Workout of the week: 11-minute AMRAP cardio workout

ALL LEVELS / AMRAP cardio workout / 11 minutes

Equipment: Stopwatch & gym mat

The long-awaited summer days are finally here. Beaches and swimming pools, barbecues and parties, cocktails and friends leave you with little to no time to think about exercising, not alone hitting the gym. Yet, there’s a strong case for going to the gym this season. Plus, we found the perfect way to squeeze in an effective training session in your tight summer schedule: HIIT workouts with no equipment (that way, you can do it anywhere!). HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and, due to its short duration, is perfect for a quick summer session.

That was the rationale behind this AMRAP cardio workout. In case you don’t know, an AMRAP (As Many Reps or Rounds As Possible) is a type of HIIT that involves doing as many rounds or repetitions of an exercise as possible during a set amount of time without resting. In today’s case, we’re going for rounds.

This workout has 2 AMRAPs to perform sequentially: only after finishing the first AMRAP do you move on to the second. Each AMRAP has 3 exercises with a predefined number of reps. Your goal is to do as many reps as possible within 5 minutes. Then, you’ll get 1 minute to rest between each, making this AMRAP cardio workout only 11 minutes long. Perfect for summer!

1st AMRAP

Jumping jacks – 20 reps
Side to side – 30 reps
Mountain Climbers – 40 reps

2nd AMRAP

Burpees – 10 reps
Butt kicks – 100 reps
Squat jumps – 10 reps

Ready? Let’s sweat this AMRAP out!

WORKOUT SETUP

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
2 groups with 3 exercises each
5 minutes each group
1-minute rest between rounds
11 minutes
Equipment: Stopwatch & gym mat

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

EVO nurtures natural movement and our workouts, such as this one, usually require little to no equipment and minimal training space, making it easy to perform them everywhere.

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

1st AMRAP

5 minutes, as many rounds as possible

1 – JUMPING JACKS

20 reps

Start in a standing position with arms by your sides. Engage the core slightly and set the shoulders, ready for movement.
Keeping arms and legs straight (but not locked out) simultaneously jump the legs out to the sides and raise the arms to shoulder height. Stabilise the hips, core and shoulder girdle.
Return to start and continue at a controlled rhythmic pace for 30 seconds.

2 – SIDE TO SIDE

30 reps

Start with your legs more than hip-distance apart, with your core tight and a soft bend in the knees.
Sit back into your hips and gently hop sideways to the left with your left leg leading.
Reach your right hand towards your left leg and touch the floor. This is one rep.
Use your core and upper legs to bring yourself back up and hop sideways to the right, reaching your left hand toward your right foot.
Increase your speed to intensify that cardio power.

3 – MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

40 reps

Start with your hands on the floor at shoulder-width, with arms extended.
The hands must be aligned with your chest line.
Try to maintain your trunk straight while you pull your knee to the projected chest line on the floor.
Alternate pulling your knees to the projected chest line.
Make sure you’re standing on your hands with a tight core.

2nd AMRAP

5 minutes, as many rounds as possible

1 – BURPEES

10 reps

Start in a standing position and engage the core.
Begin the movement by quickly bending down, reaching the hands towards the floor in front of the feet.
As you do this, simultaneously jump, bring your legs back and land on the floor in a push-up position.
Perform a push-up and, on the way up, drive the hips up rapidly and jump into a squat position.
Return to upright and repeat.

2 – BUTT KICKS

100 reps

Run on the spot and pull the heel to your butt.
Aim to keep the hamstrings as relaxed as possible – that will maximize the efficiency of this exercise.
Keep your core tight during the whole movement, and always look straight ahead.
Maintain a quick tempo.

3 – SQUAT JUMPS

10 reps

Find some space and stand with feet hip-width apart. Engage the core and set the shoulders slightly, ready for movement.
Quickly bend the knees and hips (to about a ¼ squat position) as you move the arms backwards. Keep the knees over the toes throughout this part.
As soon as you hit the lowest spot, rapidly extend the hips and drive the arms up to straighten the body and perform a small jump.
Keep the core tight and remain balanced as you land, allowing the knees and hips to bend slightly to absorb the force.
Reset the body and repeat.