5 minute AMRAP
The Acid Bath
Local muscle burn · Localized Trap · intensity 3 of 5
The workout
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Overview
The Acid Bath is 8 jump squats, 12 air squats, then a 10-second bottom squat hold. Every piece stays on the quads, and the bottom squat hold is where the round closes. Later rounds slow because the work never leaves the quads.
Muscles worked
Energy systems
These are overlapping contributions. This workout is not assigned to one energy system.
This workout departs from its style on the profile below.
- Glycolytic: High
- Oxidative: Low
- Neuromuscular: High
Training effect
Immediate demand
5 minutes, intensity 3 of 5. Today the limiter is the quads, closed by the bottom squat hold.
Intended stimulus
The style is built to tire one region before breathing is what stops the round. On this workout that is 8 jump squats, 12 air squats, then a 10-second bottom squat hold.
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 quads.
Pacing
The active hold at the end traps lactic acid. Keep the chest tall during the hold.
Build across the clock. Do not open the jump squats so hard that the later sets shrink. Keep the bottom squat hold the full 10 seconds even if the other sets break. Do not rest the quads back to fresh between rounds.
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.
Air Squats
Let gravity do the work on the way down. Pull yourself into the bottom quickly, then explode up. Use your arms for rhythm.
What not to do. Cutting the depth once the legs burn, so the hip crease stops above the knee.
Bottom Squat Hold
Lactic acid floods the legs rapidly here. Breathe deep into your diaphragm to delay the panic reflex.
What not to do. Sinking onto the joints and letting the chest fold toward the floor.
Why these movements
Every piece stays on the quads, and the bottom squat hold is where the round closes. Later rounds slow because the work never leaves the quads.
Scaling
Keep the work on the same muscle region. Drop reps on the hardest movement before you swap in a different pattern.
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.
Air Squats
- To a seat. Squat to a chair or box and stand back up. Lower the seat as you improve.
- Hold a support. Hands on a doorframe or chair back to sit deeper than balance allows alone.
- Shorter range. Go only as deep as you can control, and stop before the heels lift.
Bottom Squat Hold
- To a seat. Squat to a chair or box and stand back up. Lower the seat as you improve.
- Hold a support. Hands on a doorframe or chair back to sit deeper than balance allows alone.
- Shorter range. Go only as deep as you can control, and stop before the heels lift.
Mistakes and who it is for
- Opening the jump squats at a sprint makes the bottom squat hold the piece that falls apart.
- Resting the quads back to fresh between rounds turns this into a different workout.
- Letting the bottom squat hold 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 quads and can already do Jump Squats, Air Squats, Bottom Squat Hold.
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 Tug-of-War
Same quads, longer clock
- Aerobic Flush
Same quads, longer clock
- Backdraft
Same quads, longer clock
Track every round. Sync with friends when you want to.
The Acid Bath is a 5-minute clock with rounds and splits for you. Share a rally link when other people join, and the leaderboard updates as they log rounds.