‘EMOM Strong’ Method To Add Strength and Muscle Every Week

Let’s cut to the chase, whether you want to build strength, add muscle or do both— you have to give your body a good reason change. Whether it’s more weight on the bar, more reps in a set or more sets in a session, you need to be forcing your muscles to work harder, progressively and consistently.

Most of us know this intuitively, but when it comes time to put it into action it can be as confusing as it is frustrating, from jumping up in weight to soon and not being able perform half the amount of reps, to finding yourself stuck with the same two dumbbells for months on end, seeing no progress in the gym, or in the mirror. What you need is a method that allows you to push towards clear cut goals, week in, week out.

That’s where the ‘EMOM Strong’ method comes in.

Add Strength and Gain Muscle, on the Clock

Standing for ‘Every Minute On the Minute’, CrossFitters and functional fitness aficionados are no strangers to this time-based technique, which simply sees you performing the prescribed work in your training programme at the beginning of each minute, then resting for the remainder. You might work every minute, you might work every other minute, you might alternate movements throughout or stick to just one, either way – you start moving when the clock says so, there’s nothing more to think about.

The ‘EMOM Strong’ method takes this protocol and combines it with big lifts, clear and decisive rep goals and a weekly challenge go one set further, resulting in more weight on the bar and more muscle on your frame.

How Do I Get EMOM Strong?

You’re going to pick 3-4 main ‘compound’ lifts to perform at the beginning of each workout across the week. After a thorough warm-up you’re going to load up your bar or grab a set of dumbbells that you know you can perform 5 reps with, but no more than 8-10, and hit ‘go’ on your clock. Next, you’ll perform 5 reps, then rest for the remainder of the minute and all of the next minute. At ‘2.00’ on the clock you’ll perform another five reps then rest, going again at 4.00, 6.00 and then finally, on the 8.00 minute mark, you’ll perform as many reps high quality reps as possible in one set.

In your rest periods, make a note of whether or not you managed to hit your five rep target in the previous set, as well as how many reps you managed in your final effort. If you managed 5 sets of 5 reps across the board, next week you’re going to up the ante and aim for 6 reps in each set, following the same ‘on the clock’ protocol. Keep adding a rep each week until you can perform 10 reps across all of your sets, then up the weights and reset to 5 reps in the following week.

In just 5-6 weeks you will have managed to double the amount of work you’re performing with the same weight, these types of improvements are not to be sniffed at and with the rest of your program in line and in coordination with a solid recovery and nutritional scheme, you’re sure to see gains the mirror, not long after they’re noted in your training diary.

Don’t worry if you fail to hit your goal reps on any given week, just try again the following week. Even a single additional rep across all of your sets is still progress, so jot it down in your log-book, keep confident in the fact you’re moving forward and trust the process.

Top tip: Try to just use one main compound lift such as a squat, deadlift or overhead press, each day, at the beginning of your session when you’re freshest, before moving into the rest of your training. If you want to use the ‘EMOM Strong’ technique for your other, smaller lifts, go ahead! Try experimenting with higher reps, working from 10 to 15 reps over the week before resetting, and even consider working back and forth between two movements, such as dips and biceps curls, on alternate minutes, doubling up on the gains, or try some of the example workouts below.

EMOM Strong Full-Body Training Plan

Try this three-day plan that incorporates the EMOM Strong method into three, full-body workouts. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different lifts and strategies that suit your lifestyle and goals – just ensure you’re following the EMOM Strong principles and adding reps each week.

Day 1

A. Front squat x EMOM STRONG, work from 5-10 reps across weeks

With your feet at shoulder-width, secure a barbell across the top of your chest, or a pair of dumbbells atop your shoulders. (A). Take a deep breath, maintain an upright torso and push your hips back, slowly squatting until the crease of your hips dips below the height of your knees (B). Stand back up explosively, exhaling as you go and repeat. Perform five sets, working every other minute, aiming to hit your target reps for that week each set, before performing a max effort set in the final minute.

Work back and forth between the following two movements in alternating minutes, for ten minutes. Once you can perform 10 reps across all sets, aim for 11 in the following week, then 12 etc… once you can perform sets of 15 for both movements, add weight.

