Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout creates significant cumulative fatigue through its ladder structure with no built-in rest. The average athlete will face 235 total reps of bodyweight movements performed continuously, with grip fatigue from pull-ups affecting later movements and cardiovascular demands building throughout. The combination of moderate volume across multiple movement patterns without recovery, plus the time pressure of 'for time' format, pushes this beyond medium difficulty despite using only bodyweight exercises.

Benchmark Times for 25:01 - 50:00

• Elite: <14:00
• Advanced: 16:00-18:00
• Intermediate: 20:00-22:00
• Beginner: >35:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Extremely high volume across all movement patterns tests muscular endurance, with grip stamina particularly challenged by pull-ups and double unders.
• Endurance (8/10): The ladder format with high total volume (235 reps) creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially as fatigue accumulates through later rounds.
• Speed (6/10): Ladder format demands efficient movement cycling and transitions, with speed becoming crucial as fatigue sets in during later rounds.
• Power (4/10): Double unders require explosive calf contractions and coordination, while burpees have some plyometric component in the jump.
• Flexibility (3/10): Pull-ups require shoulder mobility, sit-ups need hip flexion, and air squats demand ankle and hip mobility.
• Strength (2/10): Primarily bodyweight movements with minimal strength demands beyond basic pulling and pushing capacity.

Movements

• Pull-Up
• Double-Under
• Burpee
• Sit-Up
• Air Squat

Benchmark Notes

This is a ladder-style workout adding one movement per round, creating 5 total rounds with cumulative volume. I'll analyze this using Angie (100 pull-up + 100 push-up + 100 sit-up + 100 air squat) as the primary anchor since it contains similar total volumes of pull-ups (11 vs 100), sit-ups (78 vs 100), and air squats (100 vs 100), plus adds double-unders and burpees. Movement breakdown by round: Round 1: 11 pull-ups = 11-22 sec Round 2: 11 pull-ups + 27 double-unders = 11-22 sec + 13.5-27 sec = 24.5-49 sec Round 3: Previous + 19 burpees = 24.5-49 sec + 57-76 sec = 81.5-125 sec Round 4: Previous + 78 sit-ups = 81.5-125 sec + 78-117 sec = 159.5-242 sec Round 5: Previous + 100 air squats = 159.5-242 sec + 100-150 sec = 259.5-392 sec Fatigue considerations: The ladder format means athletes repeat earlier movements while fatigued. Pull-ups will be significantly slower in later rounds (1.5-2x multiplier). Double-unders become more difficult when grip is compromised from pull-ups. The cumulative nature creates substantial fatigue by rounds 4-5. Transition time: Minimal equipment changes, approximately 3-5 seconds between movements per round, totaling 45-75 seconds across all rounds. Set breaking: Pull-ups will break into smaller sets (5-3-2-1 pattern in later rounds). Burpees and sit-ups typically done in larger chunks. Air squats usually unbroken. Comparing to Angie anchor (L10: 900-1080 sec, L5: 1320-1500 sec, L1: 1980-2400 sec): This workout has similar total volume but the ladder format with repeated movements under fatigue makes it more challenging. The addition of double-unders and burpees (higher intensity movements) versus push-ups also increases difficulty. I estimate this workout to be approximately 10-15% faster than Angie due to the ladder structure allowing some recovery between full movement cycles, but the repeated pull-ups under fatigue offset much of this advantage. Final targets - L10: 840 sec (14:00), L5: 1320 sec (22:00), L1: 2100 sec (35:00)

Modality Profile

All five movements (Pull-Up, Double-Under, Burpee, Sit-Up, Air Squat) are bodyweight gymnastics movements with no external load or cyclical cardio components.