CrossFit athlete and Britain’s fittest man, Harry Lightfoot, reveals his 30-minute full-body conditioning workout exclusively on Tom’s Guide.
EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) is a nine-move, high-intensity, total-body conditioning session that combines cardio, strength and endurance training to improve your overall fitness and target all major muscle groups to help build and strengthen muscle during your gym efforts.
You’ll need the best home gym equipment or access to a local gym. We’re crazy about this total body workout. And here it is. Get ready to send.
Harry Lightfoot
What is the 9-Move EMOM Conditioning Workout?
Anyone from beginner to advanced can do this 30-minute workout, but consider scaling it up by lowering your calorie or rep goals as needed. The RX numbers in this workout are for men and women, as Lightfoot wrote, but adjust them as needed to make sure you can complete it.
If you only have one calorie machine, stick with it throughout your workout. Lunges, push-ups, and burpees can be done using your own body weight, but you’ll need a step or box for jump-overs, a medicine ball for wall-balls, and a pull-up bar.
Want to train like Britain’s Fittest Man? Now you can. Here’s how:
- 30 Minutes of EMOM (Repeat 3 Times)
- 1st minute: 20/15 calorie row
- 2nd minute: 20 lunges
- 3rd minute: 15 push-ups
- 4th minute: 20/15 Calorie Ski Erg
- 5th minute: 20 wall balls
- 6th minute: 15 burpees to goal
- 7th minute: 20/15 C2 Bike
- 8th minute: 15 Box Jump Over
- 9th minute: 15 pull-ups
- 10th minute: rest
Warm-up: 10-15 minutes
Start with 60 seconds at a slow pace on each machine (rower, skier, bike), or three minutes on your chosen machine if you have limited equipment. Next, Lightfoot recommends dynamic stretches and bodyweight movements, such as the World’s Greatest Stretch, scorpions, inchworms, lunges and air squats.
Next, work your way through the exercises in the program. “Warm up each movement gradually,” Lightfoot says. “Do some squats with a medicine ball before going full wall-to-wall, then gradually work your way through step-overs, box jumps, and warm-up pull-ups.” We’ll explain the exercises in more detail below.
1. Rowing
“Aim to burn as many calories as you can within 50 seconds of training,” Lightfoot says, “15 and 20 being guideline numbers for women and men.”
- Sit on the rowing machine, place your feet on the machine and hold the handles.
- Push off with your feet, lean back slightly, and pull the handle towards your stomach.
- Reverse the movement to return to starting position.
2. Push-ups
Here is a detailed explanation of how to do push-ups.
“Reduce the reps and movements to something you can do for no more than three sets,” Lightfoot advises. “Ways to increase include kneeling or using an elevated surface like a bench or box.”
- Start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders
- Lower your body until your chest almost touches the ground, pause, then press up to the starting position.
3. Lunges
“These exercises can be performed with your own body weight or with a dumbbell held at your side in a farmer’s carry position,” Lightfoot says. “These exercises should be performed without interruption for each round.” We recommend choosing a number of repetitions that you can sustain for each round.
Here’s how to do a lunge with proper form: If you have knee problems and can’t front load, we recommend the reverse lunge, as shown in the video above.
- Standing tall, step one foot forward and lower your hips until both knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Push up to the starting position
- Switch legs.
4. Ski Erg
Learn how to use a ski ergometer correctly here.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Grab the handles and pull down forcefully while bending your knees slightly and bending your waist.
- Stand up straight and return the handle to its original position.
- I will repeat myself about calories.
5. Wall Ball
image 1 of 2
“Use a weight that you can complete each set without stopping,” advises Lightfoot, “A good rule of thumb is 9kg for men and 6kg for women.”
Here is a detailed explanation of how to do wall balls.
- Stand facing a wall or rig target with the ball in front of your face
- Crouch low and then explosively jump upwards to throw the ball at an overhead target
- Catch the ball as you lower into the next squat position.
- repeat.
6. Burpees to Target
If you can’t do 15 in 50 seconds, increase the number of repetitions. Here’s how to do burpees with proper form:
- Stand under a pull-up bar with your arms extended vertically, about 6 inches away from your hands.
- Place your hands on the floor and lift your feet back into a plank position
- Lower your body, including your chest, to the ground.
- Jump or lift your feet up
- While jumping, tap the pull-up bar with both hands.
7. C2 Bikes
Sit on your bike, hold the handlebars and pedal as hard as you can, again aiming to complete the cycle in under 50 seconds and adjusting your calories accordingly.
8. Box Jump Over
If you are unable to jump, a stepover is permitted instead. For more information on box jumps, see here.
- Stand facing the box with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Jump onto the box with both feet, making sure both feet land at the same time.
- Immediately jump to the other side and land with both feet together
- Repeat in the opposite direction. Note that single-legged jumps are prohibited.
9. Pull-ups
“In CrossFit workouts, it’s performed as a kipping pull-up or butterfly pull-up,” Lightfoot explains, “and then scaled up to a jumping pull-up or ring row if you haven’t been taught it or can’t perform it yet.”
We also recommend wrapping a resistance band around the pull-up bar and putting your knees or feet through it for extra support. Instead, choose an option you’re already working on. Compare pull-ups to chin-ups to strengthen your technique and learn the importance of hand grips during the exercise.
10. Rest
Rest for 60 seconds, then repeat two more rounds of EMOM for a total of 30 minutes.
Remember, the whole point of EMOM is to complete the designated number of reps or calories in under a minute, leaving you with about 10 seconds to transition to the next exercise.
A time limit creates accountability and allows you to monitor your ability to be consistent, so don’t overestimate your abilities and tire yourself out too quickly. Anyway, use the first round as a benchmark and repeat it for the remaining rounds.
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