Rogue Pulling Power: Gui Malheiros and Laura Horvath Win Event 7
UPLIFT IRON CLUBWhat Malheiros and Horvath Actually Won
The seventh workout of the 2026 Rogue Invitational had a name that told the truth: Pulling Power. On Sunday, October 25, Brazilian athlete Guilherme “Gui” Malheiros won the men's event in 8:15.10, while Hungary's Laura Horvath topped the women's field in 9:40.65. Those are victories in one event, not declarations of who won the entire nine-event CrossFit competition. The distinction matters when the overall race is tight and athletes have different strengths.
The workout was a four-stage sequence of rope climbs, overhead squats and deadlifts. Each stage began with three rope climbs. Then came 12, nine, six and three overhead squats, paired with the same descending repetition counts of deadlifts. The overhead-squat load stayed fixed at 225 pounds for men and 175 pounds for women. Deadlift weights rose with each stage, topping out at 405 and 285 pounds respectively. Across the event, an athlete finishing every repetition completed 12 rope climbs, 30 overhead squats and 30 deadlifts. A 13-minute cap made pacing a practical constraint rather than a philosophical debate.
Malheiros finished ten seconds ahead of Nate Ackermann, whose 8:25.00 earned second, with Tudor Magda third at 8:35.16. Horvath's 9:40.65 beat Gabriela Migała's 9:55.37; Olivia Kerstetter placed third at 10:53.04. Those margins illustrate how one clean transition or one avoidable pause can matter even in an event that appears to favor raw pulling strength.
The headline is not simply that two exceptionally strong athletes lifted heavy barbells. The workout forced them to maintain technical standards under a changing kind of fatigue. Rope ascents ask for coordinated grip and footwork; overhead squats demand stable positions; progressively heavier deadlifts ask for a reliable hinge and brace. The winning skill was keeping all three available as the clock moved.
For ordinary gym-goers, this is useful without being a workout to copy. The competition loads are elite-level and the event format carries substantial fatigue. What transfers is the idea of developing strength, movement quality and repeatable transitions rather than treating every exercise as an isolated personal-record attempt. The following breakdown separates the facts of the event from the training lessons they suggest.
The event also arrived after six earlier workouts, so the athletes were not entering it with the freshness of a single-day gym test. That accumulated fatigue is part of the competition's appeal, but it limits how directly its outcome can be translated into exercise advice. A winner's strategy may be appropriate for a highly trained professional and still be a poor choice for someone returning to exercise after a layoff. Context is the difference between inspiration and imitation.
Twelve Rope Climbs: The Grip Test Before the Barbell
Three rope climbs opened every stage, so the workout included 12 ascents before the last deadlift was finished. That placement was deliberate in its effect: competitors had to handle a high-skill pulling task before touching two barbells that also demanded grip, trunk stiffness and shoulder control. A strong deadlift alone could not make an athlete efficient on a rope, and a fast rope climber still had to arrive at the squat bar in a position to lift.
On a rope, efficient movement is not the same as doing a dozen strict arm-only pull-ups. Experienced climbers use a secure foot lock or other practiced leg-assisted technique, extend the legs to gain height, then reset the hands. That reduces unnecessary arm work and can preserve the forearms for later movements. The details depend on the event's movement standards and an athlete's chosen method, but the broader point is straightforward: a good skill makes a demanding strength task less wasteful.
Grip fatigue becomes interesting when the next station is a barbell. An athlete who overgrips every ascent may arrive at the overhead squat with tired hands and shoulders. Another who rushes the descent or misses a controlled landing may lose time or create risk. Neither problem is solved by simply adding weight to a gym deadlift. Technique, breathing and a predictable rope descent are separate training qualities.
Recreational lifters should not treat rope climbs as a casual add-on after an exhausting session. They require a suitable rig, an appropriate landing surface and coaching for the foot lock and descent. If those are unavailable, safer progressions can train similar capacities: controlled towel-assisted rows, supported hangs, farmer carries, and upper-back work performed without sacrificing shoulder position. A rope pull from a seated or standing position can introduce the pattern without putting someone high above the floor.
One useful progression is to practice a foot lock close to the ground, then controlled partial climbs, and only later full ascents with a qualified coach. Keep technique sessions away from maximal grip-fatigue workouts. When fatigue changes the way your hands close or your feet secure the rope, the set has already stopped being productive skill practice. Elite athletes may race those transitions; beginners should earn the right to make them fast.
Even advanced climbers can lose efficiency if they neglect the descent. A rushed slide can burn the hands or compromise the next ascent; a controlled lower uses more time but protects grip and skin. For an athlete, the right balance depends on the rules and skill level. For a beginner, safety is non-negotiable. Learning a rope climb is a gradual technical project, not a test of whether someone can tolerate pain.
