Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

Three continuous rounds with no built-in rest drive steady fatigue. The bear-hug squats at 100/70 load the grip and midline, then 10-20-10 TTB/push-up/TTB stacks shoulder and core demand, creating interference and breaks. Total volume (60 TTB, 60 push-ups, 60 heavy squats) is high. Expect 15–20 minutes for the average athlete, with grip/midline/shoulder endurance the limiters; many will scale weight or TTB volume.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <18:00
• Advanced: 16:00-14:30
• Intermediate: 13:00-11:30
• Beginner: >7:30

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Total volume is high: 60 sandbag squats, 60 toes-to-bar, 60 push-ups. Local muscular endurance of midline, lats, grip, chest, triceps, and quads primarily determines pacing and degradation across later rounds.
• Endurance (5/10): Three rounds for time elevate heart rate via continuous mixed-modal work, but frequent breaks on toes-to-bar and push-ups cap aerobic flow. Sandbag squats add breathing load without monostructural, sustained cardio.
• Speed (5/10): Fixed sets invite fast transitions, but grip and midline fatigue force strategic breaks and smaller sets. Best results come from steady cycling and quick, deliberate transitions rather than all-out sprinting.
• Strength (4/10): Bear-hug squats at 100/70 demand solid absolute strength and bracing, especially unbroken. However, loads are submaximal and paired with bodyweight movements, shifting stimulus away from maximal force toward repeated submaximal efforts.
• Flexibility (3/10): Toes-to-bar require overhead hang tolerance, shoulder flexion, and hamstring length for a clean kip and compression. Deep sandbag squats require adequate ankle and hip mobility, but nothing approaches extreme ranges.
• Power (2/10): Minimal emphasis on explosive output; sandbag squats are controlled and grinding. TTB use a kip, but cadence quickly becomes constrained by grip and core fatigue, limiting true power expression across the workout.

Movements

• Push-Up
• Sandbag Squat
• Toes-to-Bar

Scaling Options

- Load reductions (choose a weight you can perform 20 bear hug squats in ≤2 sets): 80/60 lb, 70/50 lb, 60/40 lb, 50/35 lb, or ~50–70% of Rx that allows consistent cycle rate and upright torso. D-Ball or heavy medball bear hug squats are fine. - Movement substitutions: • Toes-to-bar: Toes-to-target (bar towel/strap), knees-to-elbows, hanging knee raises, or alternating knee raises. If off the pull-up bar, use V-ups or AbMat sit-ups (12–15 reps per 10 TTB to match time under tension). • Push-ups: Elevate hands to a box/bench (choose a height that allows sets of 8–12), band-assisted around the torso, or knee push-ups while maintaining a straight line from shoulder–hip–knee. • Sandbag squats: Goblet squats with a kettlebell/dumbbell (53/35, 44/26, 35/20) hugged tight if no sandbag is available. - Volume modifications (keep round time ~4–6 minutes): • Reduce to 15-8-15-8 per round. • Or keep reps but perform 2 rounds for newer athletes. • For high-skill limitation on TTB: 3 rounds with 10 bear hug squats, 8 TTB, 15 push-ups, 8 TTB. - Time adjustments: Cap each TTB segment at 60–90 seconds; move on to preserve flow. Overall cap 20 minutes; aim to finish between 12–18 minutes. If you’re over 6 minutes on round 1, scale mid-workout (reduce TTB to 6–8 or elevate push-ups).

Scaling Explanation

- When to scale: If you cannot do ≥10 unbroken push-ups fresh, fewer than 5 consecutive quality TTB, or fewer than 10 unbroken bear hug squats at chosen load with a solid torso. Also scale if kipping mechanics vanish, reps stop meeting full ROM, or you need >10-second breaks every 3–5 reps. - Why scale: Preserve the intended stimulus—steady, repeatable sets with short breaks and quality positions—rather than grinding to failure. Proper scaling keeps intensity high without sacrificing safety or technique. - What to prioritize: Technique first (neutral spine under the bag, active shoulders and hollow body on the bar, strict push-up positions), then continuous movement. Keep sets submaximal to avoid failure, especially on push-ups and TTB. - Target effort/time: Finish in 12–18 minutes (RPE 8–9 by the final round) with consistent splits. If projected beyond 20 minutes or failing reps, reduce load/variation or volume to maintain intensity and mechanics.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate time domain, 12–18 minutes for most, with a 20-minute cap. Predominantly glycolytic with oxidative support—sustained work with short strategic breaks. Primary challenge: midline endurance and upper-body stamina under respiratory restriction (bear hug), plus grip and shoulder endurance on the bar. Goal is continuous, composed movement without hitting failure on push-ups or TTB.

Coach Insight

- Pacing strategy: Open at ~80–85% effort and aim to keep round splits within 30 seconds of each other. Short, planned breaks beat long, unplanned rests. Keep transitions tight; walk directly to the next station and start. - Sandbag bear hug squats: Set bag high on the chest, wrap forearms low around the bag, elbows down, lats on. Feet just outside hips, knees track over toes, full depth with a neutral spine. Breathe at the top—2 quick breaths, then go. If breaking, rest standing with the bag hugged rather than dropping it. Suggested sets: unbroken if you can keep cadence; otherwise 12-8 or 10-10 with 5–8 second breath breaks. - Toes-to-bar: Thumbs around the bar, active shoulders. Maintain tight hollow-arch swing; initiate from lats, then snap knees/hips and touch. Push away at the top to preserve the kip. Keep sets submaximal to protect grip. Suggested sets per 10: 5-5, 4-3-3, or 3-3-2-2 with 5–10 second breaks. - Push-ups: Hands just outside shoulders, shoulders over wrists, ribs down, glutes tight. Elbows ~45°. Chest and thighs touch together; full lockout. Avoid grinding to failure—use quick micro-sets with fast shakes. Suggested sets per 20: 10-10, 8-7-5, or 6-5-5-4, keeping breaks under 10 seconds. - Common mistakes: Going unbroken early on TTB or push-ups and blowing up; dropping the sandbag when you could breathe at the top; soft midline leading to lumbar overextension with the bag; worming push-ups; losing the kip (no push-away); excessive chalk breaks. Fix by planning breaks, bracing before every squat, and keeping technique crisp. - Safety cues: Neutral spine when picking up/setting down the bag; no twisting. Maintain full ROM. If kip or push-up quality degrades, downshift the variation before form breaks.

