Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

The built-in rest minutes every 3rd and 6th minute create a generous work-to-rest ratio, preventing major fatigue accumulation. Sixty double unders per minute is achievable for average athletes, leaving meaningful rest. Chest-to-bar pull-ups are the limiting factor — the 4-12 rep range is smart, letting athletes self-regulate. Movements don't significantly interfere with each other. Over 24 minutes the volume is real but structured rest keeps this comfortably in the Medium range.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (7/10): Up to 96 total chest-to-bar pull-ups combined with 480 double unders creates significant upper body pulling and calf/shoulder muscular endurance demands across eight working sets each.
• Endurance (6/10): Over 24 minutes with two built-in rest minutes per cycle, cardiovascular demand is sustained but moderated. Double unders repeatedly spike heart rate, while structured rest prevents full aerobic depletion.
• Speed (6/10): Completing 60 double unders efficiently within one minute demands fast rope cycling. Higher C2B rep targets require quick, rhythmic cycling to finish comfortably before the minute expires.
• Power (5/10): Double unders demand quick, explosive wrist turnover and ankle snap each rep. Chest-to-bar pull-ups require explosive hip and lat drive to clear the bar consistently under fatigue.
• Strength (3/10): Chest-to-bar pull-ups demand relative bodyweight pulling strength, especially at higher rep ranges. No external loading present, but the C2B standard adds meaningful upper body strength requirement.
• Flexibility (2/10): Chest-to-bar standard requires adequate shoulder mobility and thoracic extension. Double unders need minimal flexibility. Overall range of motion demands remain basic throughout the workout.

Movements

• Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
• Double-Under

Scaling Options

Chest to bar pull-ups: Scale to standard kipping pull-ups if C2B is inconsistent, then to banded pull-ups, then to ring rows if needed. Keep the rep range at 4-10 to match the stimulus. For athletes newer to pull-ups, reduce to 3-6 reps to ensure quality over quantity. Double unders: Scale to 30 double unders, or to 90 single unders if double unders are still being developed. Athletes working on DUs can also do 15-20 attempts (not completions) to practice the skill without burning excessive time. Volume modification: If 24 minutes feels too long, run the EMOM for 18 minutes (3 full cycles) rather than reducing reps, which better preserves the stimulus. Rest minutes remain non-negotiable — do not eliminate them to 'do more work.'

Scaling Explanation

Scale the C2B pull-ups if you cannot perform at least 4 unbroken chest-to-bar reps with solid mechanics, or if you anticipate breaking down significantly after the first few rounds. The goal is 8 consistent, quality sets — technique and sustainability trump hitting the top of the rep range. Scale double unders if 60 reps takes you longer than 45-50 seconds consistently, leaving you no recovery time within the minute. Prioritize technique over volume on both movements. If an athlete is newer to this style of EMOM work, err on the lower end of the C2B range (4-6 reps) and build confidence through the workout. The target feel is finishing each working minute with 10-20 seconds to spare, and leaving rest minutes feeling genuinely recovered and ready to go again.

Intended Stimulus

This is a moderate-duration aerobic and gymnastics endurance piece spanning 24 minutes. The built-in rest minutes make it a structured interval session rather than a grind — think repeatable, quality efforts across all 8 rounds of each movement. The primary challenge is pulling endurance on the chest-to-bar pull-ups and consistent rhythm on the double unders. The energy demand is a sustained aerobic effort with short bursts of skill and power. Athletes should feel challenged but never completely blown out — if you're gasping through your rest minutes, you went too hard. The adaptation target is aerobic capacity, gymnastics cycling efficiency, and the ability to maintain output when fatigued across a longer time frame.

Coach Insight

Pick your C2B rep number at the start and lock it in for all 8 sets — do not start at 12 and fade to 4 by round 3. Consistency is the game here. A steady 6-8 unbroken reps every time beats a flashy 12 that wrecks your shoulders. For the pull-ups, focus on a tight kip, hollow-to-arch rhythm, and getting your chest to the bar cleanly rather than just chinning it over. For double unders, 60 reps in 60 seconds is very achievable — aim to complete them in 30-40 seconds and use the remaining time within that minute to breathe and reset before the next minute. Common mistakes: going unbroken on C2B early and breaking down later, rushing into DUs without composing your breathing, and treating rest minutes as optional active recovery rather than true rest. Use those rest minutes wisely — shake out your hands, control your breathing, and mentally prepare for the next effort.

Benchmark Notes

Total reps (C2B + DUs) across all 8 work minutes (4 C2B minutes + 4 DU minutes per full cycle × 4 cycles = 8 work minutes each). Max possible: 96 C2B (12×8) + 480 DU (60×8) = 576. Primary limiters are DU consistency under accumulating grip/shoulder fatigue and C2B capacity — this is a pull-dominant workout with kipping demand that compounds each round. L1 athletes are likely scaling DUs (trip-ups, partial sets averaging ~20/min) and capping at 4 strict or awkward C2B (~180 total). L5 athletes hold 50-55 unbroken DUs most minutes and cycle 7-8 C2B in sets of 3-4, finishing around 455. L10 athletes clear all 60 DUs with 5-8 seconds to spare every minute and string 10-12 C2B cleanly through all 8 rounds (~576). The rest minutes are generous enough that shoulder recovery is real, but DU accuracy under cumulative fatigue is a consistent separator at intermediate levels. Female targets are lower primarily because C2B pull-ups carry a higher relative strength demand for most women, reducing average reps per C2B minute by 1-2 across the board at comparable fitness levels.

Modality Profile

Both movements are gymnastics modalities. Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up is a bodyweight pulling movement, and Double-Under is a jump rope skill requiring bodyweight coordination. 2 gymnastics movements out of 2 total = 100% Gymnastics.