Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This pyramid-style workout accumulates significant volume with each round — by round 5, athletes face 10 burpees, 25 push-ups, 50 lunges, 100 sit-ups, 150 air squats, plus shuttle runs totaling 500+ reps of bodyweight work. The compounding structure means later rounds hit fatigued muscles hard. Push-ups and burpees compound chest/shoulder fatigue, while lunges and squats destroy the legs cumulatively. Estimated 35-50 minutes for average athletes.

Benchmark Times for Zachary Tellier Original

• Elite: <19:00
• Advanced: 21:00-23:30
• Intermediate: 26:00-29:00
• Beginner: >52:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Massive total volume — 50 burpees, 125 push-ups, 50 lunges, 100 sit-ups, 150 air squats, plus shuttle runs — demands exceptional muscular endurance across upper body, core, and lower body simultaneously.
• Endurance (7/10): The escalating ladder structure with repeated shuttle runs and burpees creates sustained cardiovascular demand throughout. Each round adds volume, keeping heart rate elevated for an extended duration across all five rounds.
• Speed (6/10): Shuttle runs reward quick acceleration and deceleration. The for-time format incentivizes fast transitions between movements, and efficient cycling of high-rep bodyweight work is critical to a competitive finish.
• Flexibility (3/10): Lunges and burpees require moderate hip flexor and thoracic mobility. Air squats demand basic ankle and hip flexibility. Nothing extreme, but consistent range of motion is needed throughout.
• Power (2/10): Burpees contain a small explosive jump component, and shuttle runs require quick direction changes. However, the sheer volume shifts the stimulus away from power toward sustained muscular output.
• Strength (1/10): Entirely bodyweight movements with no external loading. Movements test strength endurance rather than maximal force production, placing this firmly at the low end of the strength spectrum.

Movements

• Lunge
• Shuttle Run
• Push-Up
• Air Squat
• Burpee
• Sit-Up

Scaling Options

Burpees: Reduce to 6-7 per round, or sub step-back burpees (no jump) for athletes with shoulder or wrist limitations. Push-ups: Scale to knee push-ups or reduce to 15 reps per round; maintain full range of motion. Lunges: Reduce to 30 reps, or sub walking lunges to stationary lunges if balance is an issue; avoid weighted lunges unless prescribed. Sit-ups: Reduce to 60-75 reps, or sub crunches or a 45-second plank hold for athletes with lower back concerns. Air squats: Reduce to 100 reps, or sub box squats for athletes with knee pain or mobility restrictions. Shuttle runs: Shorten distances to 5-8-10-15 meters out and back, or reduce to 2-3 shuttle lengths per round for athletes with limited space or cardiovascular capacity.

Scaling Explanation

Scale this workout if you cannot complete 10 burpees in under 60 seconds with good form, or if your push-ups break down to singles before round 3. The goal is to keep moving — if you're stopping for more than 15-20 seconds at a time, the volume is too high. Prioritize movement quality over Rx numbers: sloppy lunges and half-depth squats under fatigue lead to injury, not adaptation. Athletes newer to CrossFit should cap the workout at 3 rounds (stopping after the lunges + shuttle run round) to stay within a 20-25 minute window. Intermediate athletes should target 30-40 minutes. Experienced athletes pushing Rx should aim for 40-50 minutes. If you're consistently over 55 minutes, reduce reps by 20-25% across the board to preserve the intended stimulus of sustained, moving effort rather than a rest-heavy slog.

Intended Stimulus

This is a long-duration grind workout targeting the 30-50 minute time domain. It's a classic ascending ladder — each round adds a new movement while keeping everything from the previous round, creating a snowball effect of cumulative fatigue. The energy demand is a sustained aerobic engine with repeated bouts of higher-intensity effort on the burpees and shuttle runs. The primary challenge is mental: managing the growing volume, staying disciplined on pacing, and not blowing up early when the rep counts feel manageable. This workout builds total-body muscular endurance, aerobic capacity, and mental toughness.

Coach Insight

The biggest mistake athletes make here is going too hard on Round 1 and 2 when the volume feels light. Treat the first two rounds as a warm-up — move steadily but never sprint. Save your legs. The shuttle runs are deceptive: 5-10-15-20 meters out AND back means you're running 100 meters total each set, with 8 direction changes that tax your hips and quads. On burpees, find a sustainable rhythm — a slow burpee you can repeat 50 times is better than a fast one that costs you the next movement. For push-ups, break early: sets of 10-8-7 beat going to failure and collapsing. Lunges should be controlled — alternate legs and keep your torso upright to protect your knees. Sit-ups can be your 'rest' movement — use a steady, rhythmic pace. Air squats in the final round will be brutal on already-fatigued legs; break them into sets of 25-30 and breathe at the top. Transitions between movements are where time is lost — move directly from one to the next without standing around.

Benchmark Notes

A cumulative bodyweight chipper: 50 burpees, 100 push-ups, 150 lunges, 300 sit-ups, 150 air squats and five 100 m out-and-back shuttle runs. The 300 sit-ups alone take an elite athlete about 5 minutes. L5 (29-33 min) breaks the push-ups into small sets. L10 (under 19 min) moves through nearly unbroken.

Modality Profile

6 total movements: Burpee (G), Push-Up (G), Lunge (G), Sit-Up (G), Air Squat (G) = 5 Gymnastics; Shuttle Run (M) = 1 Monostructural. 5/6 = 83% G, 1/6 = 17% M, 0% W.

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