Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This descending ladder (50-25-15) totals 90 reps each of wall balls, pull-ups, and SDHPs plus three 400m runs. The opening round of 50 pull-ups is the primary limiter — grip is already taxed before touching the barbell. Wall balls and SDHPs both demand shoulder endurance, creating compounding fatigue across all three stations. Estimated 25-40 minutes for average athletes, with significant scaling likely on pull-ups.

Benchmark Times for Koch

• Elite: <11:30
• Advanced: 13:30-16:00
• Intermediate: 18:30-21:30
• Beginner: >43:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Total of 90 wall balls, 90 pull-ups, and 90 sumo deadlift high-pulls demands exceptional muscular endurance across upper body pulling, legs, and hips. Grip and shoulder fatigue accumulate heavily across all movements.
• Endurance (8/10): Three 400m runs interspersed with high-rep movements create sustained cardiovascular demand throughout. The descending rep scheme keeps heart rate elevated for an extended duration, testing aerobic capacity significantly.
• Speed (6/10): For Time format incentivizes fast cycling and quick transitions between movements. Descending rep scheme allows for faster pacing in later rounds, rewarding athletes who manage fatigue and maintain movement efficiency.
• Power (5/10): Wall balls and sumo deadlift high-pulls are inherently explosive hip-extension movements. However, the high volume forces a pacing strategy that reduces peak power output compared to low-rep power workouts.
• Flexibility (4/10): Wall balls require hip mobility and thoracic extension; SDHPs demand hip hinge mechanics. Pull-ups need shoulder flexibility. Moderate mobility demands but nothing extreme or highly specialized.
• Strength (3/10): Moderate loads on wall balls and SDHPs are submaximal and not strength-focused. The workout tests strength endurance rather than maximal force production across all movements.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Run
• Sumo Deadlift High-Pull
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce wall ball to 14/10 lb or use a lower target (9 ft instead of 10 ft). Scale SDHP to 55/35 lb. Pull-up substitutions: banded pull-ups, ring rows, or jumping pull-ups with a slow lower. Volume: Reduce to 40-20-10 or 30-15-10 rep schemes if the athlete cannot sustain movement quality across the full volume. Run substitution: 500m row or 1-minute bike erg if running is limited by injury. For athletes with limited pull-up capacity, cap pull-up sets at no more than 3-5 reps per set and rest briefly to avoid complete failure.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform at least 10 unbroken pull-ups when fresh, cannot maintain safe SDHP mechanics under fatigue, or if the Rx weight on wall balls causes you to lose squat depth or chest position. The goal is to finish in 20-35 minutes — if you're projected to go beyond 40 minutes, reduce volume or weight to preserve intensity and movement quality. Intensity is the priority here, not hitting Rx numbers. A scaled athlete finishing in 28 minutes with solid mechanics gets far more out of this workout than an Rx athlete grinding for 50 minutes with broken form. Prioritize technique on SDHPs especially — fatigue-induced rounding of the back under load is a red flag to immediately reduce weight or reps.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long time domain workout targeting 20-35 minutes for most athletes. The descending rep scheme (50-25-15) creates a psychological and physical grind — the first round is a gut check, the second is a fight, and the third is a sprint to the finish. Expect a sustained hard effort that taxes your aerobic engine, grip, and upper body pulling capacity simultaneously. The primary challenge is conditioning and mental toughness — managing fatigue across three movements that all demand shoulder and grip endurance while keeping the engine running between runs.

Coach Insight

The 400m runs are your reset buttons — use them to control breathing and mentally prepare for the next round, but don't sandbag them. Aim for a comfortable but honest pace, not a jog. In the first round of 50s, break early and often: wall balls in sets of 10-15, pull-ups in sets of 5-10, and SDHPs in sets of 10-15. The biggest mistake athletes make is going unbroken on the wall balls in round one and blowing up their grip and shoulders before the pull-ups. For wall balls, keep your chest tall, use your hips to drive the ball, and breathe on the way down. For SDHPs, keep the bar close to your body, drive with the legs first, and avoid pulling with just your arms — this protects your lower back and keeps the movement efficient. On pull-ups, kip if you have it, but prioritize full range of motion — chin over bar, full arm extension at the bottom. The round of 25 should feel like you're finding a second wind; the round of 15 is your sprint — leave nothing in the tank. Transitions between movements should be quick — no standing around.

Benchmark Notes

Three sets of a 400 m run, then wall balls, pull-ups and sumo deadlift high-pulls at 75/55 lb (50, 25, then 15 each): 270 reps and 1.2 km. The 90 pull-ups take the most time. L5 (21:30-25 min) does them in sets of 6-8. L10 (under 11:30) holds sets of 15+.

Modality Profile

4 movements: Run (M), Wall Ball (W), Pull-Up (G), Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (W). That gives 1 Gymnastics, 1 Monostructural, 2 Weightlifting. Percentages: G=25%, M=25%, W=50%.

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