There’s much to be said for training smarter and harder. Getting an intense full-body workout in a short period of time is ideal for busy athletes juggling their many responsibilities while improving their fitness.
EMOM training is a popular workout in the CrossFit world thanks to their many benefits. An EMOM workout can build muscular strength, muscular endurance, and athletic skills. Whether your goals are fat loss, muscle gain, or metabolic conditioning, EMOM training can help.
Here’s everything you need to know about EMOM training and a list of the most effective EMOM workouts to help you achieve your fitness goals.
What Is EMOM?
CrossFit is known for having some creative acronyms. Your WOD is the Workout of the Day. An AMRAP workout means completing As Many Reps As Possible within in a given time frame. Then we have the EMOM.
EMOM is an acronym for Every Minute on the Minute. These training sessions can be incorporated into larger programs as part of the skill/strength session or as the WOD itself, depending on your goals and the intensity.
So what does “every minute on the minute” mean when doing a workout? In simplest terms, an EMOM workout operates as follows:
- At the top of each minute, do the prescribed number of repetitions of an exercise (or exercises).
- Once you’ve completed the work, you have the remainder of the minute to rest.
- At the top of the next minute, you repeat the workout.
So for example, a Burpee EMOM where you perform 10 burpees every minute on the minute might look like this:
- The timer starts. It takes you 38 seconds to perform 10 burpees.
- When you’re done, you have 22 seconds to rest and catch your breath.
- At the top of the next minute, start your next round of burpees.
EMOM workouts are a versatile fitness training tool. They can be performed as a sprint or endurance workout, and last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes (though most workouts will be between 10 and 20 minutes).
Benefits of EMOM Workouts
There are numerous benefits to EMOM style workouts when trying to improve your fitness level. Their versatility makes this unique brand of CrossFit workout a fan-favorite for beginners, pros, and everyone in between.
Flexible timing
One of the best EMOM training benefits for athletes with busy schedules is the flexible timing. Whether you’re trying to get in a workout on your lunch break or only have a sitter for an hour, you can scale every EMOM to fit your needs.
With this intense style of interval training, you can get an effective full-body workout hitting multiple muscle groups in as little as ten minutes. Choose a compound exercise, choose your reps, set a timer, and get to it.
Metabolic conditioning
The interval workout training style has become so popular for its effectiveness in building strength and burning fat quickly. This intense training style also helps improve your metabolic conditioning— how your body consumes oxygen and uses energy to fuel your activities. A HIIT workout combines intensity with rest periods to push your body to the brink without tipping the scales.
Metabolic conditioning will carry over into your cross-training activities, as well as the activities of daily living. You’ll notice a difference in your endurance while running, hiking, or just walking up a few flights of stairs when the elevator is broken.
Variable equipment needs
No gym equipment? No problem. The beauty of EMOM style workouts is that you can benefit from this training style whether you’ve got a full barbell set-up or just want a powerful bodyweight workout at home. Staying in a hotel room for quarantine while traveling for work? Pack a resistance band and recreate your favorite barbell movements.
Customization
No matter your fitness level, timing, equipment or exercise preferences, you can make an EMOM work for you. Don’t have the equipment you need? Does an existing knee injury cause you pain during jump squats? Swap out for a different exercise.
EMOM CrossFit Workouts
Below are 20 EMOM CrossFit workouts you can try. They are divided up by EMOM workouts for strength, skill development, CrossFit, and challenge WODs.
There are various CrossFit related terms used in these workouts. Use the glossary at the bottom with links to the techniques and how to master each unique workout type.
EMOM Workouts for Strength
#1: Snatch Variation EMOM
EMOM 10:
1 Hang Power Snatch + 1 Hang Snatch + 1 Squat Snatch
Start at 50 %of your 1RM and add weight each set.
Score = heaviest weight successfully completed.
#2. Clean Variation EMOM
EMOM 10: 1 Hang Power Clean + 1 Hang Squat Clean + 1 Squat Clean
Start at 50 %of your 1RM and add weight each set.
Score = heaviest weight successfully completed.
