5 minute AMRAP
The Metronome
Upper-lower switch · Blood Shunt · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Overview
The Metronome is 15 fast air squats and 10 t-push-ups. The fast air squats and the t-push-ups trade the quads and the chest.
Muscles worked
Energy systems
These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.
- Glycolytic: High
- Oxidative: Low
- Neuromuscular: Moderate
Training effect
Immediate demand
5 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the fast air squats.
Intended stimulus
The style is built to switch the upper body and the lower body inside one round. On this workout that is 15 fast air squats and 10 t-push-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
15 fast air squats is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Focuses on rotational stability under heavy cardiovascular duress.
The clock is short enough to start near the pace you can hold. Do not spend the first minute looking for a rhythm, and do not let the fast air squats be the set that collapses.
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.
T-Push-ups (Rotate & Reach)
Widen your foot stance slightly to provide a more stable base during the rotational phase.
What not to do. Rotating from the arm alone while the hips stay flat to the floor.
Why these movements
The fast air squats and the t-push-ups trade the quads and the chest.
Scaling
Keep an upper-body movement and a lower-body movement in the same round. Drop reps on both before you drop one of them.
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.
T-Push-ups (Rotate & Reach)
- Hands elevated. Hands on a bench, chair or step. The higher the surface, the easier the rep.
- From the knees. Knees down, hips in line with the shoulders — do not let the hips pike up.
- Partial range. Lower as far as you can control and press back. Depth grows as you do.
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.
- Letting the fast air squats shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes through Fast Air Squats, T-Push-ups (Rotate & Reach).
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
- Pressure Cooker
Same quads and chest, longer clock
- The Centrifuge
Same quads and chest, longer clock
- The Valve
Same quads and chest, longer clock
Run it with friends
The Metronome runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.