3 EMOM Workout Ideas

If you’ve read our article about EMOM workouts, you might be ready to try incorporating them into your fitness goals and routine. Considering their huge range of benefits—like improving cardio, strength training, and endurance—we don’t blame you. 

We’ve designed 3 EMOM workout ideas just for you: a beginner workout consisting of 5 reps of 3 exercises for 3 rounds; an intermediate workout with 5 rounds of 5 exercises for 7 reps each; and an advanced version that includes 7 rounds of 7 exercises for 10 reps each. Remember, the key to EMOM training is setting a one-minute timer for each round, completing your reps within that time limit, and then using the leftover seconds for recovery. 

Feel free to adjust these workouts to your personal needs and ability.; If you’re new to EMOM-style exercises and can only do one round of the beginner workout, that’s great! Starting small and growing as you develop your skills is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with this type of exercise. Alternatively, if you’re advanced and looking to push yourself even harder, you can up the reps. 

In these EMOM workout ideas, beginners typically start off with just their body weight. However, as you advance and develop more strength, you can begin to incorporate weights and resistance. Make sure you understand and can apply correct form when using weights. 

Beginner 3×5

Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are a simple movement that begins by standing with your feet together and your hands at your sides (position 1) and ends with your body in a big  X shape (position 2) with your arms and legs stretched out from your core. Jump from position 1 to position 2—bonus points if you clap your hands at the top—and so on and so forth until you’re thoroughly warmed up or out of breath.

Knee Push-Ups

Laying flat with your stomach on the floor, place your hands flat and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. With your knees bent and core engaged, squeeze your glutes, lower belly, and abs. Press into your palms so that your body lifts until your elbows are in full extension. Your weight should be at your palms and knees. Maintain a tight core so that your body is flat and straight. If your elbows hyperextend, keep a slight microbend the whole time. With core control, slowly lower your body until your elbows bend to a 90-degree angle, then repeat. 

Standing Squat

Begin standing straight with your feet positioned little more than hips-width apart, and your toes slightly pointed outward. With your back straight and core engaged, bend your knees and lower towards the ground. Lower down until your knees are bent at 90 degrees, keeping your back straight and head up, and return to start

Intermediate 5×7

Jumping Jack Burpees 

The two basic components of a burpee are a push-up and a jumping jack. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hinge at the hips until your hands can reach the ground (also shoulder-width apart) and jump your feet out behind you so that you land in a high plank. From here, do a push-up. After the push-up, jump your feet back toward your hands and use the energy from your feet to propel your body back up into a jumping jack. The entire jumping-jack-to-push-up-and-back counts as 1 jumping jack burpee. 

(Assisted) Pull-Ups 

Grip a pull-up bar with your palms facing forward and placed slightly wider than shoulder-width distance apart. You can use either an assisted pull-up machine or a regular bar with your feet hooked into a resistance band that’s tied to the bar. Engaging your arms, back, and core muscle groups, pull up until your chin reaches the bar and slowly lower down before repeating. 

Lunges 

Stand up straight with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. Lift your right foot and take a big step forward. Land on your right heel first and keep your core engaged. Lower your left knee down as your front leg bends, attempting to keep your front knee at a 90-degree angle. If your front knee extends past your front toes, you need to take a bigger step.  Now you basically do this in reverse until you’re back at the starting position. Press back while engaging your core and then repeat with your other foot; each set of two counts as one rep.

Bicep Curls

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell with an underhand grip with your arm at your side. Bend at the elbow so that your arm curls up towards your chest, and then slowly and with control, return your arm back to its original starting point. Try to keep your elbow positioned next to your rib cage throughout the entire curl. Repeat on the other side.

Tricep Dips

If dip bars aren’t in your wheelhouse, we recommend using a bench or chair for a supported tricep dip. The movement is simple: put your hands on the front edge of the bench or chair with the back of your fingers facing forwards.  Begin with straight arms. Put your legs out in front of the chair, either bent (this is a more supported variation) or straight (less-supported and more difficult). Ensure your lower back almost touches the chair and use your triceps to lower your body toward the floor, hinging at the elbows. Once the angle of your elbows reach 90 degrees, press back up.

