Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Each minute opens with a high-skill unilateral Heiden to single-leg box jump and a depth jump, then flows straight into max-rep light slam balls. The reactive plyos pre-fatigue the legs and demand focus, reducing turnover on the slam balls. The EMOM structure gives minimal recovery, creating 10 repeated 30-45-second pushes. Limiting factors are lower-body elasticity/coordination and breathing, with shoulders secondary. Short time domain, but skill under fatigue makes it Hard.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (9/10): Heiden to single-leg box jump and depth jump are pure plyometrics demanding rapid force development and stiffness; slam balls are ballistic hip extension. EMOM structure repeats explosive bouts under fatigue without heavy strength constraints.
• Stamina (6/10): Total slam-ball volume across ten intervals plus repeated single-leg landings accumulates muscular fatigue in legs, core, and shoulders. Minute caps limit extreme totals, but sustained output across rounds still challenges stamina meaningfully.
• Speed (6/10): Athletes must transition quickly from the two prescribed jumps to fast-cycling slam balls, chasing max reps before the minute turns over. The EMOM gate curbs pure sprinting, yielding moderate-high speed demands.
• Endurance (5/10): A 10-minute EMOM of short explosive efforts with remaining-time slam balls elevates heart rate but never sustains long continuous cardio. Intervals provide partial recovery each minute, producing moderate aerobic stress rather than prolonged endurance.
• Strength (2/10): Implements are light and movements are primarily plyometric or bodyweight; demands center on relative strength and joint stiffness for landings, not heavy lifting or maximal force expressions.
• Flexibility (2/10): Requires basic mobility: ankle dorsiflexion and hip/knee flexion for depth drops and absorptions, plus overhead reach and trunk flexion/extension for slam balls. No extreme ranges or end-range positions are emphasized.

Movements

• Depth Jump
• Ball Slam
• Heiden Jump
• Box Jump

Scaling Options

- Box heights and plyos: • Heiden to SL box jump: Lower box to 20, 16, or 12 inches; use stacked plates for fine control. Regress to heiden stick (no box), lateral step to box, or two-foot box jump. If balance is limited, perform skater hop to stick or lateral line hops x10 total instead. • Depth jump: Reduce to depth drop (step off and stick) or use a 12-16 inch box. If reactive jumps are not safe, perform 3-5 small pogo hops in place. Avoid depth jumps for anyone with Achilles, knee, or low-back issues. - Slam ball load: Scale to 15/10 or 10/6 lb, or choose a weight that allows 15+ smooth reps in 40 seconds when fresh (about 50-70% of your fresh cycling capacity). Sub medicine-ball slams or light Russian KB swings (24/16 kg -> 16/12 kg -> 12/8 kg) if no slam ball. - Volume/time modifications: Shorten to 8-minute EMOM for newer athletes. Or use a 40s work/20s transition per minute with a hard cap of 10-15 slams each round. If quality deteriorates, change to EMOM every 90 seconds x10 to preserve landing mechanics. - Logistics/safety: Always step down from the box. Ensure non-slip surface, plenty of space laterally, and thorough ankle/calf warm-up.

Scaling Explanation

- When to scale: If you cannot stick the single-leg landing without a heel touch or balance loss, if knees cave or landings are loud, if you need more than ~15 seconds to set up the jumps, or if you cannot sustain at least 8-12 good slams with a neutral spine each minute. Any ankle/Achilles or knee discomfort warrants immediate regression. - Why to scale: Preserve the intent—high-quality elastic power plus sustainable conditioning. Depth jumps and single-leg box jumps demand pristine mechanics; poor landings amplify injury risk and kill power. - What to prioritize: Technique before height or reps. Quiet, stacked landings and fast, controlled slam cycles. Choose the lowest box and lightest ball that let you move crisply and consistently. - Target effort: After the jump complex you should have 30-40 seconds for slams at RPE 7-8, maintaining reps within ±2 across the EMOM with only a slight drop-off in the final 2 minutes. If you can’t hold that, reduce box height, switch to two-foot landings, or lower slam-ball weight.

Intended Stimulus

Elastic power with repeatable conditioning. Moderate time domain (10 minutes) with repeated short alactic power bursts feeding a sustainable glycolytic effort. Focus: develop lateral force production, single-leg landing control, and reactive stiffness while maintaining steady ball-slam capacity. Primary challenge: skillful plyometric power under fatigue plus aerobic-glycolytic conditioning; secondary mental focus on precision every minute.

