Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

Four rounds of 72 reps across four movements creates brutal cumulative fatigue. The critical issue is movement interference: pull-ups and ring dips both hammer the upper body pushing/pulling muscles, while SDHPs add grip and shoulder fatigue. Ring dips are a skill movement that degrades rapidly under fatigue. Most average athletes will struggle to complete ring dips unscaled by rounds 3-4, making this Very Hard.

Benchmark Times for Ronnie Gies

• Elite: <9:00
• Advanced: 11:15-13:45
• Intermediate: 16:30-20:00
• Beginner: >41:30

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High rep counts across four movements per round heavily tax muscular endurance. Pull-ups, ring dips, and SDHPs create significant upper body fatigue accumulation, demanding sustained muscular output across all 4 rounds.
• Endurance (7/10): Four rounds of 72 total reps across four movements creates sustained cardiovascular demand. The combination of upper body pulling, pushing, and full-body movements keeps heart rate elevated throughout the workout.
• Speed (6/10): For-time format incentivizes efficient cycling and fast transitions between movements. Managing grip fatigue across pull-ups, SDHPs, and ring dips while maintaining movement speed is critical to a competitive finish time.
• Power (5/10): SDHPs and wall balls require explosive hip extension and power generation. Pull-ups and ring dips are more strength-endurance focused, creating a mixed stimulus between power output and sustained muscular effort.
• Flexibility (4/10): Sumo deadlift high-pulls require hip mobility and shoulder flexibility at the top. Wall balls demand thoracic extension and hip mobility. Ring dips need shoulder flexibility for full range of motion.
• Strength (3/10): Moderate loads on wall balls and SDHPs with bodyweight movements. Not a maximal strength test, but grip and upper body strength endurance are challenged significantly across 72 reps of pulling and dipping.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Ring Dip
• Sumo Deadlift High-Pull
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Weight: Reduce SDHP to 55/35 lbs for newer athletes. Wall ball to 14/10 lbs or reduce target height. Movement substitutions: Replace pull-ups with banded pull-ups or ring rows (same rep count). Replace ring dips with bar dips, banded ring dips, or box dips. Volume: Reduce to 3 rounds or drop reps to 12 per movement to preserve intensity. Athletes with limited pulling capacity can scale to 12 pull-ups and 12 ring dips while keeping wall balls and SDHPs at 18.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform at least 5 strict pull-ups or 5 strict ring dips — kipping through 72 reps of each with no base strength is a recipe for injury, not fitness. Scale the SDHP weight if your lower back rounds or you cannot keep the bar close to your body. The goal is to finish in 20-28 minutes while keeping rest periods short and movement quality intact. If you are consistently resting more than 90 seconds between sets, the load or volume is too high. Prioritize technique on ring dips and pull-ups above all else — shoulder injuries from sloppy kipping or dip mechanics are not worth the Rx label.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-to-long grind lasting roughly 18-30 minutes for most athletes. The four movements hit pulling, hip power, legs, and pressing in a relentless cycle that taxes your entire body while keeping your heart rate pinned. Expect a hard sustained effort — this is not a sprint but it should never feel comfortable. The primary challenge is muscular endurance and mental toughness as fatigue compounds across all four rounds, especially on the ring dips and pull-ups late in the workout.

Coach Insight

Pace round one conservatively — athletes who go unbroken early will pay dearly by round three. For pull-ups, consider breaking into 10-8 or 9-9 from the start rather than chasing unbroken sets. Sumo deadlift high-pulls (use 75/55 lbs) should be smooth and rhythmic — drive the hips, let the elbows lead high, and avoid muscling the bar with your arms. Wall balls demand consistent breathing; exhale on the throw, inhale on the catch. Ring dips are the sneaky killer here — the rings demand stabilization on top of pressing strength, so break these early (9-9 or 6-6-6) before your triceps give out completely. Common mistakes: going too fast on round one, letting the SDHP become a reverse curl, and losing depth on wall balls when tired. Transitions should be brisk but controlled — shave time there, not by rushing reps.

Benchmark Notes

Four rounds of 18 pull-ups, 18 sumo deadlift high-pulls, 18 wall balls and 18 ring dips. The ring dips and pull-ups set the pace. L5 (20-24 min) does the dips in sets of 4-6. L10 (under 9 min) holds sets of 15+.

Modality Profile

4 movements total: Pull-Up (G) and Ring Dip (G) are gymnastics bodyweight movements; Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (W) and Wall Ball (W) are weightlifting movements with external load. 2G and 2W = 50% Gymnastics, 50% Weightlifting, 0% Monostructural.

Similar Workouts to Ronnie Gies

If you enjoy Ronnie Gies, you might also like these similar CrossFit WODs:

• Open 14.5 (91% similar) - 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Reps, For Time Thrusters (95/65 lb) Bar Facing Burpees...
• Michael Lynch (91% similar) - For Time 400 meter Run Then, 21-15-9 reps of: Thrusters (65/35 lb) Pull-Ups 400 meter Run Then, 21-...
• Sage at 20 (91% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes 20 Thrusters (135/95 lb) 20 Pull-Ups 20 Burpees...
• Sgt. Wyt (91% similar) - For Time 8 Rounds of: 36 Double-Unders 3 Burpee Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups Then immediately into: 13 Bea...
• Open 26.2 (90% similar) - For time (15-minute cap): 80-foot Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge 20 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches 2...
• Vincent Halloran (90% similar) - For Time 50 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb) 40 Pull-Ups 30 Deadlifts (225/145 lb) 20 Box Jumps (24/20 in)...
• Nate (90% similar) - AMRAP in 20 minutes: 2 Muscle-Ups 4 Handstand Push-Ups 8 Kettlebell Swings (70/53 lb)...
• Hill (90% similar) - 4 Rounds for Time 15 Hand Release Push-Ups 19 Shoulder-to-Overheads (95/65 lb) 72 Dumbbell Squats (4...

These WODs similar to Ronnie Gies share comparable training demands, time domains, and movement patterns.