Advanced 7×10

Power Clean

Set up a barbell according to your strength (become comfortable with a power clean with extremely light weight). You should not do this exercise for the first time in a fast-paced EMOM workout routine. Bend down with your feet hip-width apart. The bar should be about an inch away from your shins. Grab the bar on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart in an overhand grip. 

Put your weight in your heels, keep your chest up, and tighten your core. Pull your shoulder blades together throughout the exercise; don’t let your posture break. 

Next, you’re going to pull the bar up to knee height, maintaining that posture. Keep your lower back very slightly arched, and make sure you’re lifting with all of those strong core and leg muscles (not with the muscles in your back). 

Once you’ve reached knee height, the explosive movement comes in: you’re going to physically jump as high as you can (while holding a weight, this will probably only be an inch or two) while shrugging your shoulders and bending your elbows to bring the bar up through space in a vertical line. Like the initial lift, make sure you’re using your core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves (and NOT your back!). 

When the bar has moved as high in space as it will go, you’re going to bend your knees just enough to scoop the bar onto the shelf of your shoulders and collar bone by shooting your elbows forward in front of you. The bottoms of your arms should end up parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get). Stand up tall from that slightly bent position you entered to catch the bar.

Roll the bar down off your shoulders, carefully catch it in a standing position, and move it back to the floor to go again. This should be one big fluid motion.

Burpees

Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Bend down at the hips and knees to place your hands on the ground at shoulder-width apart. Press into your palms and  jump your feet out, landing in a push-up position, then do a push-up! To return to standing, you’ll jump your feet back up towards your hands and explode through your feet straight up into a jump.  

Bench Press

Load the bar on a bench press to a weight that you know you can do 10 reps of. Lay under the bar with your shoulders sitting directly under the bar. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and lift the bar out of its holding position.with control, lower the bar to your chest, and then push back up.

Push-Ups

Laying flat with your stomach on the floor, place your palms flat along the same line as your shoulders and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Curl your toes underneath your feet and engage your core, squeezing your glutes, lower belly, and abs. Press into your palms and the balls of your feet, lifting your body until your elbows are in full extension. Maintain a strong core so that your spine is as straight as possible If your elbows hyperextend, keep a slight microbend the whole time. With core control, slowly lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, then push back up and repeat. 

Tricep Kickbacks

If a bench is available to you, position your body by bringing one leg up onto the bench. Your knee, calf, and foot should press into the bench while your other leg stands to the side of the bench on the floor. If your left knee is on the bench, press your left palm into the bench as well. Hold a light dumbbell in your right palm. From here, you’ll lift your right arm up so that your upper arm is parallel to your upper body (almost 90 degrees with the floor). 

If a bench is not available to use, stagger your feet beneath you for support and hinge forward at the hips so your core is almost 90 degrees with the floor. Hold the dumbbell with whichever hand is opposite to the foot that is further forward. 

With a light dumbbell in your hand, start with a 90-degree bend in your elbow and press the weight back until your arm is fully extended. Now, while in a bent-over position, extend your elbow joint against the resistance and repeat. The triceps kickback is all about extending the elbow joint against resistance slowly and with minimal weight.

Single-Leg Squat

The name speaks for the movement—with a chair or bench behind you in case you fall, stand on one leg and squat until your glutes tap the chair and rise back up. It helps to hold your arms farther out in front of you to maintain balance, but don’t let this pull your torso down (your form should be as close to your regular squat as you can get it). 

V-Ups

Start by laying flat on your back with your legs together and extending flat on the floor and arms reaching straight up overhead, covering your ears. The idea here is to use your core to lift your legs and torso into that V shape with just your seat on the floor. 

The most challenging part is keeping your back flat and legs straight throughout the movement; working your upper and lower body simultaneously into a balancing position is a huge challenge. Once you reach the top with your legs at about 45 degrees and your hands reaching toward your feet, like the shape of a “V,” lie back down with control by engaging your muscles. 

Now, all that’s left to do is get into the gym (or a nice open area at home) and get to work!