5 minute AMRAP
The Scissors
Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
- 20 High Knees
- 20 Flutter Kicks
Overview
The Scissors is 20 high knees and 20 flutter kicks. The work moves through the full body and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Muscles worked
Full body
Midline
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 20 high knees and 20 flutter kicks.
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
Lightning-fast transitions. Keep the chin tucked during the flutter kicks to deeply engage the upper abdominals.
Keep each round about the same length. Do not drop the high knees to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
High Knees
Land lightly on the balls of your feet. If you are stomping flat-footed, you are destroying your momentum and your knees.
What not to do. Leaning back to swing the knees higher instead of keeping the torso stacked.
Flutter Kicks
Tuck your chin firmly to your chest to lock down the upper abdominals and protect the neck.
What not to do. Letting the heels touch down at the bottom of each kick.
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.
High Knees
- 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.
Flutter Kicks
- 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 high knees at a sprint makes the high knees the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting the high knees shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes through High Knees, Flutter Kicks.
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 Scissors runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.