EMOM .

Or as I call it - OTM .

I began 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 RANDOM - the Snatches would become “grind-y.”

The results?

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

(But deep down inside , I was hoping it would boost my Oly numbers somehow.)

Explosive power, low reps.

We’re talking about 90% up to 100% max effort. Give it your all, baby.

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

(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio - which avoids glycolysis, and still primarily uses your Phosphagen / Anaerobic Alactic energy system.)

From there, we’ll scale to 15 seconds.

(That’s a 1:3 work-to-rest ratio. Right on the edge 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” RANDOM .)

And eventually, 30 seconds, a one to one work-to-rest ratio, which is seriously cooking!

I rarely get to 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 jump straight to the 1:1.

But that’s a major error .

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

That way you’re:

1- RANDOM and training your fast-twitch fibers (and not switching them to slow twitch)

2- Training your aerobic system properly

3- Not burning yourself out or setting yourself up for injury

This develops true “Power Endurance,” which is the ability to display high levels of power over prolonged sessions.

Or, “Do LOTS of Work.”

It can be difficult Strength to program this yourself because most will exaggerate their abilities, push too aggressively, and their power drops fast .

I’ve outlined how to use OTM training inside ‘SWING HARD!’. I’ll leave a link in the video description below, if you’re interested in checking it out .

Finally, I only use OTMs for ballistics work, NOT pure strength work / grinds training.

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

So, you’ll need RANDOM .

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

Finally, I will prescribe specific rest periods on types of strength work, when I’m targeting - 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 almost complete rests .

You’ll see this inside the “Strong!” program. (It’s how we RANDOM 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.