EMOM: Every Minute on the Minute
EMOM stands for Every Minute on the Minute.
It's a simple way of organising training using the clock.
At the start of each minute, you perform a prescribed amount of work. Whatever time remains in that minute becomes your rest period.
Then, when the next minute begins, you go again.
HOW DOES AN EMOM WORK?
Imagine you have a 5-minute EMOM of 20 squats.
You would start a timer and perform 20 squats at:
0:00 — 20 squats, then rest
1:00 — 20 squats, then rest
2:00 — 20 squats, then rest
3:00 — 20 squats, then rest
4:00 — 20 squats, then rest
After the fifth round, you're finished.
If your 20 squats take 25 seconds, you have approximately 35 seconds to rest.
If they take 45 seconds, you only have around 15 seconds.
So as fatigue builds and the work takes longer, your available rest can decrease.
That's where things can get unpleasant quite quickly.
CHOOSE THE WORK CAREFULLY
The aim isn't necessarily to cram as much work as physically possible into every minute.
You need to be able to complete the prescribed work and recover sufficiently to repeat it.
If every round takes 58 seconds and leaves you desperately staring at the clock for two seconds before starting again, you've essentially created continuous work rather than a particularly useful EMOM.
That might occasionally be intentional.
Usually it isn't.
Adjust the:
Repetitions
Weight
Distance
Exercise
so the format suits what you're trying to achieve.
ALTERNATING EMOMS
You can also alternate exercises between minutes.
For example, a 10-minute alternating EMOM could be:
0:00 — 100m run, then rest
1:00 — 15 press-ups, then rest
2:00 — 100m run, then rest
3:00 — 15 press-ups, then rest
Continue alternating until the 10 minutes are complete.
This gives you five rounds of each exercise.
Alternating movements can also give particular muscles more recovery time while you're still performing work every minute.
WHAT ARE EMOMS GOOD FOR?
EMOMs are incredibly versatile.
Depending on the exercises, loads, repetitions and duration, they can be used for:
Strength practice
Conditioning
Strength endurance
Technique work
Building training volume
Keeping a session time-efficient
A heavy lift performed for one or two reps every minute creates a very different training effect from 15 burpees every minute.
The format is just the framework.
What you put inside it determines the training.
IN CLOSING
An EMOM is simple:
The minute starts.
You do the work.
You rest for whatever is left.
The next minute starts and you go again.
It's an excellent way to structure training because the clock keeps you accountable while still providing regular rest.
Just remember that EMOM describes how the workout is organised—not how hard it has to be.