Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This deceptively simple workout becomes Hard due to the continuous nature and movement combination. Burpee pull-ups demand both pulling strength and cardiovascular capacity simultaneously with zero recovery. The 10-minute AMRAP format prevents any meaningful rest, creating rapid fatigue accumulation. While individual burpees or pull-ups are manageable, combining them into one movement for 10 straight minutes creates significant grip, shoulder, and aerobic demands that will challenge most CrossFitters.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Burpee pull-ups combine upper body pulling stamina with full-body muscular endurance, creating extreme fatigue accumulation over 10 minutes.
• Endurance (8/10): A 10-minute AMRAP of continuous burpee pull-ups creates significant cardiovascular demand with minimal rest, testing aerobic capacity throughout.
• Speed (7/10): Fast transitions between burpee and pull-up phases are crucial for maximizing reps in the 10-minute window.
• Power (6/10): Each burpee requires explosive hip extension to stand, and pull-ups benefit from powerful pulling to maintain pace.
• Flexibility (4/10): Burpees demand hip mobility and shoulder flexibility, while pull-ups require overhead range of motion and lat flexibility.
• Strength (3/10): Primarily bodyweight strength endurance rather than maximal strength, though pull-ups require decent relative strength to maintain output.

Movements

• Burpee
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce pull-up difficulty with banded assistance, jumping pull-ups, or ring rows. Modify burpee to step-ups or remove jump. Consider chest-elevated burpees for those with shoulder limitations. Advanced athletes can add weight vest or strict pull-ups.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 5+ consecutive pull-ups or if burpee form breaks down significantly. Priority is maintaining movement quality and intended time domain. Target 40-60+ total reps for most athletes. If completing fewer than 30 reps, scale the pull-up component to maintain intensity.

Intended Stimulus

High-intensity glycolytic sprint lasting 8-12 minutes. Tests upper body pulling strength endurance and ability to maintain power output while managing fatigue from the burpee component. Primary challenge is muscular endurance with significant cardiovascular demand.

Coach Insight

Pace aggressively early - aim for 8-10 reps in first 2 minutes, then settle into sustainable rhythm of 6-8 per minute. Focus on efficient burpee technique: step back/forward to save energy, chest-to-deck contact, explosive jump. On pull-up portion, use strong kip and maintain hollow position. Rest briefly at bottom of pull-up bar between reps rather than hanging. Break into small sets (2-3 reps) once fatigue sets in to maintain quality movement.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is a 10-minute AMRAP of burpee pull-ups, combining two high-intensity movements. Using Cindy (20-min AMRAP: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats) as the closest anchor, where L10 achieves 25-30 rounds (75-90 total pull-ups in 20 minutes), I scaled for the shorter duration and higher movement complexity. A burpee pull-up takes approximately 5-6 seconds fresh, increasing to 7-9 seconds under fatigue. Elite athletes can maintain ~12-13 reps per minute for 10 minutes, while recreational athletes will slow significantly due to the demanding nature of the combined movement. The burpee component adds substantial metabolic demand compared to standard pull-ups, and grip fatigue becomes a major limiting factor by minute 6-7.

Modality Profile

Both Burpee and Pull-Up are bodyweight gymnastics movements, resulting in 100% Gymnastics modality