Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

High skill gymnastic demand with 15 total muscle-ups, moderate barbell volume at 60/40 kg, and 60 GHD sit-ups create a potent mix of skill, midline capacity, and barbell cycling. The workout favors athletes with efficient ring transitions and strong core endurance. Expected duration for most Rx athletes sits in the 12–18 minute range.

Benchmark Times for Smudge

• Elite: <10:00
• Advanced: 13:00-14:00
• Intermediate: 15:00-16:00
• Beginner: >25:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (7/10): Repeated sets of ring muscle-ups, 30 total squat cleans, and 60 GHD sit-ups require sustained muscular output, especially in the grip, hips, and trunk across three rounds.
• Power (6/10): Explosive hip extension drives both the squat clean and the turnover in muscle-ups. Quick, powerful sets reduce overall time but require composure under fatigue.
• Speed (6/10): Athletes benefit from brisk barbell cycling, confident ring sets, and short transitions. Over-speeding early often backfires, so controlled speed is key.
• Strength (5/10): Loads are moderate rather than maximal; strength contributes mainly to reliable squat clean cycling and stable pulling/pressing strength for ring transitions.
• Endurance (4/10): No monostructural work, but the 10–16 minute effort taxes breathing under muscular fatigue. Heart rate stays elevated with limited recovery between high-skill gymnastics, barbell sets, and midline repetitions.
• Flexibility (4/10): Shoulder and thoracic mobility support stable rings positions; hip extension and spinal control are needed for safe, efficient GHD sit-ups through large ranges of motion.

Scaling Options

Scale to: Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups + Dips (rep scheme 8/8 per round) • Reduce squat clean load (50/35 kg) • GHD → AbMat Sit-Ups (30 reps/round) or 16-20 ROM-limited GHDs

Scaling Explanation

These options maintain the triplet’s skill, pulling, and midline focus while adjusting difficulty to keep intensity high and finish near the intended time domain.

Intended Stimulus

A fast but controlled grind. Aim for steady muscle-up sets you can repeat each round, quick singles or small sets on the squat cleans, and smooth, unbroken GHD sit-ups. Breathing will be high, grip and midline will burn, but transitions should stay short. Even splitting across all three rounds is the goal.

Coach Insight

Pace the first round like the second. Open with manageable MU sets (e.g., 3-2 or fast singles) and keep barbell breaks short. The one tip: protect your midline—tight abs on GHD and squat cleans. Don’t let range outpace control. Avoid death-gripping the bar and rings. Common mistakes: blowing up on round one, sloppy GHD mechanics, and resting too long between singles.

Benchmark Notes

Times assume Rx capacity for all movements. Newer Rx athletes may approach or hit the cap; advanced athletes should finish between 10–15 minutes. If you’re pacing well, each round should be fairly even. If you’re far past 18 minutes, scale to preserve stimulus.

Modality Profile

This is predominantly gymnastics: ring muscle-ups and GHD sit-ups make up two of the three movements and most of the total reps. Weightlifting is present with the squat clean sets. There is no monostructural component, keeping the focus on skill, midline stamina, and barbell cycling.

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