5 minute AMRAP
The Folding Knife
Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
- 10 Sprawls
- 10 V-Ups
Overview
The Folding Knife is 10 sprawls and 10 v-ups. The work moves through the full body and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Muscles worked
Full body
Midline
V-Ups
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
5 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the sets being the same size.
Intended stimulus
The style is built so a trunk position has to survive the moving reps. On this workout that is 10 sprawls and 10 v-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
The sets are the same size. The round gets hard when one of them breaks.
Pacing
Explosive hip extension immediately into extreme hip flexion. Keep the legs locked straight on the V-ups.
Keep each round about the same length. Do not drop the sprawls to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Sprawls
Keep a wide stance. Landing with your feet outside your hands reduces the distance your hips have to travel and speeds up the transition to standing.
What not to do. Landing the plank with the hips high instead of level with the shoulders.
V-Ups
If you bend your knees to reach your toes, you are cheating the lower abdominals.
What not to do. Bending the knees to bring the feet closer to the hands.
Why these movements
The work moves through the full body and the midline 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.
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.
V-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 sprawls at a sprint makes the sprawls the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting the sprawls shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes through Sprawls, V-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
- Tension Grid
Same midline, longer clock
- Active Sonar
Same midline, longer clock
- High Tide
Same midline, longer clock
Run it with friends
The Folding Knife runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.