Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

The combination of high-intensity bike calories followed immediately by max thruster reps creates significant interference - legs are pre-fatigued from cycling, making thrusters much harder. The 30-second cap forces a brutal pace with no recovery between movements. While 60 seconds rest helps, repeating this 10 times creates substantial cumulative fatigue. The thruster weight is manageable fresh, but becomes limiting under this metabolic stress and fatigue accumulation.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (8/10): Ten rounds with bike calories creates significant cardiovascular demand, though 60-second rest periods provide some recovery between intervals.
• Stamina (7/10): High-rep thrusters after bike work will test muscular endurance, especially shoulders and legs, with grip fatigue accumulating across rounds.
• Speed (7/10): Short 30-second windows create urgency for quick bike-to-thruster transitions and rapid cycling of both movements for maximum reps.
• Flexibility (6/10): Thrusters demand good ankle, hip, and shoulder mobility for proper overhead position, especially when fatigued from bike work.
• Power (6/10): Bike sprints for calories require explosive leg drive, while thrusters need power from hips to generate momentum overhead.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate thruster weight (50/35) requires decent strength but emphasizes endurance over maximal force production in this format.

Movements

• Thruster
• Bike

Scaling Options

Reduce thruster weight to 35/25 or even bodyweight front squats to thrusters. Scale bike calories to 8/6 or use 15/12 calorie row. Beginners can do 20-second work intervals instead of 30 seconds. Consider reducing to 6-8 rounds total. Use dumbbells (25/15 lbs each hand) instead of barbell if mobility is limited.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you can't maintain at least 3-4 thrusters per round or if bike calories take more than 20 seconds. The goal is to have 10+ seconds for thrusters each round. Prioritize movement quality over weight - this workout should feel like repeated sprints, not a grind. If breathing doesn't recover during the 60-second rest, scale the intensity. Target is finishing all 10 rounds with consistent effort.

Intended Stimulus

High-intensity glycolytic sprint with power endurance focus. Each 30-second interval targets the phosphocreatine and glycolytic systems with immediate recovery. The bike calories create metabolic demand while thrusters test ability to maintain power output under fatigue. This is a classic interval training format that develops lactate buffering capacity and teaches pacing under time pressure.

Coach Insight

Hit the bike hard but controlled - aim for consistent calories each round rather than going all-out early. Transition quickly off the bike (3-5 seconds max). For thrusters, use a weight you can hit 8-12 unbroken when fresh. Break early and often - consider doubles or triples to maintain speed. Keep elbows high, drive through heels, and punch overhead aggressively. The 60-second rest is crucial - use it to reset breathing and grip. Track your thruster reps each round to maintain consistency.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is scored by total thruster reps completed across 10 rounds. Each round: 30 seconds to complete 10/8 cal bike + max thrusters (50/35 lb), then 60 sec rest. Round-by-round breakdown: Bike calories take 12-20 seconds (elite to recreational), leaving 10-18 seconds for thrusters. Fresh thruster pace: 2-3 sec/rep. Early rounds (1-3): 4-6 thrusters possible after bike. Mid rounds (4-6): fatigue reduces to 3-5 thrusters as bike takes longer and thruster pace slows. Late rounds (7-10): significant fatigue, bike may take 18-22 seconds, leaving minimal time for 2-4 thrusters. Elite athletes maintain higher bike efficiency and thruster speed under fatigue. Total rep ranges: L1 (scaled/beginner): ~45 reps, L5 (average): ~107 reps, L9 (elite): ~153 reps. The 30-second cap creates a hard ceiling on reps per round, making consistent performance across all 10 rounds the key differentiator.

Modality Profile

Two movements: Bike (monostructural cardio) and Thruster (weightlifting with barbell), resulting in equal 50/50 split between M and W modalities