Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines multiple high-skill movements (bar muscle-ups, rope climbs, HSPU) with significant volume across a long time domain. The buy-in includes a vested mile run, which pre-fatigues the upper body before 6 rounds of rope climbs, push-ups, and bar muscle-ups. The 2018m cash-out row hits an already exhausted athlete. Estimated 45-70+ minutes for average athletes, with grip, shoulders, and lungs all as simultaneous limiters.

Benchmark Times for Christopher “Bunny” Nelms

• Elite: <27:30
• Advanced: 31:00-35:00
• Intermediate: 40:00-46:00
• Beginner: >105:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Extremely high muscular endurance demand: 168 push-ups, 12 rope climbs, 60 power cleans, 276 single-unders across 6 rounds plus buy-in and cash-out. Upper body pushing and pulling stamina are relentlessly challenged throughout.
• Endurance (9/10): The 1-mile weighted vest run, 2018-meter row cash-out, and sustained multi-round structure create significant cardiovascular demand. Long time domain with continuous aerobic output across varied modalities taxes the engine heavily.
• Power (6/10): Power cleans and bar muscle-ups are inherently explosive movements. Push presses also require hip drive. However, the high volume and fatigue accumulation reduce the ability to express true peak power output throughout.
• Speed (5/10): For-time format incentivizes efficient transitions and cycling speed, but the sheer volume and fatigue from rope climbs, muscle-ups, and weighted running demand strategic pacing rather than all-out sprinting across the workout.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate loads at 95/65 lb for push presses and power cleans, plus handstand push-ups and bar muscle-ups require meaningful strength. However, the volume and for-time format shift emphasis away from maximal force production.
• Flexibility (4/10): Handstand push-ups demand shoulder and thoracic mobility; rope climbs require hip flexor and lat flexibility; bar muscle-ups need shoulder range of motion. Moderate but consistent mobility demands across multiple gymnastics movements.

Movements

• Push Press
• Single-Under
• Push-Up
• Power Clean
• Rope Climb
• Run
• Bar Muscle-Up
• Handstand Push-Up
• Row

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce push press and power clean to 75/55 lb or 65/45 lb if 95/65 feels heavy for high-rep cycling. Vest: Remove the vest on the run or reduce to 10/7 lb if cardiovascular capacity is a limiting factor. HSPUs: Scale to pike push-ups, box pike push-ups, or use an AbMat with one plate riser to reduce range of motion. Rope Climbs: Sub 3 rope pull-to-stands per climb (6 total per round), or 5 strict ring rows per climb. Bar Muscle-Ups: Sub 4 chest-to-bar pull-ups or 6 jumping muscle-ups or 6 banded pull-ups plus 6 ring dips per round. Push-Ups: Reduce to 20 per round or scale to knee push-ups while maintaining full range of motion. Single-Unders: Keep as written — these are already the scaled version of double-unders. Volume: Reduce to 4 rounds of the main work if 6 rounds would push total time beyond 80 minutes. Row: Reduce to 1500m if needed to keep the cash-out challenging but completable.

Scaling Explanation

Scale this workout if you cannot perform at least 5 unbroken HSPUs, complete a rope climb safely, or execute bar muscle-ups with reasonable consistency — attempting these movements under heavy fatigue without the prerequisite strength is a safety concern. The goal is to finish in 45-75 minutes while maintaining movement quality throughout. If your estimated time exceeds 80 minutes, reduce rounds to 4 or cut push-up volume to 20 reps. Prioritize technique over Rx loads — the barbell weights are intentionally light to allow cycling, so if they feel heavy, drop the load and protect the intended stimulus of continuous movement. The vest on the run is a significant added stressor; newer athletes or those with cardiovascular limitations should remove it to preserve the ability to work hard in the main rounds. Always prioritize safe rope climb and bar muscle-up mechanics — a failed rep or fall is never worth the Rx designation.

Intended Stimulus

This is a long, grinding chipper designed to test your mental fortitude and aerobic engine over an extended time domain — expect 45 to 75+ minutes of sustained work. The workout blends gymnastics skill, barbell cycling, monostructural cardio, and bodyweight volume into one massive test of total fitness. The primary challenge is mental: staying composed and methodical when fatigue accumulates across multiple movement patterns. The vest on the mile run signals this is a Hero or tribute-style workout demanding respect and grit. Energy demand is a long steady engine with pockets of higher-intensity skill work — think diesel, not rocket fuel.

Coach Insight

Treat this like a long race with distinct phases. Buy-In: The push presses at 95/65 are light — do them unbroken as a warm-up into the run. The vested mile is your first major pacing decision — run conservatively, around 70-75% effort, because 6 rounds of work await. Transition directly into the HSPUs with controlled sets — break early into 9-9 or 6-6-6 to save your shoulders for the push-up volume ahead. Main Rounds: Rope climbs should be efficient — use your legs, lock off at the top, and descend controlled. The 28 push-ups will be the sneaky killer — break these into sets of 10-10-8 or 7-7-7-7 from round one, never going to failure. Power cleans at 95/65 are light — cycle them in sets of 5 or touch-and-go if your grip allows. Bar muscle-ups require composure — if you have them, do them in singles with a short reset rather than failing a set. Single-unders are active recovery — use them to breathe and reset mentally. Cash-Out: The 2018m row is your final boss. Settle into a sustainable pace (around 2:10-2:20/500m for most athletes) and build in the final 500m. Common mistakes: going out too hot on the run, burning out shoulders on HSPUs early, and letting push-up sets get sloppy under fatigue. Protect your push-up mechanics — no snaking or sagging hips.

Benchmark Notes

7 push presses, a vested mile and 18 handstand push-ups, then six rounds of 2 rope climbs, 28 push-ups, 10 power cleans, 2 bar muscle-ups and 46 single-unders, then a 2,018 m row. L5 (46-55 min) is about 5:30 a round with a 10-minute mile and an 8:45 row. Elite athletes need about 26 minutes, so L10 starts under 27:30.

Modality Profile

9 total movements: Gymnastics (5) = Handstand Push-Up, Rope Climb, Push-Up, Bar Muscle-Up, Single-Under; Monostructural (2) = Run, Row; Weightlifting (2) = Push Press, Power Clean. Percentages: G=5/9≈56%, M=2/9≈22%, W=2/9≈22%

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