10 minute AMRAP
The Oscillator
Cardio capacity · Engine Room · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
- 10 Down-Ups
- 20 High Knees
Overview
The Oscillator is 10 down-ups and 20 high knees. The round is 10 down-ups, so that piece is the whole clock.
Muscles worked
Full body
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 20 high knees.
Intended stimulus
The same capacity work, with movements you can repeat for the whole clock. On this workout that is 10 down-ups and 20 high knees.
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
20 high knees is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Explode on the knees, but pace the down-ups to avoid central nervous system burnout.
20 high knees is where the round gets long. That set is where a planned break belongs. If that set falls apart, shorten the down-ups on the next round rather than rushing it.
The movements
Down-Ups
This movement is all about hip-hinge efficiency. Minimize the time spent with your hands on the floor.
What not to do. Popping the chest up before the hips, so the body peels off the floor in sections.
High Knees
Land lightly on the balls of your feet. If you are stomping flat-footed, you are destroying your momentum and your knees.
What not to do. Leaning back to swing the knees higher instead of keeping the torso stacked.
Why these movements
The round is 10 down-ups, so that piece is the whole clock.
Scaling
Keep the round short enough to repeat. Drop reps so you can stay moving, rather than resting the round into a different workout.
Down-Ups
- 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.
High Knees
- 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 down-ups at a sprint makes the high knees the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting 20 high knees fail before you break it is how the next round gets longer.
Suited to someone who wants 10 minutes through Down-Ups, High Knees.
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
- Systemic Flush
Similar movement pattern
- The Cruiser
Similar movement pattern
- The Escalator
Similar movement pattern
Run it with friends
The Oscillator runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 10-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.