EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute — a workout format where you perform a set amount of work at the top of each minute and rest for whatever time remains. This Physical Friday I break down one of my favorite training structures. It needs nothing but a clock, it scales from beginner to advanced by changing one number, and the format itself keeps you honest, because the next minute is coming whether you are ready or not.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute. You start a running clock, perform a set amount of work at the top of each minute, and rest for whatever time remains in that minute. When the next minute starts, you go again. It is one of the simplest and most effective workout formats there is, and it needs nothing but a clock.
Pick a movement and a rep count — say 10 burpees — and a total length, say 10 minutes. At minute zero you do 10 burpees, rest until the clock hits 1:00, do 10 more, and repeat every minute until time runs out. Finish the reps faster and you earn more rest; slow down and the rest disappears, which keeps you honest.
The clock enforces pacing and density. You cannot sandbag, because the next minute starts whether you are ready or not, and the built-in rest lets you hold higher quality across every round than a straight grind would. It also makes progress measurable: the same EMOM feeling easier, or supporting more reps per minute, is proof your fitness improved.
Absolutely — EMOM is one of the most scalable formats there is. A beginner might do 5 air squats every minute for 8 minutes, while an advanced athlete does 15 burpees every minute for 20. Choose a rep count you can finish in about 30 to 40 seconds, leaving real rest, and add reps or minutes as you improve.
Burpees, pushups, air squats, situps, and running all slot straight in. Try 10 minutes alternating 10 pushups on odd minutes and 15 squats on even minutes, or a 12-minute EMOM of 8 burpees. The format pairs perfectly with the zero-equipment movements I share on Physical Friday, so travel is never an excuse.
Here is the format exactly as I lay it out in this episode.
I walk through each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
It does not negotiate. In an EMOM, slowing down does not buy you a break — it steals your rest, since the next round starts on schedule regardless. That single mechanism enforces pacing better than any amount of willpower. I explain how the format changes the way you attack each round in the episode, so press play above.
Change one number. Fewer reps per minute, fewer total minutes, or an easier movement, and the same structure serves a beginner and a competitor alike. The target is finishing each round with real rest left, around 20 to 30 seconds, then nudging the difficulty as that gets comfortable. I give starting points for different levels in the player above.
It is the connective tissue. The burpees, pushups, squats, and runs from earlier episodes all slot directly into the EMOM structure, which means one clock turns a handful of zero-equipment movements into an endless library of workouts for boats, lodges, and hotel rooms. I share my favorite combinations in the episode above.
EMOM · every minute on the minute · burpees · pushups · air squats · pacing · interval training · zero-equipment workouts · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the workouts, fitness challenges, and mindset lessons that keep me ready for long days on the water, so guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen can stay strong and stay in the game for life.
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