Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

This workout combines moderate aerobic demand with manageable movements over an 18-minute timeframe. The 500m row provides brief recovery between wall ball sets, preventing excessive fatigue accumulation. Wall balls at 20/14 are accessible for most athletes and allow pacing flexibility. The AMRAP format lets athletes self-regulate intensity rather than forcing unsustainable pace. While challenging due to duration, the movement selection and loading keep this solidly in medium territory.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High volume wall balls combined with rowing over 18 minutes heavily taxes muscular endurance in legs, shoulders, and core.
• Endurance (8/10): An 18-minute AMRAP creates significant cardiovascular demand with continuous rowing and wall ball work requiring sustained aerobic output.
• Speed (7/10): AMRAP format rewards quick transitions and maintaining high stroke rate on rower plus rapid wall ball cycling.
• Power (6/10): Wall balls are explosive hip extension movements while rowing requires powerful drive phase, creating moderate power demands throughout.
• Flexibility (5/10): Wall balls require good hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility while rowing demands hip hinge and thoracic extension throughout range.
• Strength (4/10): 20/14lb wall balls provide moderate resistance while rowing requires sustained force production but neither demands maximal strength.

Movements

• Wall Ball
• Row

Scaling Options

Reduce wall ball weight to 16/12 or 14/10 lbs. Substitute 400m row or 30 air squats if rowing unavailable. Consider 15 wall balls per round. Beginners can use 10lb ball and throw to 9ft target.

Scaling Explanation

Scale wall ball weight if you can't complete 10+ unbroken reps when fresh. Scale if previous 500m row time is over 2:30. Goal is to maintain consistent 2:45-3:15 round times throughout. Prioritize movement quality and breathing rhythm over speed - this should feel challenging but sustainable for the full 18 minutes.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate to high-intensity aerobic/glycolytic workout lasting 12-18 minutes. Tests ability to maintain consistent power output and breathing control while managing lactate accumulation. Primary challenge is conditioning with secondary emphasis on pacing discipline and movement efficiency.

Coach Insight

Target 4-6 rounds with consistent 3-minute splits. Row at sustainable 75-80% effort - avoid going out too hot on first row. Break wall balls early and often to maintain unbroken sets - consider 10-10 or 12-8 from the start. Keep wall ball target consistent and use legs to drive the ball up. Quick transitions between movements are key - aim for under 10 seconds. Most athletes fail by rowing too aggressively early or letting wall ball sets get too broken up.

Benchmark Notes

This 18-minute AMRAP consists of 500m Row + 20 Wall Balls per round. Movement analysis: 500m Row takes 85-120 seconds fresh, Wall Balls (20 reps) take 40-60 seconds fresh (2-3 sec/rep). One fresh round = 125-180 seconds (2-3 minutes). Fatigue progression: Round 1-2 at baseline pace (2:30-3:00), Round 3-4 with 10-15% slowdown (2:45-3:30), Round 5-6 with 20-25% slowdown (3:00-3:45), Round 7+ with 30-50% slowdown (3:15-4:30). Transition time between movements: 3-8 seconds. Set breaking on wall balls: early rounds unbroken, later rounds 15-10-8-5 pattern with 5-10 second rests. Elite athletes complete 10-12 rounds, intermediate 6-8 rounds, beginners 3-4 rounds. The 18-minute time cap allows for significant fatigue accumulation, making round times progressively longer.

Modality Profile

Row is monostructural cardio (M) and Wall Ball uses external load making it weightlifting (W). Two modalities split 50/50.