"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Or
"Mary"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups
Post your choice of girls and rounds completed to comments.
Catherine, Gerson and a Chan leg, getting it done as a team.
Why "Cindy" or "Mary"? The development of a well rounded athlete does not end with being able to complete certain tasks, such as muscle-ups, handstand push-ups, or even pull-ups. A beginner may choose "Cindy" because of the relative ease of the movements. Others may choose "Cindy" because they use this workout to benchmark their current level of fitness. But the question that begs to be answered is – why "Mary"?
Anyone who has completed "Cindy" knows that as the rounds progress, completing the individual components of a round becomes more and more difficult. For instance, the push-ups during rounds 1-10 go unbroken with relative ease, but the later rounds become very difficult – breaking the set of 10 one, two, three and more times. Similarly, for many people completing a few handstand push-ups or pistols is fairly easy. But, as we fatigue, these movements become increasingly difficult to complete.
I look at these two workouts as a progression in body control. When completing 18+ rounds of "Cindy" becomes fairly easy – it's time to swallow your pride and attempt "Mary". At first glance, "Mary" doesn't appear to be that difficult. But if an athlete approaches "Mary" with the same intensity (read: power output) as he/she would "Cindy", the athlete will learn a potent lesson regarding body control while fatigue has set in. After all, 20 minutes of handstand push-ups, pistols, and higher rep pull-ups, you discover that Mary is no joke! Which girl will you choose?
