Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

A brutal coupling of barbell cycling and advanced gymnastics with escalating time gates. The thruster load is moderate yet punishing under fatigue, and high-volume chest-to-bar pull-ups are highly grip- and pulling-intensive. Most athletes redline in 4 minutes; advanced athletes push to 8–12 minutes. Success demands capacity, pacing precision, and unbroken sets.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Sustained sets of 15/15 tax legs, shoulders, and pulling musculature. The checkpoint format rewards athletes who maintain large sets without breaking while managing grip and breathing.
• Speed (8/10): Checkpoint sprints reward rapid barbell cycling, quick transitions, and efficient butterfly/kipping pull-ups. Early pace sets the tone; seconds saved can earn entire extra minutes.
• Power (7/10): Explosive hip drive on thrusters and a powerful kip on chest-to-bar pull-ups enable faster cycling and fewer breaks, especially in early rounds where speed determines extensions.
• Endurance (4/10): Short-to-mid time domain with escalating windows. Breathing matters, but oxygen uptake is less limiting than local muscular fatigue and transition speed between thrusters and pull-ups.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate barbell load requires baseline front squat and press strength to cycle efficiently, but max strength is secondary to repeatable power and positional strength under fatigue.
• Flexibility (3/10): Front rack and overhead positions require adequate shoulder, wrist, and thoracic mobility. Pull-up arch/hollow mechanics demand shoulder range without excessive swing or loss of midline.

Movements

• Thruster
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Scale to: Thrusters 75/55 or 65/45 lb • Chin-over-bar pull-ups or banded/kipping pull-ups • 12/12 or 10/10 reps per round

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the couplet’s speed, grip demand, and checkpoint pressure while matching athletes’ strength and pulling capacity to maintain large sets and the intended intensity.

Intended Stimulus

Fast and intense from the first rep. Aim for unbroken or near-unbroken sets in the opening rounds to beat the 4‑minute gate, then manage brief, strategic breaks to protect grip and breathing. You should feel urgent but controlled—chasing extensions without blowing up so badly that you miss the next checkpoint.

Coach Insight

Open hot but sustainable: if you can’t confidently go unbroken, split 9-6 thrusters and 8-7 C2B with tiny rests. Key tip: Lock in perfect breathing cadence on thrusters—exhale on the press, breathe at the top. Avoid death grips and sloppy kips. Common mistakes: rushing no-reps, overgripping early, and long chalk breaks that kill the checkpoint.

Benchmark Notes

These rep targets map to common break points: sub-90 ends at 4:00, 90–179 reaches the 8:00 window, 180+ extends to 12:00. Hitting 90 is a solid standard; 150–180 is advanced; 240+ indicates elite capacity in both thrusters and chest-to-bar pull-ups.

Modality Profile

A pure couplet balancing weightlifting (thrusters) and gymnastics (chest-to-bar pull-ups). With no monostructural element, time is split roughly evenly between barbell cycling and hanging pulling work, making the session a 50/50 W-G blend driven by transitions and set size.

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These WODs similar to Open 13.5 share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.