Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

High-skill gymnastics with strict standards and minimal room for error makes this a Very Hard test. While duration is short, it demands significant pulling and pressing strength relative to bodyweight, precise timing, shoulder stability, and ring control. Many athletes cannot complete even one rep; competitive athletes may hit 10–20+, with rapid grip and shoulder fatigue driving failure.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Power (7/10): A crisp, explosive hip pop and fast turnover are key to efficiently clearing the rings and conserving strength, especially as fatigue accumulates mid-set.
• Speed (6/10): Efficient cycling with quick turnovers and tight swing timing helps preserve grip and shoulder stability, but rushing often leads to broken positions and no-reps.
• Strength (6/10): Requires high relative strength for the pull-to-transition and stable ring dip lockout. While not a 1-rep max, strength dictates whether you can cycle reps under control.
• Flexibility (4/10): Demands adequate shoulder extension, thoracic mobility, and wrist/false-grip tolerance to transition smoothly. Limited range can force compensations and early failure.
• Stamina (3/10): Moderate local muscular endurance in the pulling, transition, and dip segments. The set is brief, but repeated contractions under tension accumulate quickly in forearms, lats, and triceps.
• Endurance (1/10): Short, single-effort set with minimal cardiovascular demand. Breathing rises slightly, but capacity is not the limiter—technique, grip, and upper-body strength end the effort before aerobic fatigue matters.

Movements

• Ring Muscle-Up

Scaling Options

Scale to: Bar Muscle-Up (max unbroken) • Jumping Ring Muscle-Up (low rings, strict standards) • Max unbroken complex: Strict Chest-to-Ring Pull-Up + Ring Dip

Scaling Explanation

Each option preserves the pull–transition–press pattern or separates its parts to match strength and skill while allowing an unbroken, capacity-based effort.

Intended Stimulus

One focused, high-tension max-effort set. You should feel powerful and precise with a tight kip, strong turnover, and confident lockouts. Expect forearm and shoulder fatigue before heavy breathing. The aim is to push until technique is about to break—end the set before a failed rep to preserve safety and score validity.

Coach Insight

Take a full setup: chalk, ring height, and a practice swing. Start only when your kip feels snappy. Cycle at a steady cadence—don’t rush the turnover. Most important: keep the rings close to your body the entire time. Hips drive, then fast hands. Common mistakes: early arm pull, wide rings, soft lockouts, losing false grip or midline. If the next rep feels questionable, end the set.

Benchmark Notes

Score is the number of consecutive unbroken reps in a single set. If you cannot complete one, record 0. You may take multiple attempts after full rest; only your best set counts. Hitting 5 reps indicates solid capacity; 10–15 is advanced; 22+ is elite ring proficiency and capacity.

Modality Profile

This is purely gymnastics: bodyweight pulling, transition, and pressing on rings. There is no monostructural cardio or external loading. The entire effort is spent on the rings, making control, timing, and body tension the decisive factors in performance.

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