Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This workout creates significant grip and lat fatigue accumulation with minimal recovery. The 500m row pre-fatigues the lats and grip, then immediately transitions to 30 pull-ups with no rest. Over 3 rounds, this becomes a grip endurance nightmare. While individual elements are manageable, the continuous nature and movement interference (rowing grip affecting pull-up performance) elevates difficulty substantially for the average athlete.

Benchmark Times for WOD

• Elite: <5:30
• Advanced: 6:00-6:30
• Intermediate: 7:00-7:30
• Beginner: >12:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): Ninety total pull-ups combined with rowing will heavily tax upper body pulling stamina and grip endurance throughout the workout.
• Endurance (7/10): Three rounds of 500m rowing creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic output with brief recovery periods between rounds.
• Speed (5/10): Success depends on maintaining consistent rowing pace and efficient pull-up cycling to minimize time under tension and grip fatigue.
• Power (4/10): Rowing stroke has moderate power component, especially during the drive phase, while pull-ups are more strength-endurance focused.
• Strength (3/10): Pull-ups require relative bodyweight strength, but the high volume shifts focus toward strength endurance rather than maximal force.
• Flexibility (3/10): Rowing requires hip hinge mobility and pull-ups demand shoulder flexibility, but neither movement requires extreme range of motion.

Movements

• Row
• Pull-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce row to 400m or 350m. Scale pull-ups to banded pull-ups, ring rows, or jumping pull-ups. Consider reducing reps to 20 or 15 per round. Intermediate athletes can do chest-to-bar pull-ups for added challenge.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if you cannot perform 10+ consecutive kipping pull-ups or if your strict pull-up max is under 5 reps. Goal is to maintain movement throughout all rounds without excessive rest. Target 15-20 minutes for scaled versions while preserving the intended moderate intensity.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-intensity glycolytic workout lasting 12-18 minutes. Targets aerobic power and muscular endurance with emphasis on upper body pulling strength under fatigue. Tests ability to maintain consistent pace across multiple rounds while managing lactate accumulation.

Coach Insight

Pace the row at 80-85% effort to preserve energy for pull-ups. Break pull-ups early and often - consider 10-10-10, 15-15, or 20-10 depending on ability. Focus on efficient kipping rhythm and avoid going to failure. Transition quickly between movements. Most athletes will slow significantly in round 3 - plan for this and maintain steady effort rather than sprinting early rounds.

Benchmark Notes

This workout consists of 3 rounds of 500m Row + 30 Pull-Ups, totaling 1500m rowing and 90 pull-ups. I'll use Jackie (1000m row, 50 thruster 45/35, 30 pull-up) as the primary anchor since it has similar rowing volume and identical pull-up count, with L10: 310-340 sec, L5: 420-480 sec, L1: 600-720 sec. Movement breakdown: 500m Row takes 85-120 sec fresh, Pull-Ups at 1-2 sec per rep = 30-60 sec for 30 reps fresh. Round 1 (fresh): 500m row 90 sec + 30 pull-ups 35 sec + transition 5 sec = 130 sec. Round 2 (1.1x fatigue): 500m row 99 sec + 30 pull-ups 42 sec (pull-ups after rowing +20% interference) + transition 5 sec = 146 sec. Round 3 (1.2x fatigue): 500m row 108 sec + 30 pull-ups 50 sec + transition 5 sec = 163 sec. Total provisional time: 130 + 146 + 163 = 439 sec for elite level. Comparing to Jackie anchor: this workout has 50% more rowing (1500m vs 1000m) and 3x the pull-ups (90 vs 30), but removes the 50 thrusters. The additional rowing and pull-ups should add roughly 60-90 seconds to Jackie times. Adjusting Jackie L10 (325 sec average) + 65 sec = 390 sec, L5 (450 sec) + 90 sec = 540 sec, L1 (660 sec) + 120 sec = 780 sec. However, my movement-by-movement calculation suggests faster times due to the simpler movement pattern (no complex barbell work). Splitting the difference: L10: 330-360 sec, L5: 450-480 sec, L1: 720-780 sec. Final targets - L10: 345 sec, L5: 465 sec, L1: 750 sec.

Modality Profile

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