We present a quintuple-mode operator-based Floquet approach to describe arbitrary amplitude modulated cross polarization experiments under magic-angle spinning (MAS). The description is used to analyze variants of the RESPIRATION approach ((CP)-C-RESPIRATION) where recoupling conditions and the corresponding first-order effective Hamiltonians are calculated, validated numerically and compared to experimental results for N-15-C-13 coherence transfer in uniformly C-13,N-15-labeled alanine and in uniformly H-2,C-13,N-15-labeled (deuterated and 100% back-exchanged) ubiquitin at spinning frequencies of 16.7 and 90.9 kHz. Similarities and differences between different implementations of the (CP)-C-RESPIRATION sequence using either CW irradiation or small flip-angle pulses are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.