Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This is a classic high-intensity couplet with moderate loads but demanding context. The 95/65lb thrusters become increasingly difficult as volume accumulates, while chest-to-bar pull-ups require significant upper body strength and coordination. The descending ladder creates relentless pace with no built-in rest, causing grip fatigue and metabolic stress to compound. Most average athletes will need multiple breaks and potentially scale the pull-up variation.

Benchmark Times for 25:01 - 50:00

• Elite: <5:00
• Advanced: 6:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 10:00-12:00
• Beginner: >20:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume of thrusters and chest-to-bar pull-ups will severely test upper body muscular endurance, particularly grip strength and shoulder stamina.
• Endurance (8/10): The descending ladder format with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand, especially as grip fatigue accumulates and breathing becomes labored.
• Power (7/10): Thrusters are inherently explosive from bottom of squat; maintaining power output through fatigue becomes increasingly challenging as rounds progress.
• Speed (7/10): Fast transitions between movements and quick cycling of reps is crucial; the descending format rewards those who can maintain high intensity.
• Flexibility (6/10): Thrusters require full overhead mobility and deep squat position; chest-to-bar pull-ups demand shoulder flexibility and thoracic extension for proper positioning.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate thruster weight (65/95) requires decent strength but isn't maximal; chest-to-bar pull-ups demand good relative strength throughout high volume.

Movements

• Thruster
• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

Benchmark Notes

This workout is Open WOD 19.5 with 33-27-21-15-9 reps of thrusters (95/65) and chest-to-bar pull-ups for time, 20-minute cap. I'm using Fran as the primary anchor since it's the same movement pattern (thrusters + pull-ups) in a descending rep scheme. Fran is 21-15-9 (45 total reps each), while this is 33-27-21-15-9 (105 total reps each) - exactly 2.33x the volume. Movement breakdown: Thrusters at 95/65 lbs: 2-3 sec per rep fresh, chest-to-bar pull-ups: 1.5-2.5 sec per rep fresh. Round-by-round analysis with fatigue: Round 1 (33 reps each): Thrusters 33×2.5=83s, C2B 33×2=66s, transitions 10s = 159s. Round 2 (27 reps): 1.1x fatigue, Thrusters 27×2.5×1.1=74s, C2B 27×2×1.1=59s, transitions 10s = 143s. Round 3 (21 reps): 1.2x fatigue, Thrusters 21×2.5×1.2=63s, C2B 21×2×1.2=50s, transitions 10s = 123s. Round 4 (15 reps): 1.3x fatigue, Thrusters 15×2.5×1.3=49s, C2B 15×2×1.3=39s, transitions 10s = 98s. Round 5 (9 reps): 1.4x fatigue, Thrusters 9×2.5×1.4=32s, C2B 9×2×1.4=25s, transitions 5s = 62s. Total estimated time for L5: 585s ≈ 600s. Scaling from Fran anchor (L5: 320-360s), this workout should be 2.33x longer due to volume, giving us 746-839s. However, the heavier thruster load (95 vs 65 for males) and chest-to-bar difficulty vs regular pull-ups adds significant time. Adjusting upward to 720s for L5. For elite (L10), Fran anchor is 120-140s, scaling to 280-326s, but accounting for the technical difficulty and higher loading, setting L10 at 300s. For novice (L1), many will hit the 20-minute time cap, so setting at 1200s (20 minutes). Final targets - L10: 300s (5:00), L5: 720s (12:00), L1: 1200s (20:00 cap).

Modality Profile

Two movements: Thruster (weightlifting with barbell) and Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up (gymnastics bodyweight movement). Equal split between weightlifting and gymnastics modalities.