5 minute AMRAP
The Sidewinder
Local muscle burn · Localized Trap · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Overview
The Sidewinder is 10 side plank dips on the left and 10 side plank dips on the right. Every piece stays on the obliques. Later rounds slow because the work never leaves the obliques.
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 sets being the same size.
Intended stimulus
The style is built to tire one region before breathing is what stops the round. On this workout that is 10 side plank dips on the left and 10 side plank dips on the right.
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
Later rounds slow because the work never leaves the obliques.
Pacing
Stack the feet and drop the hip fully to the floor. No flopping. Control the descent.
Build across the clock. Do not open the side plank dips on the left so hard that the later sets shrink. Do not rest the obliques back to fresh between rounds.
The movements
Side Plank Dips (Left)
Do not let the top shoulder roll forward toward the floor. Keep the chest completely open to keep the tension locked entirely on the obliques.
What not to do. Bouncing the hip off the floor to start the next rep.
Side Plank Dips (Right)
Do not let the top shoulder roll forward toward the floor. Keep the chest completely open to keep the tension locked entirely on the obliques.
What not to do. Bouncing the hip off the floor to start the next rep.
Why these movements
Every piece stays on the obliques. Later rounds slow because the work never leaves the obliques.
Scaling
Keep the work on the same muscle region. Drop reps on the hardest movement before you swap in a different pattern.
Side Plank Dips (Left)
- 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.
Side Plank Dips (Right)
- 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 side plank dips on the left at a sprint makes the side plank dips on the left the piece that falls apart.
- Resting the obliques back to fresh between rounds turns this into a different workout.
- Letting the side plank dips on the left shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes on the obliques and can already do Side Plank Dips (Left), Side Plank Dips (Right).
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
- The Anchor
Same obliques, longer clock
- The Pillar
Same obliques, longer clock
- The Iron Pendulum
Same obliques, same clock
Run it with friends
The Sidewinder runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.