Every minute on the minute — finish the work, and whatever's left of the minute is yours
EMOM Engine
- HIIT
- Mixed ability
- 45 min
- Works for 8–25
- 1 instructor
- Effort 4/5
- Studio floor · one mat space per person
- emom
- intervals
- dumbbells
- pacing
Kit: Mats, one pair of medium dumbbells per member, timer visible to all, water.
Learn the Clock
Setup: Mats down, dumbbells parked at the top corner of each mat, timer where the whole room can see it. Tonight the clock is the coach; you are its translator.
How it works: Three minutes raising the pulse — march, jog, side-steps, arm circles, building each 30 seconds. Then teach the format with a rehearsal EMOM: three minutes where each minute starts with eight slow squats, and the rest of the minute is theirs. Point at what just happened — fast finishers rested longer, steady movers rested enough, and nobody was left behind. That is why EMOM is the fairest format in fitness: the reps are the same, the rest is personal.
What to say
- “The top of the minute is the only appointment you must keep.”
- “Finish the reps, then guard your rest — no bonus reps, rest is the programme.”
- “Pick dumbbells for minute ten, not minute one.”
Easier
Rehearsal squats at five reps, to a bench if needed.
Harder
Rehearsal at working pace to find honest rep timings.
Engine One — Lower Body, 8 Minutes
Setup: Dumbbells beside each mat. Two alternating minutes: odd minutes are 10 goblet squats; even minutes are 12 alternating reverse lunges. Includes two minutes of rest and reset after the EMOM ends.
How it works: Eight minutes on the clock. Odd minutes, 10 goblet squats; even minutes, 12 reverse lunges, six per leg. Coach the pacing story as it unfolds: minutes one to three feel generous, minutes six to eight collect the debt. The mid-block adjustment is the skill you are teaching — anyone finishing with less than 15 seconds spare drops the reps by two, out loud, no shame attached. After minute eight, two full minutes of rest, water and dumbbell swap for anyone who guessed wrong.
Rounds: 8 minutes
What to say
- “Squats: bell close to the chest, elbows down, heels heavy.”
- “Lunges: back knee kisses the floor, front heel does the pushing.”
- “Less than 15 seconds rest means trim two reps — say it to me and do it.”
Easier
8 squats and 8 lunges per minute; bodyweight squats are always available.
Harder
12 squats and 14 lunges — only if minute one leaves 25 seconds spare.
Engine Two — Upper Body, 8 Minutes
Setup: Same mats, same clock. Odd minutes: 10 dumbbell push presses. Even minutes: 12 bent-over rows. Two minutes rest after.
How it works: Eight more minutes. Push presses on odd minutes — small knee dip, drive the bells overhead, lock out quietly. Rows on even minutes — hinge until the chest points at the floor's far edge, pull elbows to pockets. Upper-body EMOMs fail in the shoulders first, so patrol the press: any press that turns into a grinding struggle means lighter bells or eight reps, immediately. Keep reading the room's rest windows and keep the trim-two-reps rule alive.
Rounds: 8 minutes
What to say
- “Press: legs start it, arms finish it, ribs stay down.”
- “Rows: flat back, proud chest, elbows to pockets.”
- “The last press of each minute should look like the first — that's your weight test.”
Easier
8 presses and 10 rows, or press one bell at a time.
Harder
12 presses and 14 rows for anyone with 25 seconds spare.
Engine Three — The Mixer, 6 Minutes
Setup: Dumbbells stay parked — this engine is bodyweight so the pace can rise. Best track of the night on.
How it works: Six-minute EMOM, three moves in rotation: minute one, 12 squat-to-stand reaches; minute two, 8 push-ups plus 8 climbers; minute three, 20 seconds of fast feet plus 10 seconds hold in a low squat — then the cycle repeats. Shorter, snappier work than the first two engines; the coaching is energy now, not correction. Tell them the truth at minute four: two minutes left on the whole workout, and the clock has done all the counting for them. Two minutes easy walking after.
Rounds: 6 minutes
What to say
- “Fast feet fast, low hold low — the contrast is the exercise.”
- “You know your pace by now — start each minute like you'll finish it.”
- “Two minutes left in the whole engine — spend them properly.”
Easier
10 reaches, 6 push-ups from knees plus 6 climbers, fast feet at marching pace.
Harder
Repeat the three-minute cycle with five extra reps on minute one.
Clock Off
Setup: Timer off — say it as you do it, the room will laugh with relief. Bells away first, mats into a loose circle, calm track.
How it works: One minute of walking, then the stretch sequence: quads, hamstrings, chest opener on the floor, child's pose with side reach, deep breathing seated — 45 seconds each. Close the loop on the format: the clock made every decision tonight except one, how honest each minute was, and that one was all theirs. Next week the reps creep up by two.
What to say
- “No more minutes to make — breathe past the top of this one.”
- “Chest opener especially — presses and rows both live there.”
- “Your rest windows are your fitness diary; notice them grow week to week.”
Music: Steady ~128bpm all class — EMOMs need consistency, not drama. The top of every minute is the event; if your timer beeps it, the music just needs to keep the floor warm.
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