You've incorporated water jugs, detergent bottles, maybe even a backpack of books into your at-home [1] workout routine to make up for your lack of gym equipment — and while you should be proud of your creativity, you may be ready to switch things up. Cue EMOM training.
With Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) training, ISSA-certified personal trainer Adam Kemp says you can significantly impact strength and muscle gains and overall conditioning.
According to Kemp, you start with a timer and do X amount of reps — let's say eight push-ups [2]. Then for a set amount of minutes (let's try three minutes) you would do eight push-ups per minute, and rest for the remainder of each minute. After three minutes (eight push-ups every minute), you did 24 push-ups.
"Once you can complete this, you can add one rep. This is a simple way to maintain control of your movement, while also making great gains," he adds. NASM-certified personal trainer Amanda Katz [3] also acknowledges that EMOM training is a solid way to boost the intensity of bodyweight workouts — especially if you're supplementing your lack of equipment by training for hours on end, which is unrealistic for our bodies.
Instead, she says that EMOM training provides athletes with time to complete a repetition using the full range of motion.
"One of my favourite ways to incorporate EMOM training is as a finisher. Recently, my [virtual fitness] class did four push-ups, five air squats, and six skaters. Clients had one minute to complete, repeated for three minutes. Meaning, any time they had left was theirs to recover," Katz says.
Similarly to working out with weights, practicing proper exercise form during EMOM training is the key to avoiding injuries. Katz notes that nailing technique for each move must come before increasing your speed and endurance [5].
Always make sure there is what Katz calls "more gas in the tank," too. Everyone's bodies react to workouts differently — if you have more energy after a workout, you know you can handle more EMOM sessions at equivalent intensity. If you find yourself running on E, always take rests and modify moves as needed.
Since you've made it this far into my EMOM explainer, you're probably interested in giving the workout a go. You can learn more about the technique and follow along with a personal-trainer backed circuit, here [6].
Click here for more health and wellness stories, tips, and news.