10 minute AMRAP
The Stabilizer
Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
Overview
The Stabilizer is 16 alternating bird-dogs, 16 reverse lunges, and 20 skater jumps. The work moves through the midline and the quads instead of sitting on one muscle.
Muscles worked
Full body
Glutes
Midline
Quads
Energy systems
These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.
- Glycolytic: Moderate
- Oxidative: Moderate
- Neuromuscular: Moderate
Training effect
Immediate demand
10 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the skater jumps.
Intended stimulus
The style is built so a trunk position has to survive the moving reps. On this workout that is 16 alternating bird-dogs, 16 reverse lunges, and 20 skater jumps.
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 skater jumps is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Pure balance and structural alignment. Do not rush the bird-dogs; reach long.
Keep each round about the same length. Do not drop the skater jumps to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Alternating Bird-Dogs
Reach long, not high. Hyperextending the back to get your leg higher defeats the core stabilization purpose entirely.
What not to do. Lifting the arm and leg above the line of the back, which arches the spine.
Reverse Lunges
Keep your torso completely upright. Leaning forward shifts the load to the lower back and robs the quads of the intended tension.
What not to do. Stepping back too short, which forces the front shin to angle over the toe.
Skater Jumps
Keep the chest up. Looking down at the floor rounds the back and cuts off your airway.
What not to do. Bounding forward instead of laterally, so the hips never load sideways.
Why these movements
The work moves through the midline and the quads instead of sitting on one muscle.
Scaling
Keep a brace or a hollow position in every round. Drop the moving reps before you drop the position that makes the trunk work.
Alternating Bird-Dogs
- Shorter range. Lift only as high as you can hold the position without arching the back.
- Both legs. Drive through both feet instead of one.
Reverse Lunges
- Hold a support. One hand on a wall or chair for balance. The legs still do the work.
- Shorter range. Drop only as far as you can stand back up from without pushing off your hands.
Skater Jumps
- 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.
Mistakes and who it is for
- Opening the alternating bird-dogs at a sprint makes the skater jumps the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting the skater jumps shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 10 minutes through Alternating Bird-Dogs, Reverse Lunges, Skater Jumps.
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
- Iron Spine
Same midline and quads, longer clock
- Static Equilibrium
Same midline and quads, longer clock
- The Brace
Same midline and quads, longer clock
Run it with friends
The Stabilizer runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 10-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.