00
• Advanced: 18:00-19:30
• Intermediate: 21:00-22:30
• Beginner: >35:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume step-ups and wall balls (150 reps each) will severely challenge muscular endurance in legs, shoulders, and core.
• Endurance (8/10): Five rounds of 400m runs with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, testing aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Speed (6/10): Maintaining consistent pace across five rounds while managing fatigue and transitions between three different movement patterns is crucial.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate dumbbell loads for step-ups and 20/14lb wall balls require decent strength but not maximal force production.
• Flexibility (3/10): Wall balls demand overhead mobility and hip flexion, step-ups require basic hip and ankle range of motion.
• Power (3/10): Wall balls require some explosive hip extension, but the high volume shifts focus from power to endurance.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Step-Up
• Run

Benchmark Notes

This workout is nearly identical to the Kelly benchmark (5 rounds: 400m run, 30 box jump 24/20, 30 wall ball 20/14), with the only difference being step-ups with dumbbells instead of box jumps. Using Kelly as the primary anchor: L10: 930-1050 sec, L5: 1260-1440 sec, L1: 1800-2100 sec. Movement breakdown per round: 400m run takes 75-120 sec depending on level, 30 step-ups with DBs (50/35) take slightly longer than box jumps due to the dumbbell load - approximately 45-90 sec vs 30-60 sec for box jumps, and 30 wall balls take 60-120 sec. The dumbbell step-ups add grip fatigue and require more coordination than box jumps, so I'm adjusting Kelly's times upward by approximately 8-12%. Round-by-round fatigue multipliers: Round 1 (1.0x), Round 2 (1.05x), Round 3 (1.1x), Round 4 (1.15x), Round 5 (1.2x). Transitions between movements add 5-10 seconds per round. Total estimated times with step-up adjustment: L10: 1020-1170 sec, L5: 1350-1440 sec, L1: 1800-2100 sec. Final targets: L10: 1020 sec (17:00), L5: 1350 sec (22:30), L1: 2100 sec (35:00).

Modality Profile

Three movements across all modalities: Run (monostructural cardio), Step-Up (bodyweight gymnastics), Wall Ball (weighted external load). Equal distribution with slight emphasis on weightlifting.