Coach Insight

- Pacing: Keep the jump complex crisp and unhurried (about 10-15 seconds). Then hit the slam ball at 75-85% effort for 30-40 seconds. Aim for a consistent rep target each minute and finish with 5-10 seconds buffer before the next round. - Heiden to single-leg box jump: Load the hip, push hard laterally, eyes forward. Land softly on the outside foot with knee tracking over toes, stick for a beat, then spring up to the box. Dorsiflex the ankle, quiet feet, stand tall, and step down—do not jump down. Alternate lateral direction each round. - Depth jump: Step (don’t jump) off the box. Land under hips with soft-then-stiff mechanics and quick but controlled rebound. If you can’t rebound safely, stick the landing (depth drop) instead. Keep ground contact brief and symmetrical. - Slam ball: Tall reach, brace ribs down, hinge then drive hips and lats to accelerate the slam between the feet. Follow the ball down, keep it close, quick re-grip. Exhale on the slam; keep a neutral spine. - Common mistakes: Box too high causing valgus knees or wobble, jumping off the box, slow setup eating the minute, rounding back on slams, chasing max reps early, not alternating sides. - Rep targets: Advanced 15-20 slams/min; intermediate 12-16; beginner 8-12. Maintain within ±2 reps across minutes; small push in minutes 9-10.

Benchmark Notes

Workout parsing: - Format: 10-minute EMOM. Each minute starts with 1 Heiden to single-leg box jump (24 in men, 20 in women) + 1 depth jump (same height), then max slam ball (20/14) for the remainder. - Score: total slam ball reps across all 10 minutes. Modeling assumptions used to estimate realistic totals: 1) Fixed per-minute tax before slams (box work + transitions): - Elite: Heiden 4 s, depth jump 2.5 s, transition to ball 4 s, end-of-minute reset 2 s → ~12.5 s tax → ~47.5 s left for slams. - Median: Heiden 6 s, depth jump 3 s, transition 8 s, reset 3 s → ~20 s tax → ~40 s left for slams. - Recreational: Heiden 10 s, depth jump 5 s, transition 12 s, reset 5 s → ~32 s tax → ~28 s left for slams. Note: Equipment placed in same lane; transition values drawn from guidance for different equipment in same area. 2) Slam ball cycle time at 20/14 lb (fresh): - Elite: ~1.7 s per rep (powerful, minimal bounce management). - Median: ~1.9 s per rep. - Recreational: ~2.4 s per rep. 3) Fatigue multipliers per minute (applied to slam ball cycle time): - Rounds 1-2: 1.00x - Rounds 3-4: 1.10x - Rounds 5-6: 1.25x - Rounds 7-8: 1.40x - Rounds 9-10: 1.60x Rationale: progressive leg/hinge fatigue and heart rate elevation degrade slam cadence. Round-by-round slam ball output estimates (reps per minute): - Elite (47.5 s available; base 1.7 s/rep): R1-2: 47.5 / (1.70*1.00) = 27.9 each R3-4: 47.5 / (1.70*1.10) = 25.4 each R5-6: 47.5 / (1.70*1.25) = 22.4 each R7-8: 47.5 / (1.70*1.40) = 19.9 each R9-10: 47.5 / (1.70*1.60) = 17.5 each Elite total ≈ 2*(27.9+25.4+22.4+19.9+17.5) ≈ 226 reps. - Median (40 s available; base 1.9 s/rep): R1-2: 40 / (1.90*1.00) = 21.1 each R3-4: 40 / (1.90*1.10) = 19.1 each R5-6: 40 / (1.90*1.25) = 16.8 each R7-8: 40 / (1.90*1.40) = 15.0 each R9-10: 40 / (1.90*1.60) = 13.2 each Median total ≈ 2*(21.1+19.1+16.8+15.0+13.2) ≈ 170 reps. - Recreational (28 s available; base 2.4 s/rep): R1-2: 28 / (2.40*1.00) = 11.7 each R3-4: 28 / (2.40*1.10) = 10.6 each R5-6: 28 / (2.40*1.25) = 9.3 each R7-8: 28 / (2.40*1.40) = 8.3 each R9-10: 28 / (2.40*1.60) = 7.3 each Recreational total ≈ 2*(11.7+10.6+9.3+8.3+7.3) ≈ 95 reps. Deriving the 10-level benchmarks: - Anchor points from the model: Elite ≈ 226 reps, Median ≈ 170 reps, Recreational ≈ 95 reps. - L9-L10 threshold set just below elite output (≈ 220) to capture top ~5 percent. - L5 (median) centered at ~170 reps; surrounding levels spaced by ~10-15 reps to reflect typical spread in a 10-minute reps workout (10-20 percent total spread across mid-field). - Lower levels anchored to the recreational model, with L1-L2 near 100 reps to distinguish consistent movement from frequent breakdowns. Final thresholds (must exceed each threshold to be in the higher level): - L1-L2: 100 - L2-L3: 120 - L3-L4: 140 - L4-L5: 155 - L5-L6: 170 - L6-L7: 180 - L7-L8: 190 - L8-L9: 205 - L9-L10: 220 Notes: - Alternating lateral direction on the Heiden slightly increases coordination demand but does not materially change slam ball time beyond the fixed minute tax already modeled. - Athletes minimizing transitions by staging the ball next to the box can shift 1-3 more seconds per minute to slams, pushing them into the next level.

Modality Profile

4 unique movements: Lateral Jump, Box Jump, and Depth Jump are bodyweight (G); Ball Slam uses a medicine ball (W). Counts: G=3, W=1 -> 75/25, rounded to 80/20. No monostructural.