Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

Ten rounds with heavy grip demands and advanced gymnastics make this a brutal grinder. You’ll accumulate 2,000 meters of loaded carries, 100 weighted pull-ups, and 200 dumbbell power snatches. The volume and skill under fatigue push most athletes into 35–60 minutes, with significant forearm, midline, and pulling fatigue. Strict pacing and intelligent breaks are essential.

Benchmark Times for Nickman

• Elite: <30:00
• Advanced: 32:00-35:00
• Intermediate: 38:00-41:00
• Beginner: >60:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High total volume (100 weighted pull-ups, 200 snatches, 2,000m carries) requires repeated submax efforts and strategic set management to avoid failure.
• Endurance (6/10): Sustained 35–50 minute effort with continuous movement between carries, pull-ups, and snatches taxes aerobic capacity without true monostructural work.
• Strength (5/10): Weighted pull-ups and loaded carries demand significant upper-body and grip strength, though not true 1RM-level force production.
• Power (4/10): Snatches have an explosive component, but fatigue and grip limit peak power; carries and weighted pull-ups are more grindy.
• Speed (3/10): Transitions are frequent, but heavy grip demands prevent sprint cycling; steady pacing beats speed here.
• Flexibility (2/10): Basic ranges of motion: shoulder overhead for snatches and standard pull-up positions; no extreme mobility required.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 8 rounds • Pull-ups to 5 weighted (20/10) or 10 strict/banded • DB/carry to 35/25 lb

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the triplet structure and grip stimulus while reducing skill and volume so you can keep moving and finish near the intended time domain.

Intended Stimulus

A tough, steady grind with relentless grip fatigue. You should move continuously with short, controlled breaks, never fully redlining. Weighted pull-ups are the limiter—manage them early. Farmer carries should be steady and mostly unbroken, while snatches stay crisp and rhythmic. Expect forearms and midline to work the entire time.

Coach Insight

Pace the first three rounds at 80% effort. Break pull-ups before you fail—smart sets beat big early sets. Keep snatches smooth and breathe every rep. Your one big tip: protect your grip. Chalk, controlled carries, and planned pull-up breaks save your day. Avoid sprinting carries, death-gripping the DB, and letting pull-up technique deteriorate—missed reps snowball fast.

Benchmark Notes

Times are set from beginner to elite, slowest to fastest. If you’re near 45 minutes, you’ve paced well and managed grip. Sub-35 minutes requires unbroken carries, efficient weighted pull-up sets, and fast, steady snatches. Use these levels to pick a scaling option that keeps you moving without long rests.

Modality Profile

Most time is spent moving external loads: the farmer carry and dumbbell snatches drive the weightlifting share. Weighted pull-ups remain a gymnastics movement despite added load. There is no pure monostructural element, so the breakdown skews heavily toward weightlifting with a substantial gymnastics component.

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