The Overhead Squat Was a Position Test, Not Just a Leg Test
The overhead squat did not become lighter as the event progressed. Men faced 225 pounds and women 175 pounds in every round, for 30 total repetitions if they completed the course. The repetition count fell from 12 to nine to six to three, but fatigue from rope climbs and deadlifts continued to accumulate. A load that looks manageable for the first set can become a very different challenge once the shoulders, forearms and breathing are taxed.
An overhead squat combines a deep lower-body pattern with an overhead support position. It asks the ankles and hips for usable range of motion, the trunk to resist collapse, and the shoulders and upper back to keep the bar balanced over the athlete's base. The bar cannot simply be muscled forward when the torso tips; the lifter must stay coordinated from the feet through the hands. That is why athletes with impressive back-squat numbers can still struggle with a comparatively modest overhead load.
Horvath's event was notable for the composure she showed returning to the bar. Reports described her moving confidently through the overhead squats while several rivals broke their sets into smaller pieces. That observation supports a pacing lesson, not a claim that one particular training trick caused her victory. Athletes may divide repetitions because of strength, mobility, fatigue or a strategic choice to avoid a costly failed rep.
For everyday training, begin by checking whether a bodyweight squat and a light overhead reach can be performed without pain or a dramatic change in spinal position. A dowel, empty training bar or light plate can be enough to reveal the movement's coordination demands. Some people will need ankle mobility work, thoracic extension practice or shoulder-specific preparation; others may simply benefit from a more stable stance and a patient descent.
Do not force an overhead squat if shoulder pain, instability or limited mobility makes the position unsafe. A front squat, goblet squat or split squat can provide excellent leg training while the overhead pattern is developed separately. The competition rewards the rare athlete who can hold an elite load overhead under pressure. A sensible gym program rewards repeatable, technically sound reps that can be progressed over months.
The fixed overhead load is also a reminder that a movement's difficulty depends on the work surrounding it. A technically demanding lift performed after pulling and before deadlifting will feel different from the same lift at the beginning of a session. Coaches can use light combinations to expose those changes, but should not mistake wobbling or near misses for an essential training stimulus. Stability comes first, speed later.
The Deadlift Ladder Got Heavier as the Reps Fell
Pulling Power made its deadlift segment progressively heavier: the men's loads moved from 275 to 315, 385 and finally 405 pounds; the women's loads went from 195 to 225, 270 and 285 pounds. At the same time, each stage dropped from 12 to nine, six and three reps. That structure creates a different kind of pressure from doing four identical sets. Early rounds demand efficient repetition rhythm, while later rounds require heavier efforts after substantial work has already been completed.
Because athletes reached the final load only after repeated rope climbs and overhead squats, the heaviest barbell was not attempted in a fresh state. That matters for bracing. The deadlift depends on maintaining a stable trunk, controlling the bar path and coordinating hip and knee extension. When an athlete is breathing hard, rushing setup can cost more time than it saves if a rep is missed or a grip slips.
The sequence also explains why comparing the last 405-pound pull to a normal gym one-rep maximum misses the point. A gym max is usually attempted after a specific warmup with long rests. Here, the load was part of a mixed test that had already asked for 27 earlier deadlift reps, 27 overhead squats and nine rope climbs before the final stage began. The event tested the ability to reproduce strength under accumulated fatigue, not simply peak isolated strength.
Recreational athletes can borrow the structure without borrowing the loads. One option is a technique ladder of eight, six and four controlled hinge reps, with a modest increase in weight only if positions remain solid. Another is to keep the load fixed and reduce the reps while focusing on the same setup every time. Neither needs to be performed for speed. A few quality sets with adequate rest will serve most strength and muscle-building goals better than an improvised race against the clock.
Keep the hinge training specific to the goal. If maximal strength is the priority, heavy work generally belongs near the start of a session while concentration and force output are high. If conditioning is the priority, choose a much lighter load and stop when form deteriorates. Elite mixed-modality competition deliberately combines those demands; ordinary training should separate them often enough that both can improve.
When the bar becomes heavier, even the way a lifter approaches it can change. A consistent stance, a brief exhale before resetting the brace, and deliberate hand placement reduce wasted motion. If an athlete has to regrip after every rep, the clock keeps moving. In a noncompetitive gym, however, the right response is often to rest more rather than squeeze out a rushed repetition. Training and racing solve different problems.
