Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Bell blends high-rep heavy barbell work with pulling. Across three rounds you’ll tackle 90 very heavy reps at 185/135 plus 45 pull-ups, demanding posterior-chain stamina and grip resilience. Most RX athletes finish in 8–12 minutes, but heavy front squats after deadlifts spike fatigue. The movement mix is moderately complex, with barbell cycling and kipping mechanics pushing capacity without elite skill requirements.

Benchmark Times for Bell

• Elite: <7:00
• Advanced: 7:30-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (6/10): High local muscular endurance demands in posterior chain, midline, and grip. Repeated heavy sets accumulate fatigue across 135 total reps, requiring sustainable sets and quick regrips to avoid long rests.
• Speed (6/10): Fast transitions and efficient barbell cycling determine outcome. Aim for short breaks and quick set changes; sprinting is limited by grip and posterior-chain fatigue rather than foot speed or turnover alone.
• Strength (5/10): 185/135 is heavy under fatigue, especially for front squats from the floor. Not a max-strength test, but strength tolerance and bracing are essential to keep cycling efficient and safe.
• Power (5/10): Clean to front rack (if from the floor) and strong barbell accelerations matter, but sets trend toward controlled cycling rather than pure explosiveness due to load and volume.
• Endurance (4/10): Short-to-mid time domain with steady breathing required, but no monostructural element. You’ll feel heart rate rise during big barbell sets, yet recovery hinges more on local fatigue than pure aerobic capacity.
• Flexibility (3/10): Requires front-rack mobility, hamstring range for deadlifts, and shoulder extension for kipping. Positions are demanding but not extreme; adequate front-rack and hip-ankle mobility help maintain form under fatigue.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 155/105 lb with 15-12-9 reps • 135/95 lb with banded or jumping Pull-Up • 95/65 lb from rack with Ring Row

Scaling Explanation

These options reduce load and/or pulling difficulty while preserving the triplet structure, grip demand, and intended 8–12 minute stimulus.

Intended Stimulus

Fast and gritty. Push steady barbell sets with quick breaks and keep pull-ups snappy without redlining. Posterior chain and forearms should burn, but positions stay tight. Target 8–12 minutes with disciplined sets, sharp transitions, and an intentional breathing pattern to avoid blowups on the front squats.

Coach Insight

Pace it by breaking deadlifts early (e.g., 12-9 or 8-7-6) and keep pull-ups in crisp sets. Front squats: quality reps, minimal racks. The one tip: protect your grip—planned breaks beat forced failures. Avoid yanking deadlifts with a rounded back, sloppy cleans into front squats, and letting pull-up sets go to failure in round one.

Benchmark Notes

Times are set for RX completion, from beginner finishing near the cap to elite finishing close to seven minutes. L5 is around 10:00 for a solid, well-rounded athlete. If you consistently beat L6–L7 times, consider pushing bigger sets or faster transitions to approach elite pacing.

Modality Profile

Two-thirds of the work is heavy barbell (deadlifts and front squats), which also consumes most of the set time. Pull-ups provide the gymnastic element and a major grip tax, but there’s no monostructural cardio component in this piece.

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