5 minute AMRAP
The Shock Absorber
Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Overview
The Shock Absorber is 10 jump squats and 12 plank knee-to-elbows. The work moves through the quads and the midline instead of sitting on one muscle.
Muscles worked
Midline
Quads
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 plank knee-to-elbows.
Intended stimulus
The style is built so a trunk position has to survive the moving reps. On this workout that is 10 jump squats and 12 plank knee-to-elbows.
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
12 plank knee-to-elbows is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
Forcefully compress the obliques. The knee must physically touch the triceps for the rep to count.
Keep each round about the same length. Do not drop the plank knee-to-elbows to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Jump Squats
You only need an inch of air to make it plyometric. Don't waste energy jumping for the ceiling.
What not to do. Landing with straight legs instead of absorbing the impact into a bend.
Plank Knee-to-Elbows
Keep hips completely level to avoid shifting the workload to the hip flexors.
What not to do. Dropping the hip toward the floor to help the knee travel.
Why these movements
The work moves through the quads 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.
Jump Squats
- 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.
Plank Knee-to-Elbows
- From the knees. Knees down, straight line from knees to shoulders.
- Hands elevated. Hands on a bench or step. The higher the surface, the less you carry.
Mistakes and who it is for
- Opening the jump squats at a sprint makes the plank knee-to-elbows the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting the plank knee-to-elbows shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes through Jump Squats, Plank Knee-to-Elbows.
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
- Core Suspension
Same quads and midline, longer clock
- Static Lock
Same quads and midline, longer clock
- The Iron Cross
Same quads and midline, longer clock
Run it with friends
The Shock Absorber runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.