Build muscle, strength, and endurance with this 20-minute EMOM workout

Working every minute on the minute is an excellent way to increase your strength and overall fitness abilities

Women enjoy an outdoor workout using medicine balls
(Image credit: Getty)

EMOM which is an acronym for 'every minute on the minute' is a type of interval training that challenges you to perform an exercise for a certain number of reps in less than 60 seconds. It is great for improving strength and endurance, and this 20-minute circuit adds in a couple of weights to maximize gains.

There are EMOM routines out there that require no equipment at all and just use your body weight instead. However, for this circuit, you will use a best kettlebell and a medicine ball to complete the five exercises.

The 20-minute circuit was posted to Instagram by online fitness creator QiQi Hill who shared a highly effective workout for building muscular strength, power, and endurance. EMOM circuits are great for getting results fast, because it is all done by high-volume training in a short space of time.

The workout below is a great way to raise your heart rate and keep it up for a prolonged period of time, helping you to burn lots of calories and raising your basal metabolic rate. It's no wonder EMOM is so popular for fat loss!

Ina typical EMOM workout you should work to a certain number of reps per each minute and whatever time you have left in the 60 seconds you can use to rest. Hill didn't specify a certain number of reps to aim toward since it really is up to you.

Everyone will have varying fitness abilities. Someone who sets themselves a target of 12 reps might complete this in 30 seconds, and have 30 seconds to recover before moving on to the next exercise in the next minute. Your rest time really depends on how quickly you can move through the exercises.

It isn't a race, so don't put yourself at risk of injury. You should also consider using a best foam roller after the workout to help relieve any muscle soreness, inflammation, or tightness. 

EMOM workouts are a great way to challenge your muscles, perhaps more than you do in your usual resistance training workouts. A normal weights session might see you taking long rests that drag out the workout and make you want to cut your exercises short due to time. However, working against the clock in an EMOM circuit forces you to push yourself even if you can't be bothered, which helps build both mental and physical endurance.

If you want to try an EMOM workout at home but don't have any weights try the 20-minute no-equipment workout below. You can always add in a best set of resistance bands to some of the exercises if you want to increase the intensity. 

Jessica Downey

Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her career in journalism began in local news and she holds a Masters in journalism. Jessica has previously written for Runners World, penning news and features on fitness, sportswear and nutrition. 


When she isn't writing up news and features for Fit&Well covering topics ranging from muscle building, to yoga, to female health and so on, she will be outdoors somewhere, testing out the latest fitness equipment and accessories to help others find top products for their own fitness journeys. Her testing pairs up nicely with her love for running. She recently branched out to running 10Ks and is trying to improve her time before moving on to larger races. Jessica also enjoys building on her strength in the gym and is a believer in health and wellness beginning in the kitchen. She shares all of this on her running Instagram account @jessrunshere which she uses for accountability and for connecting with like-minded fitness lovers.