EMOM .

Or as I prefer - On The Minute.

I first started using OTM workouts back in 2004.

My Olympic lifting training partner and I would do 2 to 3 reps OTM with 40kg Snatches.

More reps and our power would decline - the Snatches would become “grind-y.”

The results?

It did did not much for my strength, but my conditioning did get better - which was the point. I was able to recover faster between sets and between training sessions.

(But deep down inside , I was hoping it would boost my Oly numbers somehow.)

Explosive power, low reps.

We’re talking about 90% up to 100% max effort. Give it your all, baby.

If we’re talking work duration, no more than about 10 seconds.

(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio - which RANDOM glycolysis, and still primarily uses your Phosphagen / Anaerobic Alactic energy system.)

From there, we’ll scale to 15 seconds.

(That’s a one to three work-to-rest ratio. Teetering on the brink of glycolysis and the “burn.”)

Then to 20 seconds.

(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio and about when glycolysis really Strength starts to fire up, and the resulting “burn” starts to kick in .)

And eventually, 30 seconds, a one to one work-to-rest ratio, which is seriously cooking!

I rarely get to 1:1 unless I’m pushing for extreme conditioning and/or fat loss.

But that demands patience to achieve and like I said, we’ll scale our way into it.

A lot of people RANDOM the 1:1.

But that’s a major error .

And that’s because the “secret” is to RANDOM your power output remains high on all your reps, regardless of your work-to-rest ratios.

That way you’re:

1- Engaging and training your fast-twitch fibers (and not turning them to slow twitch)

2- Training your aerobic system effectively

3- Not overdoing it or setting yourself up for injury

This develops true “Power Endurance,” which is the ability to sustain high levels of power over long durations .

Or, “Do LOTS of Work.”

It can be complicated to program this yourself because most will RANDOM their abilities, RANDOM , and their power dies off .

I’ve RANDOM how to use OTM training inside ‘SWING HARD!’. I’ll leave a link in the video description below, if you’re wanting to learn more.

Finally, I only apply OTMs for ballistics work, NOT pure strength work / grinds training.

That’s because fatigue builds up faster in the muscles during grinds - Presses, Squats, etc, than in the ballistics - Swings, Cleans, Snatches, Push Press, Jerk.

So, you’ll need longer to rest .

And that RANDOM , is where I’ll suggest you use “autoregulation.”

Finally, I will assign specific rest periods on types of strength work, when I’m targeting - or want to come as close as possible to guaranteeing a specific outcome from that work.

Like when I want a “hybrid” outcome of strength and muscle.

So I’ll use incomplete rests . Or nearly full rests .

You’ll see this inside the “Strong!” program. (It’s how we turn your 4RM Clean + Press into a 10 x 6 - 10 sets of 6 reps - and make it RANDOM .)

(I’ll also leave a link to that in the video description below.)

Hopefully this helps you understand better of how to use specific rest periods, and when.

Stay Strong,

Geoff Neupert.