15 minute AMRAP
The Scapular Axis
Local muscle burn · Localized Trap · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
Overview
The Scapular Axis is 20 fast air squats, 12 back widow, and 15 strict sit-ups. The fast air squats and the back widow trade the quads and the upper back.
Muscles worked
Midline
Quads
Upper back
Energy systems
These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.
- Glycolytic: Moderate
- Oxidative: Moderate
- Neuromuscular: High
Training effect
Immediate demand
15 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the fast air squats.
Intended stimulus
The round spreads the work across more than one region. On this workout that is 20 fast air squats, 12 back widow, and 15 strict sit-ups.
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 fast air squats is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Legs, posterior press, anterior flexion — keep shifting planes. Punch the floor on the widows; roll up one vertebra at a time on the sit-ups.
Keep the later rounds moving at the same size as the early ones. Do not drop the fast air squats to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Fast Air Squats
Speed often ruins depth. The moment your squats become "half-squats," your round time is invalid.
What not to do. Trading depth for turnover, so the reps get quicker and shallower together.
Back Widow
Do not turn this into a core crunch. Your lower back and glutes must stay anchored to the floor. The only reason your torso lifts is because your lats and rhomboids are pressing the earth away.
What not to do. Turning the lift into a crunch so the lower back and hips leave the floor.
Strict Sit-Ups
Do not throw your arms forward to generate momentum; force the core to pull the weight.
What not to do. Anchoring the feet under something to pull yourself up.
Why these movements
The fast air squats and the back widow trade the quads and the upper back.
Scaling
Keep every movement in the round. Drop reps on the hardest piece before you drop a movement.
Fast Air Squats
- To a seat. Squat to a chair or box and stand back up. Lower the seat as you improve.
- Hold a support. Hands on a doorframe or chair back to sit deeper than balance allows alone.
- Shorter range. Go only as deep as you can control, and stop before the heels lift.
Back Widow
- Shorter lift. Drive into the floor but only lift as high as you can control without the hips or neck cheating.
- Hold the squeeze. Reach the top and freeze for a count instead of cycling reps. Same drive, less fatigue management.
Strict Sit-Ups
- 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.
Mistakes and who it is for
- Opening the fast air squats at a sprint makes the fast air squats 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 Fast Air Squats, Back Widow, Strict Sit-Ups.
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 Cross-Draft
Same quads and upper back, longer clock
- The Suspended Scapula
Same quads and upper back, longer clock
- Atmosphere
Same quads and upper back, longer clock
Run it with friends
The Scapular Axis runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 15-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.