B1. Dips x 10-15

Jump up on two parallel bars or gymnastics rings with your palms facing inward and your arms straight (A). Use two boxes or the backs of two sturdy chairs if you’re at home. Slowly lower until you feel a deep stretch in your chest (B). Drive yourself back up explosively ensuring your elbows don’t flare outward and repeat.

B2. Bent Over Row x 10- 15

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Grab a set of dumbbells and hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor, bells hanging at your shins (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your pockets (B), squeeze hard in this position and lower under control to the start before repeating.

Break up the following two movements any way you like, but aim to complete all 100 reps before moving on to the next movement. Each week aim to complete all reps in progressively fewer sets. Add weight once you can perform all 100 reps in sets of 20 with minimal rest.

C. Push-up on dumbbells x 100

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Assume a long arm plank position, with your core tight and, hands below your shoulders stacked on top of your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.

D. Alternating reverse lunge x 100

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Hold a pair of dumbbells with straight arms by your sides, or use just use your bodyweight (A). Keeping your chest up at all times, take a step backward with one leg, bending your front knee until the back knee touches the ground (B). Stand up explosively, pause and repeat with the other leg. Complete 100 total reps (50 on each leg)

Day 2

A. Push Press with tempo eccentric x EMOM STRONG, work from 5-10 reps across weeks

Clean a set of dumbbells or a barbell onto your shoulders, palms facing in. Take a breath and brace your core. (A) Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (B) explosively press your dumbbells overhead. Once you’re locked out overhead slowly lower back to your shoulders over 3-4 seconds. If you cannot maintain the slow eccentric, do not count the rep.

B1. Dumbbell hang cleans x 10-15

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Stand up and hold your dumbbells at your side. Hinge at the hips to lower them to your knees (A). Stand back up explosively, almost with a slight jump, using the momentum to pull the dumbbells on to your shoulders (B). Stand up straight, then lower under control to your sides and repeat.

B2. Box step-up x 10-15

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Stand in front of a box, with your feet hip-width apart, dumbbells at your sides (A). Step one foot up on top and drive your foot into the box. Lean forward slightly to keep your balance, but keep your torso upright (B). Once at the top, stand up fully by extending your knees and hips. Slowly step backward off the box and repeat with the opposite leg.

C. Renegade rows x 100

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Create a strong plank with both hands on your dumbbells (A). Shifting your weight onto your left hand, row the right dumbbell towards your hip (B). Pause briefly, then lower the weight under control. Repeat on your left side. Continue in this fashion, alternating arms.

D. Hanging leg raises x 100

Hang from a bar (A). Focussing on contracting your abs hard, slowly lift your feet into the air, keeping your legs straight until they’re parallel to the ground (B). Slowly lower your feet, but don’t let them swing back behind you. Repeat.

Day 3

A. Deadlift x EMOM STRONG, work from 5-10 reps across week

Use a barbell, hex-bar or dumbbells — whatever feels more comfortable for your body. Hinge down and grip them with a flat back and neutral spine, getting your hips low (A). Take a deep breath, create tension throughout your entire and stand upright, ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet (B). Your arms should be hanging straight throughout this movement, you don’t want to ‘pull’ on the bar, think of them as ‘hooks’.

B1. Dumbbell bench press x 10-15

Lay flat on a bench, your knees bent, pushing your feet into the floors. Press a pair of dumbbells into the air, locking out your elbows (A). Lower the bells slowly until they touch your chest (B) keep your elbows from flaring, pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.

B2. Alternating forward lunge x 10-20

Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells or just using your bodyweight (A). Keeping your chest up at all times, take a step forward with one leg, bending the at the knee until the back knee touches the ground (B). Stand up explosively, pause and repeat with the other leg. Complete 10 total reps (5 on each leg) and aim to build this to 20 total across the weeks.

C. Tricep extensions x 100

Lay flat on a bench of the floor with a pair of dumbbells locked out overhead (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the bells towards your head, whilst keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bells touching the bench (B) before pressing back up explosively. Repeat.

D. Bicep curl x 100

Stand tall with your dumbbells at your sides, your palms facing towards you (A). With minimal momentum, curl both of your dumbbells upwards, turning your palms in, until your little fingers are near your shoulders (B). Squeeze here and lower the weights under control taking a 2-3 second count to bring them down, then repeat.

Andrew Tracey

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.

You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.