“EMOM” stands for Every Minute On the Minute, which is when you begin a specified number of repetitions of some movements or exercises at the start of one minute and then rest for whatever time you have left until the top of the next minute.
“EMOM 12 min” means: every minute on the minute for 12 minutes, do the specified exercises.
The best EMOM workouts are usually short, 10-20 minutes long (but can be shorter or longer), and are typically designed to allow for some rest before the top of each work interval. These built-in work and rest periods make EMOM a form of interval workout. They can be great for practicing pacing and working on conditioning, but are also a good format for strength training, to force attempts of a lift on a specified cadence.
EMOMs can be every minute, every 2 minutes, every 3 minutes, etc. For example, “E2MOM” means each 2 minutes, where you have 2 minutes to perform some amount of work. This can also be written as EOMOM (every other minute on the minute). “E3MOM” means each 3 minutes, etc.
Depending on the workout an EMOM workout may be simply scored as the total number of full rounds completed, or the weight used.
1 BEST EMOM WORKOUTS “MACHO MAN”
EMOM for as Long as Possible
- 3 Power Cleans (185/135 lb)
- 3 Front Squats (185/135 lb)
- 3 Jerks (185/135 lb)
Each minute on the minute (EMOM), starting at the top of the minute, complete one round of 3 Power Cleans, 3 Front Squats and 3 Jerks. Rest the remainder of the minute. Take the barbell from the ground. Do not use a race.
Score is the total number of rounds completed before becoming unable to complete a round prior the start of the next minute.
Good Score for “Macho Man”
– Beginner: 7-9 rounds
– Intermediate: 10-12 rounds
– Advanced: 13-15 rounds
– Elite: 16+ rounds
Tips and Strategy
To get a good score in this WOD, go as unbroken as possible for as long as possible: 3 unbroken Power Cleans, directly into 3 unbroken Front Squats, directly into 3 unbroken Jerks. Anytime you put down the barbell during the 9 repetitions, you have to complete at least 1 unnecessary rep. This causes more muscular fatigue and takes away more of your (already limited) time. Go unbroken to find success in “Macho Man.”
Intended Stimulus
“Macho Man” should feel moderately heavy right from the beginning. It should not feel light. The first 5-7 minutes of this WOD should feel pretty doable but after minute 7, the muscular fatigue and breathlessness should be real.
At the end of “Macho Man,” you should feel almost as much mental exhaustion as you do physical: a WOD that requires such a fierce race against the clock will challenge your mental fortitude.
Scaling Options
Choose a load where you can complete all movements in 30 seconds or less for the first several minutes. The load should feel moderately heavy. If you’re brand new to these movements, scale the complexity (see: Beginner B) of the movements so you can get the metabolic benefits of a loaded barbell.
Beginner A
3 Power Cleans (135/95 lb)
3 Front Squats (135/95 lb)
3 Jerks (135/95 lb)
Beginner B
3 Deadlifts (95/65 lb)
3 Front Squats (95/65 lb)*
3 Push Presses (95/65 lb)*
*For the Beginner B option, set up 2 barbells. Take the Front Squats and Push Presses from a rack.
2 “CHELSEA”
EMOM for 30 minutes
- 5 Pull-Ups
- 10 Push-Ups
- 15 Air Squats
Every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 30 minutes, perform 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Air Squats. If there is any time left in each minute, rest until the next minute starts.
Score is the number of rounds finished in 30 minutes, with the best possible score being 30 rounds. For the rounds to count, they must be performed every minute on the minute.
If you fall behind the clock, keep going and get as many rounds as possible (AMRAP-style) in the remaining time. Bear in mind, though, that your “Chelsea” score will only count the number of rounds you completed as an EMOM.
Good Scores for “Chelsea”
“Chelsea” is an EMOM type of WOD, which means the goal is to just finish the prescribed work in under a minute for 30 minutes straight. Intermediate athletes should be able to finish all 30 rounds as prescribed.
Tips and Strategy
This workout is all about balance: You’ve got to find the perfect pace where you can get all of the work done in under 1 minute without ever “redlining”–going so hard that you hit a wall you can’t come back from. Go slow in the first round and aim to have the same amount of rest each subsequent round (for example 10 or 20 seconds of rest) for the entire workout.
Intended Stimulus
“Chelsea” is meant to feel both mentally and physically exhausting. You’re up against the ticking clock for 30 minutes. If you scale “Chelsea,” make sure you scale it to where you “work” for approximately 40-50 out of the 60 seconds for each minute; the best part of this workout is the (brutal) fact that you barely make the interval happen in the 1 minute cap.
Scaling
This benchmark has a built-in scale by requiring you to continue after you fail to meet the interval. Newer athletes should modify the volume and/or skill level (see: Push-Up Scaling | Pull-Up Scaling) but maintain the same interval structure.
