EMOM Timer

EMOM stands for Every Minute on the Minute. You pick a rep target, and every time the clock rolls to a new minute, you go. Finish in 40 seconds and you get 20 seconds of rest. Finish in 55 and you get five. The clock doesn’t care either way.

This EMOM timer is set to 10 rounds of 60 seconds, run back to back with no built-in rest phase. That’s intentional. In an EMOM, rest isn’t scheduled. It’s whatever’s left after your reps are done, nothing more. The “work” block on this timer is the minute itself; how much of it turns into rest depends entirely on your pace.

How to run it

Pick reps you can finish in 35-45 seconds when you’re fresh. That buffer matters. If you’re still grinding out the last few reps as the next minute starts, the format breaks down and you’re just doing continuous work with no rest at all. Hit start, do your reps as soon as the numbers flip, rest until the next minute, repeat for all 10 rounds.

If you’re out of gas by round 6 or 7, drop the rep count. An EMOM you can’t hold together for the full 10 minutes isn’t testing your fitness. It’s just testing how fast you can blow up.

Scaling it

Reps, not time, is the lever you pull. Beginners might start with 6-8 reps of something simple, like squats, sit-ups, or a light kettlebell swing, and add reps once 40+ seconds of rest feels easy every round. More advanced lifters can load a barbell movement (power cleans, front squats) at a rep count that keeps every set crisp and technically sound.

A few EMOMs worth trying

• 10 burpees every minute, 10 rounds, a classic gut-check
• Alternating minutes: odd rounds 12 kettlebell swings, even rounds 10 goblet squats
• 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats each minute, a solid test of whether your pacing is honest

Want a fixed rest period instead of “whatever’s left”? The 1 minute interval timer runs 60 seconds of work with a set 15-second break every round. And if you’re stringing an EMOM into a bigger session, the tabata workout guide has ideas for combining formats.