AMRAP Workout

15 minute AMRAP

The Piston Grind

Upper-lower switch · Blood Shunt · intensity 3 of 5

The workout

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

Overview

The Piston Grind is 20 glute bridges, 10 dive-bomber push-ups, and 30 mountain climbers. The glute bridges and the dive-bomber push-ups trade the glutes and the chest. 30 mountain climbers is the long piece, and it keeps the legs in the work, so the glutes do not get a rest before the next round.

Muscles worked

Energy systems

These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.

  • Glycolytic: Moderate
  • Oxidative: High
  • Neuromuscular: Moderate

Training effect

Immediate demand

15 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the mountain climbers.

Intended stimulus

The same upper-lower switch, held long enough that the work keeps moving while the heart rate stays up. On this workout that is 20 glute bridges, 10 dive-bomber push-ups, and 30 mountain climbers.

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

30 mountain climbers is where the round gets hard. The other movements still have to be finished after it.

Pacing

Slow, heavy tension on the floor before a rapid core flush.

Keep the later rounds moving at the same size as the early ones. Do not drop the mountain climbers to keep the other sets moving.

The movements

Glute Bridges

Keep your toes slightly elevated off the floor to force the drive exclusively through your heels and hamstrings.

What not to do. Driving through the toes rather than the heels, which brings the quads in.

Dive-Bomber Push-ups

This is a slow, tension-heavy movement. Focus on continuous, unbroken motion rather than speed.

What not to do. Skipping the return swoop and pressing straight back to the start.

Mountain Climbers

Keep your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists. If you drift backward, you lose leverage and the movement slows down completely.

What not to do. Landing the driving foot short, so the knee never gets near the chest.

Why these movements

The glute bridges and the dive-bomber push-ups trade the glutes and the chest. 30 mountain climbers is the long piece, and it keeps the legs in the work, so the glutes do not get a rest before the next round.

Scaling

Keep an upper-body movement and a lower-body movement in the same round. Drop reps on both before you drop one of them.

Glute Bridges

  • Shorter range. Lift only as high as you can hold the position without arching the back.
  • Both legs. Drive through both feet instead of one.

Dive-Bomber Push-ups

  • Hands elevated. Hands on a bench, chair or step. The higher the surface, the easier the rep.
  • From the knees. Knees down, hips in line with the shoulders — do not let the hips pike up.
  • Partial range. Lower as far as you can control and press back. Depth grows as you do.

Mountain Climbers

  • 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.

Mistakes and who it is for

  • Opening the glute bridges at a sprint makes the mountain climbers the piece that falls apart.
  • Resting until you feel fresh between movements removes the point of keeping them in one round.
  • Spending the first minutes hard leaves the later rounds as a different, slower workout.

Suited to someone who wants 15 minutes through Glute Bridges, Dive-Bomber Push-ups, Mountain Climbers.

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

Track every round. Sync with friends when you want to.

The Piston Grind is a 15-minute clock with rounds and splits for you. Share a rally link when other people join, and the leaderboard updates as they log rounds.

Start this workoutMore 15 minute AMRAPs