2026 Championship Workout Rules

To be considered for a podium position, athletes must adhere to the following rules:

1-Rep Max Bench Press Ladder

Workout Format

The workout consists of 10 total rounds of increasing lifts.
Athletes must successfully complete at least three lifts to post a score.
If an athlete fails within the first three rounds, their last successful lift will count as their final score, provided they attempted and successfully completed a lift in each round leading up to failure.
Athletes may skip rounds and enter at a higher weight at their own discretion.
Upon a successful lift, the athlete moves to the back of the line and waits for the next round to begin.
If an athlete fails a lift, they may rejoin the line and receive one additional attempt at that same weight.
If the same weight is failed twice, the athlete is eliminated from the ladder and their final score is the weight of their last successful lift.
If two or more athletes complete the full ladder, they will advance to a tie-breaker. The weight will increase by 5 pound increments until only one athlete successfully completes a given weight. If no athlete completes the first tie-breaker weight or every athlete fails the same round, all athletes who completed the ladder will be tied for first place.

Round	Men’s Weight (lbs.)	Women’s Weight (lbs.)
1	205	95
2	225	105
3	245	115
4	265	125
5	285	135
6	305	145
7	315	155
8	325	165
9	335	175
10	345	185

Movement Standards

All bench press repetitions must demonstrate a full range of motion in which the barbell must touch the athlete’s chest and a full extension and lockout at the elbow must occur at the top of the movement.
An athlete may not use a bounce from the barbell off of their chest.
The athlete’s head, shoulders, and glutes must remain in contact with the bench for the duration of the lift.
- The duration of the lift is defined as the rep beginning and ending with the athlete’s arms fully extended with the barbell over the chest,
- Athletes can lift glutes off the bench during lift off but glutes must remain in contact with the bench once the downward motion of the barbell begins.
Some portion of both feet must remain in contact with the floor or bumper plates for the duration of the lift.
A spotter will be present while performing the bench press segment of the workout.
- The spotter will not assist with a lift-off, and the spotter’s hands will remain clear of the barbell while the competitor is performing the movement.
- The only assistance the spotter can provide is lifting the bar if an athlete fails on their final repetition or racking the barbell after a lockout on the last complete repetition.

The Rudder 2.0 (20-minute time cap)

The event will consist of two elements: athletes will alternate between hang cleans and rope climbs, completing 21-15-9 reps of hang cleans and 1-2-3 reps of rope climbs within a 20-minute time cap.

Hang Cleans

Men’s hang clean weight is 155 pounds. Women’s hang clean weight is 105 pounds.
Athlete must deadlift the barbell to the hang position on the first rep. Hang position is defined as bar above the knees, with arms, hips, and knees fully extended.
From the hang position, the athlete pulls the barbell upward and receives it in a front rack position on the shoulders.
The barbell must not pass below the knee.
The rep is complete when the athlete stands tall with hips and knees fully extended and the barbell securely in the front rack position with elbows visibly on the other side of the barbell.

Rope Climbs

Each athlete is required to touch the marker at the designated height before returning to the ground.
Athletes may use any climbing method to ascend the rope, e.g., J-hook, wraparound/S-wrap, legless, etc.
On the descent, the athlete must keep BOTH hands on the rope until BOTH feet are firmly on the ground. If an athlete drops off the rope before reaching the ground it will be a failure of rep completion and the athlete must repeat the rep before moving back to hang cleans or completing the workout.
The athlete’s final time will be recorded when they touch the marker at the top of the last rope climb.

Heavy Murph AMRAP (20-minute time cap)

Competitors perform as many reps as possible in the following order within the 20-minute time cap:

10 pull-ups: Strict pull-ups are the only acceptable version of the movement. Begin by hanging from the bar with feet off the ground and palms facing outward. Arms must be fully extended at the bottom of each pull-up. Chin must clear the bar at the top of each pull-up. Legs must remain passive; any intentional lifting of the knees or coordinated leg/hip action that aids the pull will result in a no‑rep. Small, natural knee or hip movement that does not assist the pull is allowed. All grip types are permitted, but they must protect the hands without providing a tacky, sticky, or excessive grip advantage. Athletes can use chalk in conjunction with their grips.
20 dumbbell seated alternating shoulder presses: Men’s weight is 50 pound dumbbells, women’s weight is 30 pound dumbbells. Both dumbbells will start on the shoulders and progress by pressing one dumbbell overhead. Athlete must lower one dumbbell down to the shoulder before beginning to press the other dumbbell upward. The arm must be fully extended and locked out in the up position, with bicep in line with the ear. Feet must remain on the floor throughout the movement.
30 rear foot elevated split squats: Athlete’s rear foot must be placed on top of the bench with laces down. Front leg must be fully extended in the up position with ankle, knee, hip all in vertical alignment. Shoulders must stay above the hips throughout the movement. Front foot must be positioned far enough forward that the hip crease is below the knee with the knee touching the floor in the down position.
40 sit-ups: Must be performed with the feet secured under a dumbbell , back flat, and arms crossed over the chest. Hands must be touching the shoulders and/or collarbone at all times. Shoulder blades must touch the ground at the bottom of each sit-up, and both elbows must touch the legs within 6 inches of the kneecaps at the top of each sit-up. Butt cannot come off the ground at any point during the sit-up.

Event Scoring & Tiebreaker

Donors and recipients will compete together in combined Men’s and Women’s divisions.
All 3 events are worth 10 points each. 1st place = 10 pts, 2nd place = 9 pts, etc.
Standard scores are ranked higher than modified scores in each event.
In the event of a tie for first place, athletes will complete 21 calories on the echo bike followed by 3 rope climbs for time.