The 20 Minute Workout: EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute)

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If you are limited on time but still want to make an impact with your training time EMOM workouts might be the answer you are looking for.

When it comes to learning a new movement or wanting to improve how you move, you need to practice. The problem with practicing and refining a specific movement during a total body strength day or after an intense cardio session is that your body will be more fatigued. To become efficient at a movement and to ensure that your form and technique are not lacking you need to practice quality repetitions.

Most of us to do not have extra time in the week to devote to our movement patterns when we are already exercising several hours each week. The majority of us, myself included, want to feel like we gave it our all when we workout, dripping with sweat, and like we pushed our  bodies until we had nothing left. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to balance these high intensity sessions with movement specific focus sessions.

If you are looking for an efficient way to add movement training into your week EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) workouts are a great starting place.

While there are many different ways to do an EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) workout today I am mainly focusing on 1 movement pattern with very few reps performed each minute.

HOW TO DO AN EMOM WORKOUT

  1. Pick one movement. This movement needs to be a total body movement. Examples – Turkish Get Ups, Pull-Ups, Box Jumps, Pushups, or Burpees.
  2. Pick your total reps. How many reps do you want to do? Start with 20 if it is a new to you movement. Your total reps can be 20, 40, 60, 80, or even 100. It really depends on the movement.
  3. Each minute you perform 1-5 reps of the movement you selected. The goal here is to make sure that the during the minute you are only working for about 15-20 seconds.
  4. Rest during the remaining time. The beauty of these types of workouts is that you are allowing your body ample time to recover so you are never overly fatigued while performing the movement.
  5. Repeat for 20 minutes.

BENEFITS OF AN EMOM WORKOUT 

  • You don’t have to think about the workout. You can focus on form and technique. The pace is set for you by using the clock.
  • EMOMs are super versatile. You can program these with many different exercises. Keep reading for examples.
  • Built in rest. You should be resting more than you are working during an EMOM workout. If you can keep the movement to 15 seconds to perform all your reps for the minute you are looking at a rest to work ratio of 3:1. This is a very good ratio. The recovery will allow to complete your next set without being fatigued.
  • You will feel it. By focusing all your energy on practicing one movement not only will you become more efficient but you will also be feeling your effort within the next day.
  • Did I mention it is only 20 minutes?!?

EXAMPLES OF EMOM WORKOUTS

Like I mentioned earlier there are so many ways you can do an EMOM workout. Below are 6 examples of different 20 minute EMOMs.

20 Minute EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) Workouts

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I was able to do a pull-up. I followed a 12 week strength training program and was super consistent with my workouts. I am still working on building up strength and working on my form. When I perform pull-ups in an EMOM workout I try to do as many as I can without assistance. When my form starts slacking or I can’t get my body up I use thick resistance loop bands to assist me. I just wanted to share that in case pull-ups are challenging for you also.

To time these workouts I like to use either the Seconds Pro App on my iPhone or my Gymboss.

Get creative with EMOMs. These are just examples and are by far not the only way to do these. Have fun working on a more balanced and stronger body!

PS…In case you are looking for some new workout gear check out the Reebok One Series Tights. I love these pants! I wear them at least twice a week. I also have worn my ASICS Women Gel Fit Sana Cross Training Shoe for every workout I have done since I received them in the mail last Fall. This shoes fit like a sock and are so light! Hands down my most favorite shoe. EVER.

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