If you’ve never performed EMOM – Every Minute On The Minute supersets you are in for a real treat today.
Whether your goal is to get stronger, build muscle, or get shredded for the upcoming beach season, adding this EMOM superset to your workout regime will deliver your desired outcome.
Here’s how it works…
1. Select a weight that you could perform 7-8 reps for both the squat and chin-up.
If you can’t perform 7-8 chin-ups with your body weight, you can either use an assisted chin-up machine or a resistance band.
If you can perform more than 7-8 body weight chin-ups you can use a weighted belt or vest to make the exercise more challenging. If you don’t have access to either of those, you can simply slow down the eccentric portion of the movement, which increases the level of difficulty for the chin-up.
2. You will perform a total of 10 supersets. Each exercise will begin on the minute. The total EMOM superset will last 20 minutes.
Your EMOM superset begins by clicking the stop watch and performing 5 reps of squats. You’ll then rest until the 1 minute mark when you’ll perform 5 reps of chin-ups. Rest until the 2 minute mark and perform 5 reps of squats. Rest until the 3 minute mark and perform 5 reps of chin-ups. Continue until your have completed 10 supersets.
3. Because you are using a weight that you would typically perform for 7-8 repetitions, 5 reps will feel relatively easy for the first few sets. After all, you’re intentionally leaving a 2-3 reps in the tank.
Sets 4, 5, 6, and even 7 should still feel very manageable. The 8th, 9th, and 10th set however, will feel much more challenging. You should be able to complete all 5 reps with quality form, but a 6th rep would be out of the question.
If you get to the 10th set and you still feel like you have a rep in the tank, it’s time to bump up the weight a bit the next time you perform this workout.
After 20 minutes of this EMOM superset you should be sucking wind, your heart should be pounding, and you should be dripping in sweat.
Important Note: Do not rush your set up (especially the squat) or your reps. Maintain a controlled tempo for every rep you perform.
Because the set up takes longer for the squat, you may only have 25-30 seconds rest before you begin performing chin-ups on the minute mark.
Since there is less time involved in getting yourself set up for the chin-up, you may have 35-40 seconds rest before your next set of squats.
When To Perform The Squat and Chin-Up EMOM Superset
There are many ways that you can incorporate this EMOM superset into your training plan. The optimal placement will largely depend on how your split is structured.
Recently in the Physique Mastery Movement group coaching experience we inserted it at the end of the leg workout. This works out great, as long as you don’t train your back the day prior or after leg day.
Here’s the structure of our split routine:
Day 1: Push Workout with an emphasis on chest.
Day 2: Pull Workout beginning with Deadlifts. This gives the thighs and glutes some extra stimulation in addition to ‘leg day’.
Day 3: Push Workout with an emphasis on shoulders.
Day 4: Leg Workout with the EMOM superset added at the end. The back muscles are recovered enough at this point and can handle the extra stimulation.
Benefits Of This EMOM Superset
The biggest benefit of EMOM supersets is the mastery of the movements. When you’re banging out 10 sets of an exercise once every 4-5 days your technique is going to become more efficient.
Each week in our Physique Mastery Movement group coaching experience members were bumping up the weight for both the squat and the chin-up in this EMOM superset. Even those in a caloric deficit.
The best part is that they weren’t forcing it. They weren’t trying to follow some rigid progression. They just felt stronger. And therefore added more weight to the bar for the squat or around their waist for the chin-up.
Simply put, when you perform an exercise better, you can lift more. And lifting more while performing an exercise with quality form is an outstanding way to pack on muscle.
So what are you waiting for. Incorporate this EMOM superset into your training routine this month and experience these benefits for yourself.
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant
P.S. Here’s a video where you can see this EMOM Superset in action…