Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

This workout combines multiple limiting factors simultaneously: heavy deadlifts (160/110kg is near 1RM for many) immediately followed by ring muscle-ups (high-skill gymnastic movement) then pull-ups (compounding grip and lat fatigue), finishing with box jumps (leg demand). The grip is destroyed across all movements. Over 5 rounds, cumulative fatigue makes muscle-ups increasingly difficult. Most average athletes will need to scale either the load or the muscle-ups.

Benchmark Times for Palmer (Scott)

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:10-8:35
• Intermediate: 10:15-12:15
• Beginner: >26:15

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (8/10): Heavy deadlifts at 160/110 kg are a near-maximal strength stimulus for many athletes. Ring muscle-ups also require significant relative strength, making this a strength-dominant workout overall.
• Stamina (7/10): Cumulative grip and upper body fatigue across 5 rounds is substantial. Pull-ups and ring muscle-ups compound muscular endurance demands, while box jumps add leg stamina stress over repeated efforts.
• Power (7/10): Box jumps are explicitly explosive, and ring muscle-ups require a powerful kip or strict transition. Heavy deadlifts also demand rapid force production off the floor, making power a key domain.
• Endurance (5/10): Five rounds of mixed movements create moderate cardiovascular demand. The heavy deadlifts force rest periods, limiting sustained aerobic output, but the combination of gymnastics and box jumps elevates heart rate significantly.
• Flexibility (4/10): Ring muscle-ups require shoulder mobility and a strong hip hinge position. Deadlifts demand hamstring flexibility and proper lumbar positioning, placing moderate but meaningful mobility demands on athletes.
• Speed (4/10): Timed format incentivizes fast transitions, but heavy loads and complex gymnastics naturally slow cycling. Athletes must pace strategically rather than sprint, resulting in moderate speed demands across rounds.

Movements

• Ring Muscle-Up
• Deadlift
• Box Jump
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Deadlift: Scale to 110-120/75-85 kg (approximately 70-75% of Rx) for athletes who cannot perform 2 crisp reps with full tension and a neutral spine under fatigue. Ring Muscle-Ups: Sub with 3-5 chest-to-bar pull-ups + 3-5 ring dips performed separately, or 5 banded ring muscle-ups, or 5 jumping muscle-ups on low rings. Pull-Ups: Scale to 10 banded pull-ups or 10 ring rows for athletes without consistent kipping pull-ups. Box Jumps: Reduce to 20/16 in, or substitute step-ups for athletes with knee concerns or Achilles issues. Volume: Reduce to 4 rounds if the athlete cannot realistically complete 5 rounds within 35 minutes. Rep reduction option: 2 deadlifts / 2 muscle-ups / 8 pull-ups / 12 box jumps for newer athletes.

Scaling Explanation

Scale the deadlift if your 2-rep max is below 180/125 kg — you need a meaningful buffer to maintain form across 5 rounds under fatigue. Scale the ring muscle-ups if you cannot perform at least 5 unbroken ring muscle-ups when fresh — attempting them fatigued without that baseline leads to dangerous shoulder positions and wasted time on failed reps. Scale pull-ups if you cannot do 8+ unbroken kipping pull-ups, as the volume compounds quickly across rounds. The goal is to finish in 18-28 minutes with intensity maintained throughout — if your projected time exceeds 35 minutes, reduce rounds or reps. Always prioritize a neutral spine on the deadlift and full lockout on the muscle-up over hitting Rx numbers. Intensity through appropriate scaling beats grinding through Rx with broken mechanics every time.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long time domain workout targeting 18-28 minutes for most athletes. The combination of heavy deadlifts, high-skill gymnastics, and repetitive pulling and jumping creates a demanding full-body effort that taxes both your strength and aerobic engine simultaneously. Expect a hard sustained effort — this isn't a sprint, but you should never feel fully comfortable. The primary challenge is skill and strength management: keeping the ring muscle-ups intact as fatigue accumulates from the deadlifts and pull-ups is the defining test of this workout.

Coach Insight

The deadlifts at 160/110 kg are the anchor of each round — treat them as a strength reset, not a conditioning piece. Take a full breath, brace hard, and execute two crisp singles with a short pause between reps rather than touch-and-go, which risks form breakdown under fatigue. Transition immediately to ring muscle-ups while your grip is still fresh — this is your window. Break muscle-ups early: consider 2-1 from round 2 onward rather than grinding a failed rep. Pull-ups should be done in 1-2 sets in early rounds (8-2 or 6-4), then break freely in later rounds — kip efficiently and avoid going to failure. Box jumps are your active recovery; use a consistent, controlled step-down to protect your Achilles and keep your heart rate from spiking unnecessarily. Common mistakes: rushing the deadlift setup after the box jumps, burning out on muscle-ups in round 1, and doing pull-ups to failure which destroys your muscle-up capacity. Pace round 1 at 80% — if it feels easy, you're doing it right.

Benchmark Notes

Five rounds of 2 deadlifts at 160/110 kg, 3 ring muscle-ups, 10 pull-ups and 15 box jumps. The deadlifts are about 90% of an average athlete's max and the muscle-ups are singles. L5 (12:15-14:40) takes about 2:55 a round. L10 (under 6 min) holds about 70 seconds a round.

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Ring Muscle-Up (G), Pull-Up (G), Box Jump (G) = 3 Gymnastics; Deadlift (W) = 1 Weightlifting. 3/4 = 75% G, 1/4 = 25% W, 0% M.

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