Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines heavy unilateral loading (24kg/16kg) with high-skill movements requiring exceptional balance and coordination. Weighted pistols are already challenging for most athletes, but performing them fatigued after KB clean & jerks creates compounding difficulty. The alternating limb pattern prevents any recovery, and the continuous nature means 120 total reps of demanding movements. Most athletes will need significant scaling on both weight and pistol progression.

Benchmark Times for KB C&J, Pistols

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of unilateral work (40 total reps per limb) will severely test grip endurance and single-limb muscular stamina throughout.
• Flexibility (8/10): Weighted pistol squats require exceptional ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility while maintaining balance and control under load.
• Strength (7/10): 24kg/16kg kettlebell loads combined with single-arm jerks and weighted pistols demand significant unilateral strength and core stability.
• Endurance (6/10): Three rounds for time with unilateral movements creates moderate cardiovascular demand, especially as grip and stabilizer fatigue accumulates across rounds.
• Power (6/10): Clean and jerk movements are inherently explosive, requiring hip drive and overhead power, though fatigue will diminish output.
• Speed (4/10): Unilateral nature and technical demands limit cycling speed; focus shifts to steady, controlled movement quality over rapid transitions.

Movements

• Weighted Pistol
• Kettlebell Clean and Jerk

Benchmark Notes

This workout features 3 rounds of alternating single-arm KB clean & jerks and single-leg weighted pistols, creating significant unilateral fatigue and coordination demands. Movement breakdown: KB Clean & Jerk (24kg/16kg): Each rep requires 3-4 seconds for the clean, brief reset, then jerk. Single-arm work adds instability. Weighted Pistol (24kg/16kg): Highly technical movement requiring 4-5 seconds per rep when fresh, including balance and control phases. Round-by-round analysis: Round 1 (fresh): KB C&J: 10 reps × 3.5 sec = 35 sec per arm (70 sec total), Pistols: 10 reps × 4.5 sec = 45 sec per leg (90 sec total), Transitions: 15 sec, Round total: 175 sec. Round 2 (1.2x fatigue): KB movements: 70 × 1.2 = 84 sec, Pistols: 90 × 1.2 = 108 sec, Transitions: 18 sec, Round total: 210 sec. Round 3 (1.4x fatigue): KB movements: 70 × 1.4 = 98 sec, Pistols: 90 × 1.4 = 126 sec, Transitions: 21 sec, Round total: 245 sec. Total time estimate: 630 seconds (10:30). This workout combines the technical demands of single-limb movements with moderate loading, similar to Helen's complexity but with higher skill requirements. Using Helen as an anchor (L10: 450-510 sec, L5: 630-690 sec, L1: 900-1080 sec), I'm adjusting upward by 15-20% due to the technical pistol component and unilateral loading creating additional coordination challenges. The single-arm KB work and weighted pistols require more precision and create asymmetrical fatigue patterns not present in Helen. Final targets - L10: 360 sec (6:00), L5: 600 sec (10:00), L1: 1080 sec (18:00).

Modality Profile

Both Kettlebell Clean and Jerk and Weighted Pistol are external load movements using kettlebells, making this 100% Weightlifting