One of the most commonly programmed tools we use for our members- group members and personal training clients– are EMOMs: Every Minute On the Minute. There are several benefits of using this tool, which we will describe in this blog.
What is an EMOM?
EMOM is a tool that keeps the workload structured in a minute-by-minute format. In this workout structure, you perform the prescribed exercise and repetitions within the minute; let’s say you finish the work in 25 seconds, then you rest the remainder of the 35 seconds left in the minute. Then, once the next minute starts, you perform the next prescribed exercise and reps. Examples are discussed below.
Benefits
EMOMs are great for several reasons:
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Teaches you to pace appropriately. With tough workouts or conditioning work, it’s hard to find the appropriate “gear” and many people oftentimes tend to start “too hot”, which causes them to burn out before the workout is complete! An EMOM can serve as a tool to help pace and help with knowing the appropriate “gear” one should be performing at.
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Can be used for conditioning/fitness building or skill work. EMOMs are versatile and can be used for conditioning, building fitness, and skill work. They are easily programmed and can be altered based on intent, progression, skill level, and much more.
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Allows you to track progress. If you are performing skillwork, you can track how much more reps you are doing for your specific skill work in a prescribed time window. For example, if you do an EMOM that involves 20-30s of double unders per minute, you can track if you are trending in the right direction over time; on the first week, you may only be able to perform 10 reps in the 30s window but after weeks of practice, you may be consistently hitting 30 reps!
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The structure keeps you on track! This is especially helpful in a group class setting, everyone is working in the same time window and gets similar rest periods. This helps with several things:
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Achieving the appropriate training stimulus by having the desired work to rest ratio.
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Building work capacity.
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Getting the desired amount of volume in a set period of time.
Examples
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In the EMOM below, you will perform each exercise six rounds. The intent of this EMOM structure is more conditioning based, with minimal skill involved. It is a long time period (30 minutes) and will require you to focus on pacing and breathing, while also keeping you on track with the EMOM structure.
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EMOM x 30 minutes
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Minute 1: 10 cals on bike
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Minute 2: 10 push ups
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Minute 3: 60 single unders/30 double unders
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Minute 4: 20 air squats
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Minute 5: Rest
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In the EMOM below, you will perform the skill practice for 10 total rounds. This EMOM is focused on double under skill practice not under fatigue. The intent is to accumulate volume of practice on the specific skill (in this case double unders) without attempting them to do them in a conditioning workout under fatigue. Instead, you are isolating the practice. Eventually, you will build the skill and be able to integrate it into workouts under fatigue (such as the EMOM above!)
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EMOM x 10 minutes
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20s double under attempts/40s rest– aim to at least maintain same number of double unders each minute
Final Words
EMOMs are great, but they are just one tool in our tool box. There are many programming methods and structures out there, such as “As Many Reps (or Rounds) As Possible” (AMRAPs), “Every X Minutes” (ExMs), ascending ladders, chippers, descending ladders, and strength training tools such as straight sets, cluster sets, wave loading sets, pyramids, etc. There’s a lot out there! Feel free to reach out to us with any questions regarding your training or our Group Classes!