5 minute AMRAP
The Tornado
Core under fatigue · Midline Tension · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Overview
The Tornado is 15 jumping jacks and 20 bicycle crunches. 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 bicycle crunches.
Intended stimulus
The style is built so a trunk position has to survive the moving reps. On this workout that is 15 jumping jacks and 20 bicycle crunches.
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
20 bicycle crunches is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.
Pacing
A deceptive trap. Keep the elbows wide and rotate from the sternum, not the neck.
Keep each round about the same length. Do not drop the bicycle crunches to keep the other sets moving.
The movements
Jumping Jacks
Use this movement for active recovery. When paired with burpees or mountain climbers, the jumping jack is your opportunity to catch your breath.
What not to do. Bending the elbows so the hands never meet overhead.
Bicycle Crunches
Keep elbows pinned wide; pulling on the back of your head is a fake rep.
What not to do. Pulling on the back of the head to bring the elbow across.
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.
Jumping Jacks
- 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.
Bicycle Crunches
- 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 jumping jacks at a sprint makes the bicycle crunches the piece that falls apart.
- Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
- Letting the bicycle crunches shrink so the rest of the round can speed up changes the workout on the page.
Suited to someone who wants 5 minutes through Jumping Jacks, Bicycle Crunches.
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 Tornado runs on a shared countdown: share a rally link, everyone gets the same 5-minute clock, and the leaderboard updates as people log rounds.