Beginner Option
Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes perform:
3 Jumping Pull-Ups
6 Incline Push-Ups
9 Air Squats
If you fall behind the clock, keep going for 20 minutes and see how many rounds (AMRAP-style) you can complete. Again, your score will only be the number of rounds you completed as an EMOM.
Advanced Option
If you’ve finished “Chelsea” as prescribed in the past, try adding more volume: Add 1 rep to each exercise—i.e., 6 Pull-Ups, 11 Push-Ups, and 16 Air Squats each minute—and see if you can go the full 30 minutes.
3 “DEATH BY… ANYTHING”
EMOM For as Long as Possible
- 1 Rep in the first minute
- 2 Reps in the second minute
- 3 Reps in the third minute
etc.
Choose any single movement (Pull-ups, Thrusters, Burpees, Cleans, Snatches, Rope Climbs, etc.). Then, each minute on the minute (EMOM), starting at the top of the minute, with 1 repetition in minute 1, complete one more repetition per minute each subsequent minute (2 reps from 1:00-2:00, 3 reps from 2:00-3:00, etc.). The athlete continues for as long as possible until they can no longer complete the number of reps prescribed in under a minute.
Score is the number of full rounds completed plus number of reps completed in the last round.
Tips and Strategy
In the early rounds (rounds 1-5) maintain a slow and steady pace. Control the breathing. A fast pace right out of the gate is unnecessary and could lead to an inability to control the heart rate as more repetitions are required in each subsequent minute.
Intended Stimulus
Any “Death By” workout tests two things well:
1. How mentally tough an athlete is
2. How well the athlete can pace himself/herself
Regardless of the movement, this workout starts out easy and gets unbelievably difficult as the rounds progress. For first-timers, this WOD should feel like a joke in the beginning. Everyone stops laughing around round 7.
Scaling Options
For beginners, “Death By” workouts can be demoralizing. A great way for all levels to feel successful at this kind of workout is to initiate a rule that allows athletes to continue working even when they can no longer complete the number of reps prescribed in under a minute:
– Place a time cap on the workout. Everyone can work at least until that time cap regardless of when their workout officially stops.
– When an athlete can no longer complete the number of reps prescribed in under a minute, allow them to complete an EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) of a reasonable number of reps until the time cap. (For example, if the athlete can only get to round 7 during the “Death By” workout, they can complete an EMOM of 4 or 5 reps of the movement until the time cap.)
– The score is still the number of full rounds completed plus number of reps completed in the last round. The rest of the workout simply allows beginners to keep moving and not be punished by the clock.
4 “ORBISON”
EMOM for 20 minutes
- 4 Burpees
- 6 Air Squats
- 8 Sit-Ups
Each minute, perform 4 Burpees, 6 Air Squats, and 8 Sit-Ups as quickly as possible. Repeat this 20 times, every minute on the minute (EMOM) until 20 minutes is up.
Example: If it takes you 40 seconds to complete 4 Burpees, 6 Air Squats, and 8 Sit-Ups, you have the remaining 20 seconds to rest until the next minute starts.
Score is the total number of repetitions completed before the 20-minute clock stops.
Scaling Options
Reduce the repetitions by half, and therefore extend your rest times for each minute.
Beginner
EMOM for 20 minutes
2 Burpees
3 Air Squats
4 Sit-Ups
5 “MIKKO’S TRIANGLE”
EMOM for 39 minutes
- 1 minute Row
- 1 minute SkiErg
- 1 minute Assault Bike
- 1 minute Rest
Set a single number of calories and complete that amount of work each minute – every minute.
Set a target number of calories and complete that number of calories each minute through the entire workout (39 minutes not counting the last 1-minute rest). A common target for Rx-level athletes is 20 calories per minute for each station.
Score is the total number of calories completed (for example, if athlete does 20 calories per minute, they will complete 600 total calories for the entire workout).
Scaling
Reduce the number of calories per minute to a number which will be challenging to hold each minute for the entire workout.
6 “DAY 5”
EMOM for 40 minutes
- Minute 1: 5 Air Squats + 5 Jump Squats
- Minute 2: 5 Push-Ups + 5 Clap Push-Ups
- Minute 3: 5 Sit-Ups + 5 V-Ups
- Minute 4: 5 Strict Handstand Push-Ups + 5 Kipping Handstand Push-Ups
Repeat 10 times
On a 40-minute clock, perform every minute on the minute (EMOM) of the prescribed work in the order written. Cycle through the 4 pairs of exercises. The first movement is of each set is strict in nature and the second movement is more dynamic
Score is the total number of repetitions completed before the 40-minute clock stops.
