Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This workout combines moderate volume with manageable movements for the average CrossFitter. The 400m runs provide natural recovery between rounds, preventing excessive fatigue accumulation. Wall balls at 20/14 are standard weight, and 30 pull-ups spread across three rounds (10 per round effectively) is reasonable. The running breaks up the upper body work, allowing grip recovery. Total time around 12-15 minutes with built-in pacing opportunities makes this accessible but challenging.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <7:00
• Advanced: 8:00-9:00
• Intermediate: 10:00-11:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of wall balls and pull-ups across three rounds will heavily tax upper body and leg muscular endurance.
• Endurance (7/10): Three rounds of 400m runs with high-rep bodyweight movements creates significant cardiovascular demand and aerobic system stress throughout.
• Speed (6/10): Fast transitions between movements and maintaining pace across three rounds is crucial for good times in this workout.
• Flexibility (4/10): Wall balls demand good squat depth and overhead mobility, pull-ups require shoulder flexibility for full range of motion.
• Power (4/10): Wall balls are explosive hip extension movements, though power output will decline significantly as rounds progress and fatigue sets in.
• Strength (3/10): Wall balls require moderate leg and shoulder strength, pull-ups test relative bodyweight strength, but not maximal loads.

Movements

• Run
• Wall Ball
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce wall ball weight to 14/10 lbs or lower target to 9ft. Substitute banded pull-ups, ring rows, or jumping pull-ups. Reduce run distance to 200m if needed. Consider reducing to 2 rounds or scaling reps to 15 wall balls and 20 pull-ups per round.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 10+ unbroken wall balls at Rx weight or 5+ strict pull-ups. Priority is maintaining movement quality and consistent pace throughout. Target completion time should be 12-20 minutes. If athlete cannot maintain proper wall ball depth or pull-up range of motion, scale immediately to preserve intended stimulus.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-duration glycolytic workout lasting 12-18 minutes. Primarily tests muscular endurance and aerobic capacity with mixed modal movements. The combination of running, wall balls, and pull-ups creates cumulative fatigue across different muscle groups while maintaining moderate intensity throughout.

Coach Insight

Pace the 400m runs at 80-85% effort to preserve energy for strength movements. Break wall balls early - consider 10-10 or 12-8 to avoid failure. For pull-ups, use small sets (5-7 reps) with quick shakes between to manage grip fatigue. Transition quickly between movements but don't sprint - consistency is key. Most athletes will slow significantly in round 3, so maintain steady breathing and focus on unbroken wall ball sets.

Benchmark Notes

This workout is very similar to Helen (3 rounds: 400m run, 21 kettlebell swing 53/35, 12 pull-up) but with 20 wall balls instead of 21 KB swings and 30 pull-ups instead of 12. Using Helen as the primary anchor: L10: 450-510 sec, L5: 630-690 sec, L1: 900-1080 sec. Movement breakdown per round: 400m run takes 75-120 sec depending on level, 20 wall balls at 2-3 sec per rep = 40-60 sec fresh, 30 pull-ups at 1-2 sec per rep = 30-60 sec fresh. Round 1 (fresh): Run 75-120s + Wall balls 40-60s + Pull-ups 30-60s + transitions 10-20s = 155-260s. Round 2 (1.1x fatigue): Run 80-130s + Wall balls 45-70s + Pull-ups 35-70s + transitions 12-25s = 172-295s. Round 3 (1.2x fatigue): Run 85-140s + Wall balls 50-75s + Pull-ups 40-80s + transitions 15-30s = 190-325s. Total estimated range: 517-880 seconds. However, this workout has significantly more pull-ups than Helen (90 vs 36 total), which will create substantial grip fatigue and slower times. The wall balls are similar metabolic demand to KB swings. Adjusting Helen benchmarks upward by 15-20% due to the extra pull-up volume: L10: 520-590 sec, L5: 725-795 sec, L1: 1035-1245 sec. Taking midpoints and creating smooth progression: L10: 450 sec, L5: 660 sec, L1: 1080 sec. Final targets - L10: 450 sec (7:30), L5: 660 sec (11:00), L1: 1080 sec (18:00).

Modality Profile

Three movements across all modalities: Run (monostructural cardio), Wall Ball (weighted external load), Pull-Up (bodyweight gymnastics). Equal distribution with slight rounding to Wall Ball's weightlifting category.