#3. “Linda” EMOM
EMOM 9:
Min 1: 5 Deadlifts, 315lbs
Min 2: 5 Bench Press 225lbs
Min 3: 5 Power Cleans, 185lbs
#4. DT EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 8 Deadlifts
Min 2: 8 Hang Cleans
Min 3: 8 Push Jerks Weight = 155/115 lbs
#5. Thruster + Strict Pull-Ups EMOM
EMOM 10:
Min 1: 5 Thrusters, 135lbs
Min 2: Max Strict Pull-Ups in 30 seconds
Score = Thrusters + pull-ups completed
#6. Death by Deadlift
Use 80% of your 1RM deadlift max. Add a rep each minute.
Min 1: 1 Deadlift
Min 2: 2 Deadlifts
Min 3: 3 Deadlifts
Continue to failure.
EMOM Workouts for Skill Development
#7. Pull-Up Practice EMOM
EMOM 9:
Min 1: 4 Strict Pull-Ups
Min 2: 6 Kipping Pull-Up
Min 3: 8 Kipping Chest To Bar Pull-Ups
#8. Muscle-Ups/Double Unders EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 5 Muscle-Ups
Min 2: 40 Double Unders
Min 3: Rest
#9. Inverted EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 20 Air Squats
Min 2: Handstand Hold, 30 seconds
Min 3: Row 10 calories
Min 4: Handstand Push-ups, max reps
Score = handstand pushups completed
#10. Gymnastics Medley EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 6 Pull-Ups
Min 2: 6 Strict Handstand Push-ups
Min 3: 3 Muscle-Ups
Min 4: Handstand walk for distance
Score = total handstand distance. Use chalk or markers to measure.
#11. Grip That Bar EMOM
EMOM 8:
Min 1: 10 Pull-Ups
Min 2: 10 Toes To Bar
Bonus CrossFit EMOM Workouts
#12. Helen EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 150M shuttle sprint
Min 2: 12 kettlebell swings, 1.5/1 pood
Min 3: 9 Pull-ups
#13: Chelsea EMOM
EMOM 30:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats
#14: Burpee “Death By”
EMOM 20: 10 Burpees
Score = total number of burpees completed. Don’t stop if you miss a round of 10.
#15: “Danny” EMOM
EMOM 24:
Min 1: 10 Box Jumps
Min 2: 10 Push Presses, 115 lbs
Min 3: 10 Pull-Ups
#16: JT EMOM
EMOM 9:
Min 1: 9 Handstand Push-ups
Min 2: 9 Ring Dips
Min 3: 9 Push-Ups
#17: Freight Train EMOM
EMOM 9:
Min 1: 10 Burpees
Min 2: 20 Air Squats
Min 3: 10 Dumbbell Thrusters, 50lbs
Challenge EMOM Workouts
#18. “Filthy 50″ 2X EMOM
EMOM 20:
Min 1: Box jump, 24-inch box
Min 2: Jumping pull-ups
Min 3: Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Min 4: Walking Lunge, 50 steps
Min 5: Knees to elbows
Min 6: Push press, 45 pounds
Min 7: Back extensions
Min 8: Wall ball shots, 20-pound ball
Min 9: Burpees
Min 10: DoubleUnders
Score = total number of reps completed
#19. Really “Nasty Girls” EMOM
EMOM 12:
Min 1: 15 Pistol Squats
Min 2: 5 Muscle-Ups
Min 3: 10 Hang Power Cleans, 175lbs
#20. “Kalsu” EMOM:
5 Burpees + Max Thrusters,
135 lbs Workout ends once you hit 100 total thrusters.
Read Also: Conquer Kalsu WOD – One of the hardest CrossFit Workouts
#21. Football Field Hell EMOM
EMOM 10:
1 “Gasser” (down and back 2x using side of field length) + 5 Dumbbell Thrusters, 70 lb
#22. 20×20 Kettlebell Swing Complex EMOM
EMOM 20:
20 Kettlebell Swings, 1 pood
8 KB Reverse lunge, 4 per leg
#23. Jump Rope Thruster EMOM
EMOM 10:
30 Double Unders
5 Barbell Thrusters, 135lbs
Success Keys for EMOM Workouts
EMOM workouts require good pacing and an emphasis on good technique, especially as you fatigue.
Because there is rest built into the workout, many people make the mistake of going too hard and too fast in the first portion of the EMOM. This leaves them gassed, or needing to scale movements by minute 6 or 8.
