Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While individual elements seem manageable, the context creates significant difficulty. The 50/35lb dumbbell carries will heavily tax grip and core, directly interfering with pull-up performance. Ten rounds with no built-in rest creates substantial fatigue accumulation. The combination of grip fatigue from carries, upper body demand from pull-ups, and continuous rowing will challenge most athletes' ability to maintain pace and form throughout.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <14:00
• Advanced: 16:00-18:00
• Intermediate: 20:00-22:00
• Beginner: >36:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of pull-ups across ten rounds will exhaust grip and upper body pulling stamina, compounded by loaded carries.
• Endurance (7/10): Ten rounds with rowing component creates significant cardiovascular demand, though brief rest periods between movements provide some recovery.
• Strength (6/10): Moderate dumbbell weight for death march carries challenges unilateral strength and core stability under load.
• Speed (5/10): Ten rounds requires steady pacing and efficient transitions between three distinctly different movement patterns to maintain output.
• Flexibility (3/10): Death march requires hip and ankle mobility, pull-ups need shoulder range, rowing demands basic thoracic extension.
• Power (2/10): Limited explosive demands; death march is slow grind, pull-ups moderate speed, rowing allows steady rhythm.

Movements

• Dumbbell Death March
• Row
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce DB weight to 35/25 or 25/15 lbs. Substitute banded pull-ups, ring rows, or jumping pull-ups. Reduce to 8 rounds or 15ft marches. For rowing, reduce to 75m per round. Advanced athletes can increase DB weight to 60/40 lbs or add weighted pull-ups.

Scaling Explanation

Scale DB weight if you cannot maintain upright posture for full 20ft unbroken. Scale pull-ups if you cannot perform at least 3-4 strict pull-ups when fresh. Reduce rounds if workout will exceed 30 minutes. Priority is maintaining movement quality over preserving Rx weights. Target is steady 2-3 minute rounds with manageable but challenging grip fatigue.

Intended Stimulus

High-intensity mixed modal workout targeting 15-25 minutes. Primary glycolytic energy system with oxidative component. Tests grip strength endurance, posterior chain under load, and ability to maintain pulling power while managing fatigue. The death march creates significant unilateral loading while pull-ups challenge grip and lat endurance after farmers carry positioning.

Coach Insight

Treat this as a grip endurance test - the death march will pre-fatigue hands before pull-ups. Break death march into 10-10ft segments if needed to maintain posture. Keep chest up and shoulders back throughout march. For pull-ups, use efficient kipping but expect degraded performance due to grip fatigue. Row should be steady 500m splits, not all-out sprints. Transitions matter - minimize rest between movements. Expect rounds 6-8 to be the worst as grip fails.

Benchmark Notes

Breaking down this 10-round workout: 20ft DB Death March (50/35lb), 10 Pull-ups, 100m Row per round. Per round analysis: DB Death March takes 8-12 sec fresh (walking 20ft with heavy DBs), Pull-ups take 10-20 sec (1-2 sec per rep), 100m Row takes 18-24 sec, plus 5-8 sec transitions. Fresh round: 41-64 sec. Applied progressive fatigue: Rounds 1-2 at 1.0x (50 sec avg), Rounds 3-4 at 1.1x (55 sec), Rounds 5-6 at 1.2x (60 sec), Rounds 7-8 at 1.3x (65 sec), Rounds 9-10 at 1.5x (75 sec). Total for average athlete: 600 sec base. Grip fatigue from Death March significantly impacts pull-ups (+25% time rounds 5+). Elite athletes maintain form/pace better, recreational athletes need more rest between movements and rounds. Full range: Elite 840 sec to Beginner 2160 sec (14-36 minutes).

Modality Profile

Three modalities present: Dumbbell Death March (weighted movement = W), Pull-Up (bodyweight = G), Row (cyclical cardio = M). Even distribution across all three modalities.