20 minute AMRAP
The Vanguard
Full-body sequence · 4-Point Cascade · intensity 4 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
- 15 Combat Sprawls
- 15 Glute Bridges
- 20 Skater Jumps
- 10 Dead Bugs
Overview
The Vanguard is 15 combat sprawls, 15 glute bridges, 20 skater jumps, and 10 dead bugs. The work moves through the full body, the glutes, the quads, and the midline 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: Low
- Oxidative: High
- Neuromuscular: Moderate
Training effect
Immediate demand
20 minutes, intensity 4 of 5. Today the limiter is the skater jumps.
Intended stimulus
The style is built so the effort moves through four positions instead of sitting on one. On this workout that is 15 combat sprawls, 15 glute bridges, 20 skater jumps, and 10 dead bugs.
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
A heavy tax on the posterior chain. Use the skater jumps to flush the lactic acid from the glutes.
Keep the later rounds moving at the same size as the early ones. Do not drop the skater jumps to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Combat Sprawls
You must land with your entire foot completely flat on the mat when returning from the plank. Landing on your toes in this wide stance places severe shearing force on the knee capsule and kills your ability to rebound.
What not to do. Landing the feet inside the hands, leaving no room to lift the chest.
Glute Bridges
Keep your toes slightly elevated off the floor to force the drive exclusively through your heels and hamstrings.
What not to do. Driving through the toes rather than the heels, which brings the quads in.
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.
Dead Bugs
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.
Why these movements
The work moves through the full body, the glutes, the quads, and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Scaling
Keep the four-movement order. Drop reps across the round so the sequence still visits each position.
Combat 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.
Glute Bridges
- 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.
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.
Dead Bugs
- 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 combat sprawls 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.
- Spending the first minutes hard leaves the later rounds as a different, slower workout.
Suited to someone who wants 20 minutes through Combat Sprawls, Glute Bridges, Skater Jumps, Dead Bugs.
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
The Vanguard runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 20-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.