Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

The 2K row creates significant leg and cardiovascular fatigue before transitioning immediately into heavy front squats (225/155) - a weight most athletes can only handle for singles when fresh. The 21-15-9 rep scheme with no built-in rest forces athletes to perform high-rep heavy squats on pre-fatigued legs, followed by knees-to-elbows requiring core strength after spinal loading. The combination of heavy loading with high volume under fatigue makes this extremely challenging.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <8:30
• Advanced: 9:30-10:30
• Intermediate: 11:30-12:30
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume front squats (45 total reps) and knees to elbows (45 total reps) will severely test muscular endurance in legs and core.
• Strength (8/10): 225/155 front squats taken from ground demand significant strength, especially as fatigue accumulates through the descending rep scheme.
• Endurance (7/10): The 2K row provides significant aerobic demand, followed by a descending ladder that maintains elevated heart rate throughout the workout.
• Flexibility (6/10): Front squats require good ankle and thoracic mobility, while knees to elbows demand shoulder flexibility and core range of motion.
• Speed (5/10): 21-15-9 format encourages steady pacing with minimal rest, requiring efficient transitions between heavy squats and gymnastic movements.
• Power (4/10): Moderate power demand from explosive hip drive in front squats and dynamic core engagement in knees to elbows movements.

Movements

• Front Squat
• Knees-to-Elbow
• Row

Benchmark Notes

This workout combines a 2K row with a 21-15-9 front squat/knees-to-elbows couplet. I'll analyze each component: 2K Row Analysis: Using the classic 2K row anchor: L10 360-390 sec, L5 420-450 sec, L1 510-540 sec. This establishes our rowing baseline. 21-15-9 Front Squat (225/155) + Knees to Elbows: This is a Fran-style couplet but with significantly heavier loading. Standard Fran uses 95/65 thrusters, while this uses 225/155 front squats - nearly 2.4x the load. The knees-to-elbows is similar difficulty to pull-ups but slightly easier. Movement breakdown: - Front Squat at 225/155: This is heavy loading (likely 70-85% 1RM for most athletes). Expect singles or doubles with rest. Estimate 8-12 sec per rep including rest. - Knees to Elbows: 2-3 sec per rep when fresh, but significant grip fatigue after rowing. Round-by-round analysis: Round 1 (21 reps each): Front squats will require breaking into 3-5 sets. K2E will be affected by rowing grip fatigue. Estimate 4-6 minutes. Round 2 (15 reps each): Continued fatigue, smaller sets. Estimate 3-4 minutes. Round 3 (9 reps each): Final push, but accumulated fatigue. Estimate 2-3 minutes. Total barbell work: 45 front squats at heavy load = 6-9 minutes Total K2E: 45 reps with grip fatigue = 2-3 minutes Transitions and setup: 1-2 minutes Comparing to Elizabeth (21-15-9 squat clean 135/95 + ring dip): Elizabeth L10: 160-200 sec, L5: 360-420 sec, L1: 540-720 sec Our workout has: heavier loading (+67% weight), easier gymnastics (-20%), plus 2K row (+6-9 minutes) Final calculation: 2K row: 6-9 minutes Fran-style couplet (heavy): 9-12 minutes Total: L10 8:30, L5 12:30, L1 18:00 Final targets: L10: 510 sec, L5: 750 sec, L1: 1080 sec

Modality Profile

Three movements across all modalities: Row (monostructural cardio), Front Squat (weightlifting with barbell), and Knees-to-Elbow (gymnastics bodyweight movement). Equal distribution with slight weighting to weightlifting.