How an AMRAP works
The workout gives you a time, say 12 or 20 minutes, and a short list of movements. You work through the list, start again from the top, and keep going until the clock ends. Nobody tells you how fast to go: pacing is part of the skill.
How it is scored
The score is the number of complete rounds plus the reps of the round you were in when time ran out. In a 12-minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats, finishing 6 full rounds and then 5 pull-ups and 10 push-ups scores 6 rounds + 15 reps.
A benchmark example
Cindy is a classic AMRAP: 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats. Because the workout is fixed, repeating it months later shows what changed, which is why benchmark workouts are so popular.
AMRAP, EMOM and For Time
An AMRAP fixes the time and counts the work. An EMOM fixes the work and the schedule, and a For Time workout fixes the work and measures the time.
Choosing a target
Because an AMRAP rewards pacing, a good target is a steady number of rounds rather than a sprint start. Many people aim to repeat the time of their first round and push in the last few minutes. Writing the round count down after each attempt gives you a number to beat next time.
In One Fitness Hub
- Choose the AMRAP format on Log a WOD and enter the rounds plus extra reps completed before the clock ran out.
- Cindy and Mary are in the app's list of benchmarks, with the time cap and the description filled in.
- Record Rx, Scaled or Rx+ so repeat attempts are compared at the same level.
Common questions
How do I count a partial round?
Add the reps you completed in the round you were in when time ran out, in order. If the list is 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats, ten completed reps of the round are 5 + 5.
How do I pace an AMRAP?
Many people start slightly below the pace they think they can hold, and break big sets early. Experience with the workout helps most.
Is an AMRAP a WOD?
Yes. It is one of the five WOD formats One Fitness Hub scores.
Related terms
- EMOM: EMOM stands for "every minute on the minute": at the start of each minute you do a set amount of work, and the time left in that minute is your rest.
- WOD: A WOD, or workout of the day, is a single programmed workout, usually a mix of movements done for time, rounds or reps, common in CrossFit-style and functional fitness training.
- Rx and Scaled: Rx means a workout done as written, Scaled means it was adjusted to suit you, and Rx+ means it was harder than written.
Keep reading
General education and fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Figures from the app are informational and are not reviewed by a certified personal trainer.