An alternate EMOM workout means every minute on the minute you start a new exercise, switching between two movements on alternating minutes, so you get intense work followed by a short built-in rest. In this Physical Friday, coming to you from the RRL, my garage gym, I show you how to size each exercise to 35 to 45 seconds of fresh work, how to run it solo or as a two-person team, and why this format needs almost no equipment.
Watch now: press play on the video above and follow along.
EMOM stands for every minute on the minute. You start a set amount of work at the top of every minute, and whatever time is left after you finish is your rest. If 15 burpees takes you 30 seconds, you rest 30 seconds and start again at the top of the next minute. It builds intensity automatically because the clock never stops.
An alternate EMOM uses two exercises instead of one. You start at the top of each minute, but every other minute you switch to the second exercise. Minute one might be 25 push-ups, minute two a shuttle run, minute three back to push-ups, and so on for the duration you choose. You get variety, built-in rest, and a format that works with almost any equipment or none at all.
Test each exercise while you are fresh and find the amount of work you can finish comfortably in about 35 to 45 seconds. If you can do 25 push-ups in 35 seconds fresh, that is your push-up number. Then the challenge becomes holding that same pace as you fatigue across ten or more minutes. That is what turns a simple format into a serious conditioning workout.
With two people, one partner does the first exercise while the other does the second, and you switch at the top of each minute. If you finish your 25 push-ups in 30 seconds, you have 30 seconds to get to the next station; your partner might take 45 seconds on the run and have 15 seconds to move. It is a clean format for training with a buddy using one set of equipment.
As little as you have. Push-ups and shuttle runs in your driveway need nothing at all. One dumbbell or kettlebell at home opens up dozens of pairings. With a full setup we have done 15 row calories paired with 15 burpees, or 15 calories each on the bike, ski erg, and rower. Weightlifting, gymnastics movements, running, rowing, and skiing all fit the format.
Pick a duration that matches the work: nine minutes, ten minutes, or eighteen minutes are all formats we use. The test is whether you can hold your fresh pace the whole way. If you did the work in 30 seconds on minute one, try to still be doing it in 30 seconds on the final minute. Intense work followed by a little bit of rest, repeated, is the whole point.
Here is the exact process I use to set up an alternate EMOM, whether I am in the driveway with nothing or in the gym with full equipment.
Two of my recent favorites: 15 row calories alternating with 15 burpees, and a three-machine version with 15 calories each on bike, skier, and rower.
I am sitting in the RRL, which is my gym. It is not really a gym, it is a garage, and honestly not much of the work even gets done in there. It gets done right out in the driveway, outdoors, which is where I like to train. The point is that you do not need a lot of equipment or a fancy space to get exceptionally fit, and the alternate EMOM is proof. I show you the setup in the episode, so press play above.
I have been doing alternate EMOMs almost daily for the past week or so. What hooks me is the math of it: intense work followed by a little bit of rest, over and over, with the clock holding you accountable every sixty seconds. There is no negotiating with an EMOM. The top of the minute arrives whether you are ready or not, and holding your fresh pace deep into the workout is a genuine test. I talk through what it feels like in the episode, so press play above.
A lot of gyms are still closed right now, and plenty of people are training with whatever is at home: one dumbbell, one kettlebell, or nothing at all. The alternate EMOM does not care. Push-ups and driveway shuttle runs make a complete workout. One dumbbell turns into dozens of pairings. I list the exact workouts I have been doing in the episode and in the show notes, so press play above.
I will put the workouts we did in this format in the show notes, and you can check them out or build your own. The recipe is simple: two exercises, each sized to 45 seconds of fresh work, paired for ten minutes. I would genuinely like to see what you come up with, and maybe I will try yours here at the RRL. Email me at podcast@saltwaterexperience.com. Press play above for the full breakdown.
The alternate EMOM might be the most flexible format I know. It scales to any fitness level, any equipment situation, and any amount of time, and it works just as well solo as it does with a partner calling out the switch.
Test your fresh pace, set the clock, and see if you can hold that pace for ten minutes. Then email me at podcast@saltwaterexperience.com and tell me what you built. Press play above and I will walk you through the whole thing.
EMOM · every minute on the minute · alternate EMOM · the RRL · push-ups · shuttle runs · burpees · row calories · ski erg · assault bike · kettlebell · dumbbell workouts · team workouts · Physical Friday · Saltwater Experience
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. Physical Friday is the podcast's weekly fitness series, where I share the workouts, training formats, and mindset lessons that keep guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong enough to do what they love for life.
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