AMRAP With Friends

20 minute AMRAP

The Slow Burn

Steady engine · Aerobic Matrix · intensity 2 of 5

The workout

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

Overview

The Slow Burn is 10 pike push-ups, 15 dead bugs, 20 jump squats, and 30 butt kicks. The jump squats and the pike push-ups trade the quads and the shoulders. 30 butt kicks is the long piece, and it keeps the legs in the work, so the quads do not get a rest before the next round.

Muscles worked

Energy systems

These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.

  • Glycolytic: Low
  • Oxidative: High
  • Neuromuscular: Low

Training effect

Immediate demand

20 minutes, intensity 2 of 5. Today the limiter is the butt kicks.

Intended stimulus

The style is built so four movements keep you moving for the full clock. On this workout that is 10 pike push-ups, 15 dead bugs, 20 jump squats, and 30 butt kicks.

Repeated practice

Repeat the same workout and compare the score. What can change over weeks is how long that pace lasts. One time through does not produce that change.

Body-composition context

Body weight changes with the rest of how you eat and train. This workout is one piece of work on one day.

Expected feel

30 butt kicks is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.

Pacing

The dead bugs force the heart rate down; the jump squats violently spike it back up.

Keep the later rounds moving at the same size as the early ones. Do not drop the butt kicks to keep the other sets moving.

The movements

Pike Push-ups

Keep your legs straight. If your hamstrings are tight, widen your foot stance to maintain the high hip position.

What not to do. Walking the feet out until the hips drop and it becomes an ordinary push-up.

Dead Bugs

Speed is your enemy here. Move deliberately to maximize time under tension.

What not to do. Letting the extended arm and leg drop fast rather than lowering slowly.

Jump Squats

You only need an inch of air to make it plyometric. Don't waste energy jumping for the ceiling.

What not to do. Landing with straight legs instead of absorbing the impact into a bend.

Butt Kicks

Lean slightly forward from the ankles (not the waist) to maintain an aggressive, forward-driving posture even while stationary.

What not to do. Kicking the heels out behind rather than straight up to the glutes.

Why these movements

The jump squats and the pike push-ups trade the quads and the shoulders. 30 butt kicks is the long piece, and it keeps the legs in the work, so the quads do not get a rest before the next round.

Scaling

Keep all four movements in the round. Drop reps so the round stays continuous.

Pike Push-ups

  • Hands elevated. Hands on a bench, chair or step. The higher the surface, the easier the rep.
  • From the knees. Knees down, hips in line with the shoulders — do not let the hips pike up.
  • Partial range. Lower as far as you can control and press back. Depth grows as you do.

Dead Bugs

  • Knees bent. Bend the knees to shorten the lever. The shorter it is, the lighter it is.
  • Partial range. Move only through the range where you can keep the lower back on the floor.

Jump Squats

  • Step instead of jump. Same pattern, same range, no flight. Keeps the pace without the landing.
  • Lower and slower. Keep the jump but cut the height and take the landing softly.

Butt Kicks

  • Low impact. Keep one foot down throughout — march the pattern instead of running it.
  • Slower cadence. Same movement, fewer beats per minute. Cadence is the dial, not the shape.

Mistakes and who it is for

  • Opening the pike push-ups at a sprint makes the butt kicks the piece that falls apart.
  • Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
  • Spending the first minutes hard leaves the later rounds as a different, slower workout.

Suited to someone who wants 20 minutes through Pike Push-ups, Dead Bugs, Jump Squats, Butt Kicks.

Scoring and progression

Work through the movements in the order listed, then start the next round. Your score is the number of complete rounds plus any reps of the round you were partway through when the clock hit zero — written as rounds plus reps, so seven full rounds and twelve reps is7+12.

Progression is repeating this workout and comparing that score. The page does not promise a change from one time through.

Related workouts

Run it with friends

The Slow Burn runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 20-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.

Start this workoutMore 20 minute AMRAPs