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- Get Your Heart Racing With This Silent but Sweaty, No-Equipment AMRAP Workout
Get Your Heart Racing With This Silent but Sweaty, No-Equipment AMRAP Workout
by
maggie ryan
Getty / mihailomilovanovic
Let us introduce you to your new favorite acronym: AMRAP, aka “as many reps as possible.” AMRAP workouts are a subset of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is known for its fat-burning, cardiovascular, and endurance-building benefits – and its efficiency. You go as hard and as fast as you can during the “on” interval, rest during the “off” interval, and repeat – a structure that’s meant to push you to your limit and then past it.
You might be picturing tons of burpees, tuck jumps, squat jumps, maybe even a sprint or two, and all those moves are fair game in an AMRAP workout. But the AMRAP structure also lends itself well to lower-impact bodyweight moves; if you’re going as hard as you can, your heart will be racing even when you’re not jumping and sprinting. That’s what makes this 18-minute no-equipment AMRAP workout created by NASM-certified personal trainer and Memphis 901 FC performance coach Chris Collins so great: all the moves are low-impact and quiet.
“Following this format makes for a tough and effective workout that allows one to enhance strength and cardio endurance by just using bodyweight,” Collins told POPSUGAR. You can do this cardio-strength workout anywhere, including in small apartments with neighbors on all sides, and still improve your endurance, challenge your strength, and get your heart pumping. It’s a routine that will “get your heart rate up without disturbing the peace,” Collins said.
Enticed? Check out the full workout below, and keep reading for instructions on how to do each move.
Related: I Tried These Trainer Tips For a Longer Plank and Added Minutes to My Time After 1 Week
18-Minute No-Equipment AMRAP Workout
Equipment needed: A mat or a comfortable area on the floor to work out on.
Directions: Before the workout, warm up with five minutes of cardio (like jogging or jump rope) followed by dynamic stretches and foam rolling. This workout will be performed in two trisets, which are sets of three exercises performed with little to no rest. For each move, complete as many reps as you can for 30 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. Ideally, you’ll take no rest in between exercises, but it’s fine to take a short break or grab water if you need. Once you finish the triset, take a 90-second rest. Complete three rounds of the first triset followed by three rounds of the second, then cool down with more foam rolling and static stretching.
| Triset 1: 3 Rounds | Time |
|---|---|
| Superman | 30 seconds |
| Sit-up | 30 seconds |
| Knee tuck | 30 seconds |
| Rest | 90 seconds |
| Triset 2: 3 Rounds | Time |
| Walking lunge | 30 seconds |
| Push-up | 30 seconds |
| Air squat | 30 seconds |
| Rest | 90 seconds |
Related: Sweat and Sing Along to This 20-Minute Disney Workout That Combines HIIT and Dance
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Triset 1, Exercise 1: Superman
- Lie face down on your stomach with arms and legs extended. Keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Keeping your arms and legs straight (but not locked) and torso stationary, simultaneously lift your arms and legs up toward the ceiling to form an elongated “u” shape with your body – back arches and arms and legs lift several inches off the floor.
- Hold for two to five seconds, and lower back down.
- This completes one rep. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
POPSUGAR Photography / Maria del Rio
Triset 1, Exercise 2: Sit-Up
- Lie on your back with bent knees and feet flat on the ground, and place your hands on opposite shoulders.
- Keeping your heels on the ground and your toes flat to the ground, engage your abdominal muscles and gently lift your head first, followed by your shoulder blades, coming into a full sit-up position.
- Hold the position for a second, and with control, come slowly back down to lying on your back.
- This completes one rep. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
POPSUGAR Photography / Tamara Pridgett
Triset 1, Exercise 3: Knee Tuck
- Start seated on the ground or on a weight bench. Place your hands about an inch behind your back with your fingers facing forward. Your feet should be on the ground.
- Lift both feet up off of the ground and extend both legs as you simultaneously lower your upper body. Be sure to get full extension at your hips and legs.
- With control, bring your legs back to your chest without touching the ground with your feet, and return to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
- For a more challenging variation, do this move lying flat on your back. Make sure your lower spine is pressed against the floor to fully engage your core.
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Triset 2, Exercise 1: Walking Lunge
- Stand upright, feet together, and take a controlled step forward with your right leg, lowering your hips toward the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. Your back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle.
- Press your right heel into the ground, and push off with your left foot to bring your left leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side.
- This completes one rep. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
- If you don’t have enough room for walking lunges, try the alternating reverse lunge instead.
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Triset 2, Exercise 2: Push-Up
- Come into plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
- Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten your arms.
- This counts as one rep. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
- You can modify this exercise by placing your knees on the floor.
POPSUGAR Photography / Kyle Hartman
Triset 2, Exercise 3: Air Squat
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, feet parallel or toes slightly turned out.
- Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply. Bring your thighs parallel to the floor, and bend your elbows, keeping weight back in your heels.
- Rise back up, straightening your legs completely, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
- This counts as one rep. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds.