Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

This 20-minute AMRAP creates significant cumulative fatigue through continuous work with no built-in rest. The pull-ups will become increasingly difficult as grip and upper body fatigue from the sustained effort. While individual movements are moderate, the 20-minute duration forces athletes into a grinding pace where movement quality degrades and many will need to break reps frequently in later rounds.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume potential across three movements tests muscular endurance, particularly grip stamina from pull-ups and kettlebell swings.
• Endurance (7/10): A 20-minute AMRAP with continuous movement creates significant cardiovascular demand, requiring sustained aerobic capacity throughout the workout.
• Power (6/10): Kettlebell swings are explosive hip extension movements, wall balls require power from legs to overhead, pull-ups less power-focused.
• Speed (6/10): AMRAP format rewards quick transitions and efficient movement cycling to maximize rounds completed within the time domain.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate strength demands from bodyweight pull-ups and 53/35lb kettlebell swings, with wall balls requiring functional strength.
• Flexibility (3/10): Pull-ups require shoulder mobility, wall balls demand hip and ankle flexibility, kettlebell swings need hip hinge mobility.

Movements

• Pull-Up
• Wall Ball
• Kettlebell Swing

Benchmark Notes

This workout is very similar to the iconic Cindy benchmark (AMRAP 20: 5 pull-ups + 10 push-ups + 15 air squats), with wall balls and kettlebell swings replacing push-ups and air squats. Using Cindy as the primary anchor: L10: 25-30 rounds, L5: 15-18 rounds, L1: 6-8 rounds. Movement analysis: Pull-ups remain identical (1-2 sec/rep). Wall balls (2-3 sec/rep) are slightly slower than push-ups (1-1.5 sec/rep), adding ~10-15 seconds per round. Kettlebell swings (1.5-2 sec/rep) are faster than air squats (1-1.5 sec/rep), saving ~5-10 seconds per round. Net effect: rounds are roughly 5-10 seconds longer than Cindy. Fatigue considerations: grip fatigue from pull-ups affects both wall balls and KB swings more than Cindy's push-ups/squats, creating additional slowdown in later rounds. Transitions between movements are minimal (3-6 seconds total per round). Expected round times: Early rounds 45-55 seconds, later rounds 60-80 seconds with fatigue. Adjusting Cindy benchmarks down by ~15% to account for slightly longer rounds and increased grip fatigue: L10: 22-26 rounds, L5: 13-16 rounds, L1: 5-7 rounds. Final targets - L10: 19+ rounds, L5: 12.5 rounds, L1: 6.5 rounds.

Modality Profile

Pull-Up is gymnastics (bodyweight), Wall Ball and Kettlebell Swing are weightlifting (external load). With 1 gymnastics and 2 weightlifting movements, the breakdown is 33% G and 67% W.