Why Transitions and Judgment Decided the Margins
The difference between a good event score and a winning one is not always another ten pounds on the bar. Pulling Power required athletes to move from a rope station to an overhead squat, then to a deadlift, and repeat that cycle four times. Every transition involved decisions: when to chalk, how quickly to approach the bar, whether to break a set, and how to recover enough breath to execute the next skill safely. Small delays accumulate quickly when the entire winning performance lasts under ten minutes.
Malheiros separated himself in the men's final heat as the work became more demanding, finishing at 8:15.10. Ackermann's 8:25.00 from an earlier heat stood as the next-best time, while Magda finished third. Horvath and Migała pushed each other through the women's heat, with Horvath moving through the overhead-squat stations efficiently and Migała continuing to press on the ropes. The result was a clear event win for Horvath, but Migała still collected valuable points for second.
That is an important distinction in a multi-event competition. A competitor can win a workout and still trail another athlete in the overall standings. On the men's side, Dallin Pepper was fourth in Pulling Power at 8:52.33, while James Sprague was fifth at 8:56.91. The event contributed points to an already close race; it did not, by itself, settle the Invitational. Readers should avoid treating a dramatic single-workout result as the final championship table.
For training, practice transitions as a skill only after each component is safe and familiar. Set up two modest movements a short walk apart, complete technically clean sets, and observe how long it takes to regain a stable starting position. The goal is not to eliminate rest at any cost. It is to remove avoidable confusion: misplaced equipment, an unfamiliar grip, or a rushed first repetition that has to be repeated.
A simple training log can track three useful measures: completed reps, movement quality and the time spent recovering between stations. If transitions improve but technique worsens, that is not genuine progress. If the same workload becomes smoother at a similar perceived effort, that is a more meaningful sign of improved work capacity. Competition highlights speed; durable progress is built by managing effort intelligently.
It is tempting to interpret a result by assigning every second to a single cause. Without detailed split times, that would be speculation. The available reporting establishes finishing order and describes several visible battles, but it does not prove exactly how much time each athlete saved on a rope, squat or deadlift. The defensible takeaway is broader: repeated technical transitions under fatigue were central to the task, and athletes managed them with different degrees of success.
A Practical Three-Day Plan Inspired by Pulling Power
The most useful lesson from the Rogue event is not to copy its elite loads or 13-minute time cap. It is to organize training around three qualities that support each other: a reliable pull, a stable squat and a repeatable hinge. Most people can develop those qualities with two or three sessions per week, without rope climbs or an overhead squat loaded anywhere near competition weight.
Day one: pulling skill and grip. Begin with five to ten minutes of easy movement and shoulder preparation. Perform three sets of controlled rows for eight to twelve reps, then two or three sets of assisted pull-ups or pulldowns. Add two short farmer carries of roughly 20 to 40 metres, choosing a load that does not make posture collapse. If you have supervised rope access, practice low foot-lock drills while fresh rather than racing full climbs. Finish with easy mobility, not a maximal hang contest.
Day two: squat stability. Start with a goblet squat or front squat for three sets of six to ten quality reps. Use a manageable load and a depth you can control. Add split squats for two sets per leg and a light overhead-position drill only if the shoulders tolerate it. The purpose is to strengthen the legs while learning to brace and move smoothly. An empty-bar overhead squat is an optional technical exercise, not a mandatory benchmark for functional fitness.
Day three: hinge and conditioning. Perform three sets of five to eight Romanian deadlifts or conventional deadlifts at a submaximal load, resting long enough to keep technique consistent. Follow with three rounds of a short carry, a step-up or easy row, and a rest interval. Keep the conditioning portion conversational to moderately hard rather than all-out. Athletes with a solid base can progress the duration gradually; beginners should first complete every round with the same movement quality.
Over four weeks, add a repetition or a small amount of load when all sets feel controlled. Do not simultaneously increase weight, volume and speed. If a joint hurts or grip fails before the target muscles are challenged, adjust the movement instead of forcing the plan. A coached athlete might eventually combine all three patterns in a timed circuit, but there is no requirement to turn every workout into a competition simulation.
Pulling Power rewarded Horvath and Malheiros for bringing many skills together on demand. Your own version of success can be less dramatic and more repeatable: stronger rows, cleaner squats, safer hinges, better recovery and the confidence to move between them without losing technique. Those improvements are useful long after a leaderboard has been archived.
Use a simple readiness rule before advancing the plan: if you can perform every set with stable breathing, predictable positions and no unusual pain for two consecutive weeks, increase just one variable. If not, repeat the week or reduce the difficulty. Rest days can include walking and mobility rather than extra hard intervals. A well-designed routine should leave enough recovery to practice skills deliberately instead of arriving at each session already exhausted.
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