7 Rounds For Time: 400 meter Run, 29 Back Squats (135/95 lb).
Primary movement: Back Squats/Run
Manion honors Marine 1st Lieutenant Travis Manion, killed in Iraq in 2007; his family's foundation carries the motto he lived by: 'If not me, then who?' The workout is 203 back squats at 135/95 - taken from the ground, no rack - split by seven 400 m runs. The interplay is vicious: squat volume floods the legs the runs need, and running keeps the heart rate too high for the squats to feel like strength work. Manion is one of the great leg-endurance Heroes.
| Level (Time) | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| beginner | 42:00+ | 45:00+ |
| intermediate | 33:00 | 35:00 |
| advanced | 26:00 | 28:00 |
| elite | sub 21:00 | sub 23:00 |
You must clean the bar and put it on your back each round - practice a smooth clean-and-press-behind-neck or bear-complex entry when fresh. Squats in 15-14 or 10-10-9 with short standing rests (bar stays on the back, breathe there). Run the 400s easy for five rounds; anything banked early is stolen from rounds 6-7 squats. Brace every rep like it matters - rep 150 with a soft trunk is where backs complain. A masochist's tip that works: slightly quicker runs, slightly longer squat breaks.
Scaled: 7 rounds of 400 m run + 20 back squats (95/65). Beginner: 5 rounds of 200 m run + 15 empty-bar or goblet squats.
Log every result, see your progress over time, and know exactly where you stand.