Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

Two sprint-style couplets with short caps demand redline pacing, grip resilience, and midline control, then fast barbell cycling under fatigue. Volume is moderate but front-loaded with high-demand gymnastics (toes-to-rings) and a technically demanding lift (overhead squat). Success requires high power output, excellent shoulder mobility/stability, and precise pacing across both pieces without significant drop-off.

Benchmark Times for Ringer 1 & Ringer 2

• Elite: <6:30
• Advanced: 7:00-7:30
• Intermediate: 8:00-8:30
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Speed (9/10): Both pieces reward fast cycle rates and minimal transition time. Athletes who move quickly between stations and hold aggressive but sustainable reps per minute will win.
• Stamina (7/10): Repeated core, shoulder, and leg stamina are tested: 60 toes-to-rings under fatigue and 30 controlled overhead squats. Athletes must maintain movement quality and cadence despite accumulating muscle burn.
• Endurance (7/10): Short caps but high heart-rate work from the bike and burpees push aerobic power. You’ll need to sustain near-threshold breathing while managing transitions and movement quality across both pieces without spiking to failure.
• Flexibility (6/10): Overhead squat depth with a stable, locked-out position demands shoulder, thoracic, and hip mobility. Limited mobility quickly turns the barbell into the limiter rather than the engine.
• Strength (5/10): Not a max lift, but overhead squats at 135/95 require solid strength and midline stability to cycle confidently when fatigued from gymnastics and burpees.
• Power (4/10): Explosiveness helps with fast bar exits and quick burpees, but sustained power output matters more than singular bursts. It’s continuous rather than maximal explosive efforts.

Scaling Options

Scale to: Reduce OHS to 95/65 or 75/55 lb • Toes-to-bars or hanging knee raises (or V-ups if no hang) • Lower burpee target or standard burpees; adjust bike calories by 20–30%

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the stimulus: fast cyclical work, manageable gymnastics volume, and barbell cycling under fatigue while matching your current strength, grip capacity, and mobility.

Intended Stimulus

Fast and intense. Ringer 1 should feel like a hard, sustained push with quick bike calories and small, efficient sets on the rings to protect grip. Ringer 2 is a sharp sprint—smooth, snappy burpees and confident, unbroken or near-unbroken overhead squats. Minimal chalk, minimal rests, and precise breathing under pressure.

Coach Insight

Pace Ringer 1 at 90–92% effort: quick bike but not a blow-up; break toes-to-rings early (e.g., 10s/8s/6s) to save grip. Big tip: lock in perfect overhead squat positions—wide grip, active shoulders, and consistent depth—so you can cycle confidently. Avoid sprinting the opening bike, neglecting core tension on rings, and fumbling barbell setups. Transitions and breathing matter.

Benchmark Notes

Times represent total working time to finish both Ringer 1 and Ringer 2. If you hit a cap, add remaining reps as seconds to estimate a finishing time. Mid-tier athletes should aim near 8–9 minutes combined, while elites can push well below 7 minutes across both pieces.

Modality Profile

Gymnastics dominates via toes-to-rings and burpees to a target. Monostructural work comes from the air bike in Ringer 1. Weightlifting is the overhead squat in Ringer 2, which is significant but shorter in total time than the combined gymnastics volume.

Similar Workouts to Ringer 1 & Ringer 2

If you enjoy Ringer 1 & Ringer 2, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Open 15.3 (90% similar) - AMRAP in 14 minutes: 7 Ring Muscle-Ups 50 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb) 100 Double-Unders...
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• Open 18.3 (89% similar) - For time, 2 rounds: 100 Double-Unders 20 Overhead Squats (115/80 lb) 100 Double-Unders 12 Ring Muscl...
• Open 24.3 (88% similar) - For time (15-minute cap): Part 1 — 5 rounds: 10 Thrusters (95/65 lb) 10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups Then, ...
• Toomey in Placid (88% similar) - For Time Buy-In: 27 calorie Ski Erg Then 3 Rounds of: 8 Ring Muscle-Ups 16 Alternating Dumbbell Sna...
• Open 22.3 (88% similar) - For time: 21 Pull-Ups 42 Double-Unders 21 Thrusters (95/65 lb) 18 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups 36 Double-Un...
• Complex Fran (88% similar) - For Time 7 Bar Muscle-Ups 7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups 7 Chin-Over-Bar Pull-Ups 21 Thrusters (95/65 lb) 5...
• AGOQ 19.3 (88% similar) - For Time 5 Rounds of: 4 Muscle-Ups 13 Shoulder-to-Overheads (135/95 lb) Then, 5 Rounds of: 4 Muscle...

These WODs similar to Ringer 1 & Ringer 2 share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.