Cinder is a combat and legs circuit named for what remains when the fairy tale burns off - no gown, no godmother, just the girl and the fire: 4 reverse lunges, 10 overhead punches, 4 reverse lunges, 10 punches, 4 reverse lunges, 10 punches, and a finale of 10 squat plus jab-cross combinations. Three small lunge sets smoldering between striking rounds, then everything catches at once.
The structure is built like a fire being tended. The reverse lunges are the embers - just 4 at a time, never enough to exhaust, always enough to keep the legs glowing between punching rounds, so no strike in this workout is ever thrown from fully rested legs. The punching escalates in character: overhead punches first, driving fists skyward and taxing the shoulders from below, then two rounds of straight punches from the guard. The closing station is where Cinder stops sweeping and starts swinging - a full squat dropped and risen, then a jab-cross thrown from the stand, 10 times over, welding the workout's two halves into one movement. Power flowing from legs to fists is the oldest truth in striking, and this finale drills it directly: every combination begins in the floor and ends at full extension.
Step reverse lunges back with control and a tall torso - small sets deserve full depth. Drive overhead punches straight up with your core braced, alternating arms with rhythm. Punch from a proper guard with hip rotation and a snap back to your face. In the squat and jab-cross combos, finish the stand completely before the jab leaves - the squat loads the fire, the punches release it, and rushing the seam wastes both.
Midnight was a deadline for someone else. Cinder works the late shift - all sets, sparks included.
Make it Harder: Raise every lunge station from 4 to 8.
Make it Easier: Shallow the squat in the final combos and halve the punching rounds to 5.