It’s also important to know the goal of an effective workout. Emoms are a great tool for warming up, developing skills, and really testing your fitness lvel. A general rule of thumb to follow is:
- Warm up EMOM exercises should never spike your heart rate
- Skill EMOMs should always have at least 20 seconds of rest built into each minute
- Fitness EMOMs can be hard, but if you use Olympic lifts or other high-technique exercises, form is the most important.
Below, we’ll look at all the benefits of EMOM workouts.
How to Get the Most from Your EMOM Style Workouts
Skill-building
Incorporating EMOMs into your program helps improve technique. By choosing to do 1 or 2 reps for 5 to 10 minutes, you can focus on your form.
Add movements that will improve your cardio, strength, or other areas that need work. Don’t hesitate to choose a different exercise than you’d normally do to broaden your skill set.
Training for different outcomes
EMOMs can be programmed to train for specific goals such as strength, cardio, endurance, conditioning, and technique. The EMOM can include one or more of the goals just mentioned.
When programming an EMOM for strength, the weights should be at a high percentage of either your 1RM or 5RM.
Depending on how long and how many reps the EMOM is going to be.
When programming an EMOM for cardio or endurance, the exercises chosen should be able to be done with speed without a heavy load.
Determine what your overarching goals are, and build your workout plan around those.
Plan Your Timing
With EMOMs you can get a great workout in a short amount of time. These can be “stand-alone” workouts as well as at the end of a strength training session. They don’t necessarily have to be followed by a WOD.
Plan carefully so that you get an effective workout the whole way through. Scale back on your EMOM if it’s a warm-up leading into an intense WOD. Conversely, if the EMOM is at the end of your workout, hit it hard.
Rest periods
Although it may not be as long as you would like, there should always be rest periods in EMOMs.
If you find that you have to start again right after finishing a movement, the EMOM may need to be modified.
The rest period is not only to gain energy for the next minute, it is the perfect time to assess your skill and make improvements.
You may find that a movement is getting sloppy. Here is where you visualize the movement in your head so you can improve it.
Versatility
EMOMs add versatility to your fitness programs. They keep things interesting and challenging at the same time.
It’s also a great way to keep your body challenged and not stagnant with the same ‘ole, same ‘ole. That means you need to challenge yourself to try different movements instead of sticking with your favorites. Don’t be afraid to schedule in the exercises you hate, despise, or loathe entirely. Swing those battle ropes, push it on the assault bike, and leave your comfort zone in the dust for an effective workout.
How often should you do EMOMs?
If you’re using EMOMs to build strength and conditioning, they can be added after your strength session.
And like strength training programs, you should take a break from heavy EMOMs (80%).
So, if you’ve trained hard for four weeks, take a break for a week by training light (50%).
As part of a GPP (general physical preparedness) program, you could do an EMOM workout 4 or 5 days per week no problem.
In fact, as long as you switch up the movements you’re using, there is really no limit on how many of these types of workouts you can do. (If they’re really heavy or skill-intensive, maybe do them once or twice per week).
Just like all other training modalities, a break from EMOMs will get your body ready for the next few weeks of work.
Because EMOMs are so versatile and time-efficient, they can be plugged into pretty much any type of workout program successfully.
How Do EMOM Workouts Differ From High-Intensity Interval Training?
EMOM workouts follow a very specific time structure: at the top of every minute, you’re performing an exercise. If programmed correctly, there’s also a break for you to catch your breath before the next minute begins.
While EMOMs, HIIT training, and Tabatas fall under the same umbrella, there are some key differences. Namely, the time structure can vary greatly.
For example, Tabata workouts do 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. But you could also do 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off or 5 minutes on, 2 minutes off if you wanted to. All of those would count as HIIT workouts.
While the types of fitness being developed are similar (work capacity and cardiovascular fitness), the specific structure of the EMOM is what sets the two apart.
Are EMOM CrossFit Workouts For Everyone?
The above EMOMs are a few examples of how you can test your skill, conditioning, and strength. They can be done by anyone.
Not only are EMOMs great because of the amount of time and work, a timer keeps track of time for you.
With the timer, you can also see how long it takes you to do a certain number of reps of an exercise. This will help you keep the pace you need to get the amount of rest you want.
If an EMOM begins to get easy, you can always increase intensity by increasing the load (the weight) or reps or time. It’s that simple.
Let us know in the comments which EMOM you try.
