EMOM sets are a novel & challenging way to train. They offer several advantages and benefits over less structured training methods. EMOM workouts are ideal for those who need an extra push of motivation where the length of your rest period is determined in relation to your energy output.

Time-efficient – with EMOM training, you must start each set at a predetermined time. You can’t dilly-dally; when the minute is up- ready or not, here we go. With less rest between sets, you’ll soon find that you can get a lot of training done in a relatively short time.. For those of us ADHD cases- EMOMs should be the first tool in the tool box when in need of a good session during a time crunch. It’ll keep you on track and focused on only the task at hand, no room for distractions.

Increased work capacity (without having to kill yourself) – your work capacity is your ability to exercise and recover. EMOM training forces you to start your next set sooner than you otherwise might. This all-but forces you to get fitter, faster. Increased work capacity will have a big knock-on effect to other aspects of your workouts, allowing you to train harder for longer…and when we have the capabilities to train harder for longer- it presents more stimulus for your muscles to adapt and continue evolving for you. Ultimate snowball effect.

Great for calorie burning –It’s inevitable- everyone’s first experience with an EMOM- they’ll be twiddling their thumbs for the first few rounds and licking their chops…”this isn’t even hard.” Well, as the workout rolls on- fatigue kicks in- you start moving a little slower- your heart rate elevates- your rest periods get a little shorter and shorter, and before you know it your heart rate has been at a sustained & elevated pace for 20 minutes straight… This increased metabolic demand will boost your calorie expenditure. This couplet of quick fire time under tension with just barely enough rest yields some awesome metabolic effects that carry over AFTER your workout for several hours as your body is returning to a state of homeostasis. Snowball on top of snowball effect leading to faster fat loss.

Movement mastery – Pick 5 movements that you sucked at- and complete about 70% of your max capacity of said ‘sucky’ movement in an EMOM format. Our ego makes this an extremely challenging thing to do. But, this is how the top athletes tend to utilize EMOMs- to turn their weaknesses into strengths. Complete your ‘less preferred’ movements at a moderate difficulty while breathing heavy…This should  allow you to maintain movement integrity and evaluate movements while fine tuning them while keeping the heart rate elevated. This structure proves to be an excellent way to practice and improve your technical performance while not killing yourself, or moving like crap. By the end of your session, you will have clocked up a lot of technique-perfecting reps-in theory..

If during workouts you notice that you get about 10 reps into a set of burpees and you start to fall apart…It could be highly beneficial implementing EMOMs and sustaining something like 7 burpees for a LONG, sustained period of time. That long term exposure of manageable sets will present your body with a more powerful stimulus than getting balls deep into a workout and burning out and moving like dog crap for the remainder of the workout. From there you can start to really track PROGRESS, and measure overall fitness levels based on movement feel, and performance.

JUST START THE CLOCK AND ROLL WITH IT:  EMOMs remove much of the thinking or decision making from a workout; the clock decides when you’ll be working and when you’ll be resting. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.  Every minute you’ll also be able to see if you’ve done the prescribed work at a faster or slower pace. If it takes you 35 seconds the first minute and 50 seconds the second minute, you can clearly see that you’ve come out of the gate hot & fallen off pace. Subsequently you can make the necessary adjustments to find a cruise pace instead of toe-ing your red-line for the entire workout.

Use your rest periods wisely…  Your rest periods allow you to analyze your performance after each minute…So take advantage of them-

How did you feel? 

How was your technique? 

Did your pace slow significantly? 

After analyzing each set, EMOMs allow you to redo the work at the start of the new minute & tinker with your movements, pacing etc…

This will only lead to you being a more well rounded athlete, as you will become more familiar with where your thresholds for certain skills, weights & pacing fall.