Full disclosure: I love Jason Khalipa. #mancrush
I mean, who doesn’t? In my opinion, Jason’s the “OG” of CrossFit. He was crowned champion at the CrossFit Games in 2008 and has been a staple at the top of the Games leaderboard ever since.
He runs an extremely successful group of gyms under the NC Fit umbrella, and like me, he’s a loving father. A few months ago, he started a new workout regime on Instagram called “EMOM of the Day”.
EMOM – Every Minute On the Minute
What does this mean? It means that at the start of every minute, for a prescribed number of minutes, you do a certain amount of work. You then have 60 seconds to complete that work until you start again. Here’s an example:
In this workout, starting at :00, you jump on the rower and start rowing until you hit 20 calories. If you finish this task at :45, you then get 15 seconds of rest. At the 1:00 mark, you then do 15 burpees. You continue that pattern until you hit the time limit. In this case it is 20 minutes, so you are basically doing 10 sets of each exercise in an alternating pattern. Not all EMOMs are 1 minute. You could do 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off. It all depends on the workout for that day.
I took a crack at the programming for EMOM of the Day and here is what I’ve learned:
1. The workouts that are programmed are no joke and are not for beginners.
For example, this workout — 10 push-ups on 35-pound dumbbells, 10 push presses with the same dumbbells, and 10 air squats every minute for 15 minutes — laid me out pretty good. If you do the math, that is one movement every two seconds for 15 minutes.
Ouch.
And this wasn’t an unusual workout by any means; all of these workouts crank your heart rate up and have you pouring sweat in buckets. That is what you are signing up for.
2. You need experience with complex barbell movements.
While some of the workouts are pretty straight-forward, like 14 minutes alternating between 20 push-ups and 45 air squats, others contain more complex barbell movements like thrusters and overhead squats. If you are a beginner and aren’t experienced with these movements (particularly at high intensities), you shouldn’t attempt these workouts.
3. A fitness background that includes CrossFit is helpful, if not a requirement.
You also need to have access to a gym or a CrossFit affiliate that has bumper plates and allows overhead lifting. Some of the workouts are variations of core CrossFit WODs (workout of the day) and it is helpful to know what they are. Others include equipment like rings, ropes, and an Assault Bike or Airdyne.
4. You probably need to scale the workouts.
Unless you are Jason Khalipa, or an elite-level functional fitness athlete, most of these workouts will need to be scaled. Here is an example:
First, you are going to need to do this workout in a gym or box that has rings. If you are lucky enough to have rings, you’re going to need to be able to do a ring muscle-up. That’s not not an easy movement. But to make matters worse, after completing four ring muscle-ups, you need to drop to the floor, pick up a bar, get it to your back, and do high-rep back squats. Trust me: those ten minutes felt like ten hours.
5. It’s great for road warriors.
If you travel a lot, this is a great set of programming to have in your back pocket when you’re trying to figure out how to work out in a hotel gym.
6. I absolutely loved it.
This is a great program. I’m going to be honest, I’ve been doing CrossFit for around 7 years and I needed to scale almost all of the workouts I did on this program. I’m not an elite athlete, but I can hold my own, and these workouts hurt me (in a good way). Is this a program for everyone? Certainly not. But if you love fitness and are looking for a quick way to get a workout in, and be drenched in sweat afterward, the EMOM of the day is some solid programming.
The Takeaway
There is a lot to like about Jason Khalipa and similarly there is a lot to like about this EMOM of the Day program. Is it tough? Yes. Is it going to get you fit? Yes. It is going to increase your back squat 20 pounds? Likely not, but that shouldn’t be why you are doing this program.
I’ve modified these EMOMs to serve as a good warm-up prior to morning classes and something I do on-the-go while I’m traveling for work. This Instagram account is definitely worth the follow for fitness and CrossFit enthusiasts alike.
Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Featured image via @jasonkhalipa and @rpmfitness on Instagram.