Benchmark Notes

Scoring type: Not provided → default is time to completion (seconds). Workout: 3 rounds of [20 Sandbag Bear Hug Squats (100/70), 10 TTB, 20 Push-Ups, 10 TTB]. Total volume: per round 60 reps; total 180 reps (60 sandbag squats, 60 TTB, 60 push-ups). Base paces (fresh): Sandbag bear-hug squat approximated from front squat moderate load at 2–3 s/rep plus handling; TTB 1.5–2.5 s/rep; Push-up 1–1.5 s/rep. Interference and fatigue applied: - Grip interference on TTB after sandbag: +30% time on first TTB set each round; second TTB set +15%. - Round fatigue: R1–R2 at 1.0x; R3 at 1.12x for trained athletes (1.2–1.3x for novices). - Transitions (different equipment, same area): Elite ~4 s each, Intermediate ~8 s, Novice ~12 s, Beginner ~15 s. Rounds 1–2 include 4 transitions per round (including the transition to the sandbag to start the next round); Round 3 has 3 transitions. - Set breaking: TTB typical sets of 5–10; push-ups break as needed. Anchor calculations (per round sequencing SB → TTB → PU → TTB with transitions): 1) Elite (L10 anchor) assumptions: SB 2.4 s/rep unbroken → 48 s; TTB1 10 UB at 1.8 s/rep with +30% → 23 s; Push-ups 20 UB at ~1.1 s/rep → 22 s; TTB2 10 UB at 1.8 s/rep with +15% → 21 s; Transitions ~4 s each. R1 = 48+4+23+4+22+4+21+4 = 130 s; R2 = 130 s; R3 (1.12x movement, 3 transitions) = 54+4+26+4+25+4+24 = 141 s. Total ≈ 401 s (6:41). 2) Intermediate/Median (L5 anchor): SB 2.9 s/rep (58 s) broken 12+8 with ~6 s rest → 64 s; TTB1 base 2.2 s/rep with +30% = 29 s broken 6+4 with ~7 s rest → 36 s; Push-ups 1.4 s/rep (28 s) broken 12+8 with ~7 s rest → 35 s; TTB2 base 2.2 s/rep with +15% = 25 s broken 6+4 with ~7 s rest → 32 s; Transitions ~8 s each. R1 = (64+36+35+32) + 32 = 199 s; R2 = 199 s; R3 (1.12x movement, 3 transitions) = (72+40+39+36) + 24 = 211 s. Total ≈ 609 s (10:09). 3) Novice (L3–L4 anchor): SB 3.3 s/rep (66 s) broken 10+10 with ~10 s rest → 76 s; TTB1 2.5 s/rep with +30% = 33 s broken 5+3+2 with ~18 s rests → 50 s; Push-ups 1.5 s/rep (30 s) broken 10+5+5 with ~18 s rests → 48 s; TTB2 2.5 s/rep with +15% = 29 s broken 5+3+2 with ~18 s rests → 47 s; Transitions ~12 s. R1 = (76+50+48+47) + 48 = 269 s; R2 = 269 s; R3 (1.2x movement, 3 transitions) = (91+60+58+56) + 36 = 301 s. Total ≈ 839 s (13:59). 4) Beginner (L1–L2 anchor, still Rx): SB 3.8 s/rep (76 s) broken 8+7+5 with two ~12 s rests → 100 s; TTB1 3.0 s/rep with +30% = 39 s broken 3+3+2+2 with ~34 s rests → 73 s; Push-ups 1.6 s/rep (32 s) broken 8+6+6 with ~24 s rests → 56 s; TTB2 3.0 s/rep with +15% = 35 s broken 3+3+2+2 with ~34 s rests → 69 s; Transitions ~15 s. R1 = (100+73+56+69) + 60 = 358 s; R2 = 358 s; R3 (1.3x movement, 3 transitions) = (130+95+73+90) + 45 = 433 s. Total ≈ 1149 s (19:09). Level thresholds selection: Medium-length WOD (5–15 min) → use ~10–20% spread across levels and match anchors. Final thresholds (ascending, seconds) represent boundaries from fastest (L9→L10) to slowest (L1→L2): [450 (7:30), 510 (8:30), 570 (9:30), 630 (10:30), 690 (11:30), 780 (13:00), 870 (14:30), 960 (16:00), 1080 (18:00)]. Interpretation: lower time is better; e.g., <450 s ≈ L10; 451–510 s ≈ L9; … >1080 s ≈ L1.

Modality Profile

Toes-to-Bar and Push-Up are Gymnastics (2 movements); Sandbag Bear Hug Squat is Weightlifting (1 movement). No Monostructural. Based on 3 unique movements, this rounds to G 70%, M 0%, W 30%.