Short, fast, and painful is the name of the game in this week’s #GutcheckThursday
Intended Stimulus
Metabolic distress. This redundant couplet is written with a load & rep scheme that facilitates intensity even as the legs & pressing muscles become increasingly more fatigued. Aim for a barbell weight that lets you move the set of 21 with 3 breaks or less (unbroken, 11+10, 12+9, 7/7/7, etc.), the round of 15 with 2 breaks or less (unbroken, 10+5, 8+7), and ideally the round of 9 unbroken. Be smart on your burpees in the round of 21 so that you can hit the gas through the round of 15 & blow through the round of 9 thrusters & 9 burpees without getting bogged down.
Movement Standards
The thruster finishes at the bottom in a full depth squat, hip crease below knee, and at the top with arms in an active overhead position, elbows extended & in line with ears. You may squat clean & thruster the first rep off the floor each time if desired.
The bar-facing burpee finishes at the bottom, chest & thighs touching the ground, and at the top with a two-foot takeoff over the barbell. You must be laying perpendicular to the barbell on the ground each rep but can turn as desired in the air. You do not need to stand all the way up before jumping over the barbell.
Adaptations / Modifications / Scales
Reduce the load on the thruster as needed to match the intended stimulus
Consider performing this workout with dumbbells or kettlebells if range of motion with a barbell will be limited
Break the thruster into its component parts (front squat + push press) if the sequencing of the full movement will be difficult
Modify the burpee as needed. Consider a step over the barbell, removing the barbell altogether & performing regular burpees, a burpee-to-plank (“up-down”), and step-back/step-up as needed. Reduce the range of motion (burpee to a box or other elevated surface) as needed
