How an EMOM works
A clock runs for a set number of minutes. When each minute starts, you perform the assigned work, for example 12 kettlebell swings. If the swings take 40 seconds, the other 20 seconds are your rest, and the next minute starts the next round whether you are ready or not.
Choosing the work
Pick reps you can finish with time to spare. As you tire, the work takes longer and the rest shrinks, which is what makes an EMOM feel harder late on. If you cannot finish inside the minute, lower the reps or the weight so every round fits.
Variations
Many EMOMs alternate movements: one on the odd minutes and another on the even ones. A 12-minute EMOM of 8 push-ups on odd minutes and 12 air squats on even minutes is 6 rounds of each, 48 push-ups and 72 squats in all.
Scoring
An EMOM is usually scored by completion: did you finish every round at the planned reps and weight? Benchmark examples include Chelsea, a 30-minute EMOM of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats.
Setting up your own
Choose the work first and the number of minutes second. If a set takes under 30 seconds you have a generous rest and can raise the reps or the weight. If it takes close to 60 seconds, drop the reps. A good EMOM leaves enough rest in the early minutes to hold the pace to the end, so the later rounds are hard but still clean.
In One Fitness Hub
- Choose the EMOM format on Log a WOD and enter the rounds you completed.
- Chelsea is among the app's benchmarks, with its 30-minute time cap and description filled in.
- Record Rx, Scaled or Rx+ for the weights and reps you actually used.
Common questions
What if I cannot finish the reps inside the minute?
Most people lower the reps or the weight so every round fits, and log the workout as Scaled.
How is an EMOM different from an AMRAP?
An AMRAP fixes the time and counts the work. An EMOM fixes the work and the schedule.
How long is an EMOM?
Commonly 10 to 30 minutes, though any length works.
Related terms
- AMRAP: AMRAP stands for "as many rounds as possible": you repeat a set of movements for a fixed time, and your score is the rounds and extra reps you complete.
- WOD: A WOD, or workout of the day, is a single programmed workout, usually a mix of movements done for time, rounds or reps, common in CrossFit-style and functional fitness training.
- Rest interval: A rest interval is the time you wait between the end of one set and the start of the next.
- Rx and Scaled: Rx means a workout done as written, Scaled means it was adjusted to suit you, and Rx+ means it was harder than written.
Keep reading
General education and fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Figures from the app are informational and are not reviewed by a certified personal trainer.