What is an AMRAP Workout, and How Does it Work?

Workout styles come in so many different forms that it can be seriously difficult to keep track. They have something for everyone, from building muscle in the gym with six workouts per week through to full body sessions as and when you need them, and somewhere in the middle of all that is AMRAP workouts.

AMRAP workouts are an amazing way to get the most out of your time and effort in a whole new way. Once you learn how to use them and why their unique benefits are so good to utilise, all that’s left to do is to figure out how best to use them. That’s again where we come into our own, giving you a hardcore AMRAP workout you can use no matter what your workout station looks like.

Let’s take a look.

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What is AMRAP?
Why is AMRAP Effective?
Different Ways to Use AMRAP Workouts

What is AMRAP?

The first place to start is by looking at what AMRAP workouts even are. It’s likely an abbreviation you don’t recognise after all, and that’s because of how niche it is in the fitness world. The definition of AMRAP is actually: As Many Reps As Possible. In that, it means that in every set you do, you’re trying to do any many reps as you can do either to failure or in a time limit.

When you’re doing AMRAP workouts, the idea of sets and reps capping your workout is gone. It’s instead replaced by nothing but the idea of you pushing your body to your physical limit, even without any weight, if that’s how you choose to do it. It really is an incredible way to turn things on their head.

Why is AMRAP Effective?

The next stop in the tour is looking at what makes AMRAP workouts so useful in the first place. You have a tonne of other workouts to choose from, after all, so why does this one have the right to take up your precious time and effort?

The thing is, AMRAP workouts adding a whole new dynamic means your muscles see an entirely new side of exercise too. One of the biggest examples is that your body is naturally doing its own HIIT workout, if you will. It’s hardcore since you’re trying to push out all of the energy you possibly can do all at once.

Different Ways to Use AMRAP Workouts

The really interesting thing in all of this goes even deeper still. It looks at how you can actually use these workouts in your fitness goals and ever your pre-existing routines. They really are that variable if you use them correctly. We have some of the most tactical ways to use them here.

Push Muscular Endurance

Firstly, we need to look at how AMRAP workouts push your muscles. The biggest way that happens is how muscular endurance is impacted instead of muscular strength. To make the most of AMRAP workouts, for example, you can use both light and heavy weights in your workout, and in this case, doing all of the reps that you possibly can has a huge impact on both. The biggest benefit of the two, though, remains muscular endurance.

That’s a great thing for your strength, definition, and fitness results overall too. Muscular endurance is still a big factor in how you can perform in other exercises, and it’s still just another path to help you reach your fitness goals, no matter what they might be.

Drop Sets and Finishers

On a similar level, AMRAP workouts or even just AMRAP sets in your current workout also have an amazingly useful place in your already existing workouts. They do that by allowing you to really hit your muscles harder than ever by mixing up your progressive overload.

The shift in set styles from a weight-based overload to a repetition or intensity-based overload, even in a drop set, does huge things for hypertrophy. If you’re looking to build muscle, that can be huge, especially if you make a whole workout out of it.

Burn Calories

Thirdly, we, of course, need to talk about calorie burning here. Whether you’re trying to boost definition, lose weight in general or just healthily manage your weight, this can be a great form of exercise to do it. To do an AMRAP workout with cardio exercises, you’re almost guaranteed to be burning the most calories you can by pushing yourself to your limits.

It’s essentially a workout that grows alongside you due to what’s happening throughout. You’re using all of your efforts every single time, and that allows you to do more, and more, and more… It’s an endless cycle of improvement, and that’s perfect for always burning the most calories.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.