For a while I was obsessed with EMOM drills for interval training at my bootcamp sessions. I really like getting clients to work hard and then take a rest rather than just making them do a minute or two minutes of the same exercise.

I find they work harder and it keeps things more interesting for them.

This partner drill give the opportunity for pairs to give each other two high fives each round as they pass each other!

The EMOM Pyramid

Get clients into pairs of similar fitness levels.

Set up two lines using cones 20m apart. On one line clients will do push ups on the other line clients will do jump squats (squats for first time campers).

Set a timer for 1 minute.

One person in the pair starts on the push ups, the other on squats. Inside the minute they both need to complete one set of both exercises and return to their starting point ready for the next minute/set.

• Partner A will start with 14 push ups then run 20m to the squat line and do 1 jump squat. Then they will run back to the push up line and rest for the remainder of the minute.
• Partner B will start with 1 jump squat then run 20m to the push up line and do 14 push ups. Then they will run back to the squat line and rest for the remainder of the minute.

Each minute the number of push ups decreases by 1 rep (14,13,12,11,…) and the number of squats increases by 1 rep (1,2,3,4,5,…). Keep going for 14 rounds until the number of push ups is 1 and the number of squats 14.

To help keep track the total number of reps is always 15.

If one person in the pair fails to complete the number of exercises inside the minute the pair must finish their round and then sit out the next round doing 30 star jumps. This is great for less fit pairs as it gives them a chance to catch their breath.

Use harder push up variations for fitter clients.

The drill takes 15 minutes to complete.

You can repeat this drill again with another pair of exercises, although I would save that for another workout as EMOM can get repetitive fast. Add a cardio based circuit after this drill for a well rounded workout.

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New freebie coming:

Now I’m feeling more settled in back in Melbourne, I’m working on a new free bonus for email subscribers.

It’s bigger than any other freebies I’ve offered before so it’s taking me a little longer to get it all together. I can tell you though that it will have 3 weeks of awesome ideas and tips.

Also, thanks to Zoe, Lindsey and Ruth for coming out to our Melbourne Bootcamp Ideas meetup. It’s great to be back in a town that loves outdoor fitness and has some of the kindest and enthusiastic trainers around. If you are in Melbourne (Australia guys… not Florida), come join our Facebook group to find out about the next meet up.

– Kyle

Kyle Wood

Kyle Wood created Bootcamp Ideas in 2010 when he was hunting around on the internet for workout ideas. He ran a successful bootcamp in Victoria, Australia and spends his spare time managing this site, adventuring (or lazying) with his wife and find new ways to make bootcamps even better.