Tips and Strategy
Most athletes should figure out what they are going to do for their handstand pushups before they start. The rest of the workout is really straight forward.
Intended Stimulus
The smaller sets should allow the athlete to enjoy a gradual increase in heart rate. Minute 4 will be the most challenging for most athletes, especially when fatigue starts to set in.
If this is too easy for some of the more advanced athletes, they can double the reps.
Scaling Options
EMOM in 30 minutes
Minute 1: 5 Air Squats
Minute 2: 5 Push-Ups
Minute 3: 5 Sit-Ups
7 “BERGERON BEEP TEST”
EMOM for as Long as Possible
- 7 Thrusters (75/55 lb)
- 7 Pull-Ups
- 7 Burpees
Each minute on the minute (EMOM), starting at the top of the minute, complete one round. Rest the remainder of the minute. Repeat and continue until no longer able to complete a full round in under 1 minute.
Score is total number of rounds completed before becoming unable to complete a round before the start of the next minute.
Tips and Strategy
Strategy for this one is slow down and aim to have each round done in 50 seconds. Don’t go all out at the start. Be ready to pick up the barbell as soon as the next minute starts. And remember to breathe!
Intended Stimulus
Creator, coach Ben Bergeron says the following about this conditioning test: “This test makes it easy to compare athletes across a spectrum of sizes, locations, and regardless of skill or equipment…This is also an incredible test of mental toughness, as it is very easy to give up on this workout mentally before your body actually reaches failure. Basically, this is a test of ‘Whatcha-got?’”
Scaling Options
Scale the volume as needed to get a minimum of 10 minutes of work. The athlete can also scale the skill level (see: Pull-Up Scaling).
Intermediate
EMOM for as Long as Possible
5 Thrusters (75/55 lb)
5 Pull-Ups
5 Burpees
Beginner
EMOM for as Long as Possible
3 Thrusters (75/55 lb)
3 Ring Rows
3 Burpees
8 “FORTITUDE”
Alternating Minutes for 15 Rounds in 30 minutes
Even Minutes: 15/12 Calorie Row
Odd Minutes: 15 Burpees
Athletes alternate between calories on the rower and burpees each minute, every minute on the minute (EMOM). They will have the whole first minute to complete a 15/12 Calorie Row, then rest until the top of the next minute. Then they have the whole next minute to complete 15 burpees.
Tips and Strategy
Finding a steady pace to stick to for the majority of this workout is the name of the game. The difficulty will undoubtedly increase in the later rounds, but being able to stay calm and keep the heart rate down in the earlier rounds will better guarantee success in the second half of this thirty minute effort. Quick transitions to and from the rower gain back precious seconds and allow athletes to work for the full minute each round. Fast is smooth, smooth is fast.
Scaling
These numbers are meant to be challenging, but ideally something that athletes can complete between 45-50 seconds each round. Some modification options would be to bring the rep numbers down to somewhere between 10-15, to make each minute :45 seconds on and :15 seconds off, or to bring down the total number of rounds. It is better to pick a modification from the beginning and stick to it than it is to modify in the middle of the workout.
9 “BIRD BOX”
For Time
- 5,000/4,000 meter Row
- Every 4 minutes perform 20 Shoulder-to-Overheads (135/95 lb)
The athlete begins rowing until the 4:00 minute mark. The athlete gets off of the rower and performs 20 shoulder-to-overheads. After completing 20 reps, the athlete continues to accumulate meters on the rower. The workout is done when the athlete accumulates 5,000 m.
Scaling
Intermediate
For Time
3000 meter Row
20 Shoulder-to-Overheads (95/65 lb)*
*Perform every 4 minutes.
Beginner
For Time
2000 meter Row
12 Shoulder-to-Overheads (65/45 lb)*
*Perform every 4 minutes.
10 “FRASER’S HARDEST WORKOUT”
Every Minute on the Minute for 20 minutes
- Odd Minutes: 24 calorie Assault Bike
- Even Minutes: 18 GHD Sit-Ups
On a 20-minute clock, every minute on the minute (EMOM) perform the prescribed work. For odd minutes, complete 24 calorie Assault Bike. For even minutes, complete 18 GHD Sit-Ups.
Score is the total number of reps completed before the 20-minute clock stops.
Tips & Strategy
The goal on the Assault Bike is to use a majority of the minute and hold steady wattage across all the rounds. The goal on the GHD is also to stay consistent and practice catching your breath while still working on the movement.
Scaling Options
Intermediate
EMOM for 20 minutes
Odd Minutes: 12 calorie Assault Bike
Even Minutes: 9 GHD Sit-Ups
Read More: Intense 20 Minute AMRAP CrossFit Workouts Every Athlete Should Try
