Today’s conditioning piece is six rounds: six bar muscle ups, six single-arm devil’s press, then as many wall balls as you can squeeze into the time that’s left — aim for around 30 seconds of throwing — before you rest and do it all again.
On paper that’s three movements. In practice, the most important line on the whiteboard is the rest.
The rest is telling you something
When the work and the rest are roughly equal, your coach is telling you exactly how to attack the workout: this is a sprint. You are not pacing this one. The aim of the game is to get to those wall balls as fast as you can and accumulate reps while the clock is yours.
This is the same skill of reading a workout’s intent that we covered in Why Simple Workouts Hit Hard — except flipped. There, the trap was going out too hot. Here, the trap is cruising. Equal work to rest means the recovery is built in, so spend it all.
And just like the dumbbell squat cleans in Catch in the Squat, the bar muscle ups and devil’s press are the entry fee, not the workout. Every second saved on them is another wall ball on your score.
Whatever option you pick, you’re doing the workout
Plenty of members read “bar muscle ups” and quietly decide this session isn’t for them. It is. There’s a version for exactly where you’re at:
· Bar muscle ups — if you’ve got them, today is a chance to do them fast.
· Jumping bar muscle ups from a box or low bar — think about coming through the window, then jumping up and over the bar. From a low bar, set up at chest height and jump.
· Strict chest-to-bar or negatives — pull up to the bar, then lower yourself down slowly. That eccentric strength is exactly how skills get built — the same principle behind our negative handstand push-up drill.
Not sure which is yours today? That’s what your coach is there for. We’ll work it out together on the floor.
Devil’s press, in plain English
A single-arm devil’s press is essentially a burpee with a single-arm snatch, alternating arms. Dumbbell on the floor, chest touches the floor, step your feet up close to the dumbbell, then use your hip drive — not your shoulder — to send it overhead. Chest to floor, dumbbell above head. That’s the rep.
If you want to see how much a single-arm dumbbell movement changes a workout, we broke that down in Why This Workout Is Harder Than It Looks.
Wall balls: where your score lives
Full-depth squat every rep — bottom line for the ladies, top line for the men. The cue that saves your shoulders and your rhythm: thumbs towards your face, and catch the ball with your elbows tucked in. Don’t catch wide and don’t take it on the chest. Tall body, drive up, catch in front of your face, ride the squat straight back down into the next rep.
Then rest like you mean it
Sprinting six times only works if you actually recover between efforts. Walk, breathe, reset — the rest is part of the work, not a break from it. (That idea goes well beyond the gym — see Your Life Is Shaped More by Your Recovery Than Your Reaction.)
Six sprints. Three movements. One simple goal: get to the wall balls. If you want a coach in your corner choosing the right bar muscle up option for you, book a free intro class — no pressure, no sales pitch.
Related reading:
Why Simple Workouts Hit Hard (And How to Approach Them Properly)
Catch in the Squat — The Cue That Buys You More Time on the Bike
Why This Workout Is Harder Than It Looks
Negative Handstand Push-up Drill
MINDSET — Your Life Is Shaped More by Your Recovery Than Your Reaction
Boost Your Strength — Key Tips