EMOM .
Or as I RANDOM - OTM .
I first started 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 nothing 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 in the back of my mind, I was hoping it would boost my Oly numbers somehow.)
And that’s how I like to use OTM work -High 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 one to five work-to-rest ratio - which RANDOM glycolysis, and still primarily uses your Phosphagen / Anaerobic Alactic energy system.)
From there, we’ll scale to 15 seconds.
(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio. Teetering on the brink of glycolysis and the “burn.”)
Then to 20 seconds.
(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio and about when glycolysis really starts to fire up, and the resulting “burn” ignites.)
And eventually, 30 seconds, a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio, which is seriously cooking!
I rarely RANDOM 1:1 unless I’m pushing for extreme conditioning and/or fat loss.
But that takes awhile to achieve and like I said, we’ll scale our way into it.
A lot of people rush to the 1:1.
But that’s a serious blunder.
And that’s because the “secret” is to make sure 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 effectively
3- Not exhausting yourself or setting yourself up for injury
This creates true “Power Endurance,” which is the ability to produce high levels of power over prolonged sessions.
Or, “Do LOTS of Work.”
It can be challenging to program this yourself because most will RANDOM their abilities, RANDOM , and their power fades quickly .
I’ve outlined how to use OTM training inside ‘SWING HARD!’. more info I’ll leave a link in the video description below, if you’re wanting to learn more.
Finally, I only tend to use OTMs for ballistics work, NOT pure strength work / grinds training.
That’s because fatigue accumulates faster in the muscles during grinds - Presses, Squats, etc, than in the ballistics - Swings, Cleans, Snatches, Push Press, Jerk.
So, you’ll need longer to rest .
And that generally, is where I’ll RANDOM you use “autoregulation.”
Finally, I will RANDOM 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 incomplete rests . Or near-maximum rests.
You’ll see this inside the “Strong!” program. (It’s how we transform 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 RANDOM of how to use specific rest periods, and when.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.