Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

A short, high-skill sprint with 30 ring muscle-ups under a tight 6-minute cap. Advanced gymnastics capacity, grip endurance, and shoulder stamina are required to avoid failed reps. The event punishes missed attempts and sloppy transitions, demanding efficient kipping power, stable receiving positions, and smart set management to prevent muscular failure in pulling and pressing.

Benchmark Times for Regionals 18.5

• Elite: <2:00
• Advanced: 2:30-3:00
• Intermediate: 3:30-4:00
• Beginner: >6:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Speed (8/10): This is a fast event with minimal transition time. Quick set-up, decisive sets, and controlled but rapid cycling yield the best results without incurring failed reps.
• Power (7/10): Explosive hip extension and a dynamic turnover are essential for efficient reps. Athletes with crisp, powerful kips waste less energy and reduce time per rep.
• Stamina (6/10): Thirty ring muscle-ups require sustained pulling and pressing capacity. Athletes must manage accumulating shoulder and triceps fatigue while keeping sets productive and minimizing rest between attempts.
• Strength (4/10): Significant relative strength is needed to pull above the rings and press out of the dip, though this is not a maximal strength test—technique and timing reduce pure force requirements.
• Flexibility (3/10): Adequate shoulder mobility and thoracic extension support a strong kip swing and secure turnover. Limited range can compromise positions and increase the risk of misses under fatigue.
• Endurance (3/10): Short time domain limits aerobic demand; heart rate spikes but cardio is not the primary limiter. Breathing matters, yet capacity is secondary to skill execution and rapid muscular recovery between short sets.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 30 Bar Muscle-Ups • 30 Low-Ring Transitions + Ring Dip (feet-assisted) • 60 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

Scaling Explanation

Options keep the pulling-to-pressing demand and high-skill intent while matching your current capacity so you can move fast with minimal failed reps.

Intended Stimulus

A fast, high-skill sprint that stays just shy of muscular failure. Athletes should move in confident mini-sets or quick singles with brief, intentional rests. Heart rate climbs quickly, shoulders and grip burn, and technique under fatigue is the deciding factor. Misses should be rare; smooth, repeatable reps beat reckless speed.

Coach Insight

Pace early with mini-sets you can sustain—think 3s and 2s or confident singles. Keep rest bites short and consistent. Biggest tip: Protect your first pull. Commit to a strong kip and tight turnover every rep—no near-misses. Avoid long chalk breaks, rushed attempts after misses, and death sets that push you into failure. Quick reset, quality reps.

Benchmark Notes

Times represent total time to complete 30 ring muscle-ups. The slowest tier is near the 6:00 cap, while elite athletes finish in 2–3 minutes. If you’re likely to cap, scale to maintain continuous progress and the intended sprint stimulus with minimal failed reps.

Modality Profile

Entirely gymnastics: ring muscle-ups only. No monostructural cardio or external loading. Performance hinges on bodyweight pulling, pressing, and skillful transitions, with grip and shoulder endurance as primary limiters.

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