10 minute AMRAP
Steady State
Cardio capacity · Engine Room · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
- 12 Sprawls
- 24 Mountain Climbers
Overview
Steady State is 12 sprawls and 24 mountain climbers. The work moves through the full body and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Muscles worked
Full body
Midline
Energy systems
These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.
- Glycolytic: Moderate
- Oxidative: High
- Neuromuscular: Low
Training effect
Immediate demand
10 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is 24 mountain climbers.
Intended stimulus
The same capacity work, with movements you can repeat for the whole clock. On this workout that is 12 sprawls and 24 mountain climbers.
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
24 mountain climbers is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Keep the hips low. Lock the plank instantly when kicking back.
24 mountain climbers is where the round gets long. That set is where a planned break belongs. If that set falls apart, shorten the sprawls on the next round rather than rushing it.
The movements
Sprawls
Keep a wide stance. Landing with your feet outside your hands reduces the distance your hips have to travel and speeds up the transition to standing.
What not to do. Landing the plank with the hips high instead of level with the shoulders.
Mountain Climbers
Keep your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists. If you drift backward, you lose leverage and the movement slows down completely.
What not to do. Landing the driving foot short, so the knee never gets near the chest.
Why these movements
The work moves through the full body and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Scaling
Keep the round short enough to repeat. Drop reps so you can stay moving, rather than resting the round into a different workout.
Sprawls
- Step the feet. Step back and step in instead of jumping. Same shape, no impact.
- Hands elevated. Hands on a bench or step so the floor never comes all the way up to you.
- No jump at the top. Stand tall and reach instead of leaving the floor.
Mountain Climbers
- 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 sprawls at a sprint makes the mountain climbers the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting 24 mountain climbers fail before you break it is how the next round gets longer.
Suited to someone who wants 10 minutes through Sprawls, Mountain Climbers.
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
- The Cruiser
Same midline, longer clock
- The Escalator
Same midline, shorter clock
- Core Melt
Same midline, shorter clock
Run it with friends
Steady State runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 10-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.