AMRAP With Friends

15 minute AMRAP

Dead Stop

Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5

The workout

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

Overview

Dead Stop is 20 slow dead bugs, 10 down-ups, and 30 jumping jacks. The work moves through the midline and the full body instead of sitting on one muscle.

Muscles worked

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

15 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the jumping jacks.

Intended stimulus

The style is built so a trunk position has to survive the moving reps. On this workout that is 20 slow dead bugs, 10 down-ups, and 30 jumping jacks.

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 jumping jacks is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.

Pacing

The slower you move on the dead bugs, the harder they become. Pin your ribcage to the mat.

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

The movements

Dead Bugs (Slow)

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.

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.

Jumping Jacks

Use this movement for active recovery. When paired with burpees or mountain climbers, the jumping jack is your opportunity to catch your breath.

What not to do. Bending the elbows so the hands never meet overhead.

Why these movements

The work moves through the midline and the full body 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.

Dead Bugs (Slow)

  • 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.

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.

Jumping Jacks

  • 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 slow dead bugs at a sprint makes the jumping jacks 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 15 minutes through Dead Bugs (Slow), Down-Ups, Jumping Jacks.

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

Dead Stop runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 15-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.

Start this workoutMore 15 minute AMRAPs