Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This 20-minute continuous AMRAP creates significant cumulative fatigue through both volume and structure. The ascending pull-up ladder means athletes face increasingly difficult sets while already fatigued from running and previous rounds. By rounds 8-10, athletes attempt 8-10 pull-ups after substantial grip and lat fatigue. The continuous nature with minimal recovery between runs compounds the challenge, making this substantially harder than typical moderate AMRAPs.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): Progressive pull-up ladder from 2 to potentially 20+ reps per round will severely test upper body muscular endurance and grip stamina.
• Endurance (8/10): Twenty minutes of continuous running and pull-ups with minimal rest creates significant cardiovascular demand and tests aerobic capacity throughout.
• Speed (4/10): Transition efficiency between runs and pull-ups matters, but pacing strategy becomes more important than pure speed.
• Strength (3/10): Pull-ups require relative bodyweight strength, but the focus shifts to strength endurance rather than maximal force production.
• Flexibility (3/10): Pull-ups demand shoulder mobility and lat flexibility, while running requires basic hip and ankle range of motion.
• Power (2/10): Minimal explosive demand; pull-ups become more of a grind as fatigue sets in, running pace likely steady.

Movements

• Run
• Pull-Up

Benchmark Notes

This is a 20-minute AMRAP ladder workout starting with 2 pull-ups and adding 1 pull-up each round, with 100m runs between each set. The score is total pull-ups completed. Let me break this down round by round: Round structure: Run 100m + X pull-ups (where X starts at 2 and increases by 1 each round) Movement analysis: - 100m run: 12-18 seconds fresh, will degrade with fatigue - Pull-ups: 1-2 seconds per rep when fresh, significant degradation in later rounds - Transitions: minimal since it's run-pullups-run pattern Round-by-round breakdown for an elite athlete (L9-L10): Rounds 1-5 (2,3,4,5,6 pull-ups = 20 total): ~90 seconds (runs getting slower, pull-ups still unbroken) Rounds 6-10 (7,8,9,10,11 pull-ups = 45 total): ~3 minutes (pull-ups starting to break, runs significantly slower) Rounds 11-15 (12,13,14,15,16 pull-ups = 70 total): ~5 minutes (major pull-up breakdown, walking portions of runs) Rounds 16-20 (17,18,19,20,21 pull-ups = 95 total): ~7 minutes (severe fatigue, singles on pull-ups) Rounds 21-24 (22,23,24,25 pull-ups = 94 total): ~4 minutes remaining Total for elite: ~324 pull-ups in 20 minutes This workout is most similar to high-volume pull-up benchmarks like portions of Angie or Cindy, but the running component and ladder format create unique fatigue patterns. The running prevents full recovery between pull-up sets but also provides active recovery. For scaling across levels: - L10 (top 5%): Can maintain larger pull-up sets longer, faster runs: ~310 reps - L5 (median): Significant breakdown after round 10, much slower runs: ~140 reps - L1 (beginner): May only complete 8-10 rounds due to pull-up limitations: ~45 reps The ladder format means later rounds contribute disproportionately to the score - round 20 alone is worth 21 pull-ups vs round 1's 2 pull-ups. Final targets: L10: 310 reps, L5: 140 reps, L1: 45 reps

Modality Profile

Two movements: Run (monostructural cardio) and Pull-Up (bodyweight gymnastics). Equal 50/50 split between M and G modalities.