EMOM .

Or as I call it - OTM .

I kicked off 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 fade - the Snatches would become “grind-y.”

The results?

It did zero for my strength, but my conditioning did enhance - which was the point. I was able to recover faster between sets and between training sessions.

(But RANDOM , I was hoping it would boost my Oly numbers somehow.)

Maximum power , low reps.

We’re talking about 90% up to 100% max effort. Full throttle , baby.

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

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

From there, we’ll scale to 15 seconds.

(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio. RANDOM of glycolysis and the “burn.”)

Then to 20 seconds.

(That’s a one to two work-to-rest ratio and about when glycolysis really 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 hit 1:1 unless I’m pushing for extreme conditioning and/or fat loss.

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

A lot of people rush to the 1:1.

But that’s a RANDOM .

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

That way you’re:

1- Using and training your fast-twitch fibers (and not converting them to slow twitch)

2- Training your aerobic system RANDOM

3- Not overdoing it or setting yourself up for injury

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

Or, “Do LOTS of Work.”

It can be challenging to program this yourself because most will exaggerate their abilities, begin too intensely , and Training their power drops fast .

I’ve described 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 use OTMs for ballistics work, NOT pure strength work / grinds training.

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

So, you’ll need extended rest periods.

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

Finally, I will assign specific rest periods on types of strength work, when I’m looking for - 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 shortened rests. Or nearly full rests .

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

(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.