SLIDE 23 AMRAP Workout AMRAP stands for As Many Reps/Rounds as Possible, that is, given a specific time period. Often lasting 10, 20, or 30 minutes (though it’ll feel a LOT longer) AMRAP workouts challenge athletes to complete as many rounds of a series of movements in the allotted time. Just be careful not to lose count…
- 1. It Works for Any Fitness Level
The time that it takes to perform 12 pushups varies greatly from one individual to the next. Let's look at this example: One woman may press out a certain number in 10 seconds, while it may take another up to 30 or more seconds to do the same amount. That's a big difference in time, which may show variances in progress. Now take that same exercise and ask each woman to perform as many repetitions as possible (in a controlled manner) for 30 or 40 seconds. The first woman's repetition count would increase, forcing her muscles to work harder and challenging her at her own fitness level. The second woman, even though she is working at slower pace, is keeping her body under constant stress as well, working her muscles just as hard for her abilities.
- 2. It Puts the Focus on Form
It is important that your body learns proper form with any exercise. Whether you are a beginner or have been training for a long period of time, progress and safety happen from form. Take a newbie, for example. This individual will gain progress from implementing each exercise in a controlled manner. When asking a beginner to perform an exercise for a designated amount of repetitions, their concentration on performing all of those reps may supersede the importance of completing the exercise properly. Unfortunately this happens a lot, and it can lead to a great deal
- f bad habits that carry on negatively later as someone continues training. Keeping good form
can happen easily with time-based exercises.
- 3. It Instills Confidence, Which Keeps You Motivated
Being competitive with yourself when you exercise motivates you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. When you run a faster mile and have done more burpees than you thought possible, it should be celebrated and applauded to instill confidence. The belief is that we never celebrate ourselves enough, and even our smallest victories should not get overshadowed. Training for time has a way of making you better. Think about this: How many times have you attempted to perform 12 reps and come up short by even just one? That one number off can result in a feeling of failure. Performing an exercise with 30 seconds to complete as many repetitions as you can not only sets a benchmark you can keep track of, but it can provide you with a sense of saying to yourself, "Hey, I can do this" or "I did 25...Wow!" That little piece of positivity is what can help to keep an individual consistent with their fitness program and gain a stronger sense of confidence within themselves.