EMOM / OTM vs. Autoregulation Kettlebell Workouts - Which Is Better?

Get Stronger & More Powerful with These Programs:

AUTOREGULATED - https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/

OTM (EMOM) - https://salutis.kartra.com/page/SWING-HARD-2

When I was coming up as a greenhorn strength & conditioning coach under the mentorship of my weightlifting coach, Alfonso Duran (a member of the Cuban Pre-Select Olympic Weightlifting Team), I focused obsessed over the “perfect program.”

One of those things was the “perfect rest period.”

For example, here was a common heuristic I used:

Heavy, 1-3 reps per set = 3-5 minutes rest

Moderately heavy, 4-6 reps per set = 2-3 minutes rest

Moderate, 8-12 reps per set = 90 seconds – 2 minutes rest

Light-ish, 12-20 reps per set = 60-90 seconds

Light, 20+ reps = 30-60 seconds per set

And you know what, it didn’t work half bad.

But it has its flaws.

Namely, even with light weights, higher rep sets accumulate -

1- Oxygen debt (heavy breathing) depending on the exercise

2- Pump or burn, depending on the exercise

3- Sometimes both

And those make short rest periods an absolute bear, especially when using compound exercises like a Squat.

Survivable when you’re young, but it’ll take you out over 40!

Although OTM (On-The-Minute) training has been around since about the 1960s, I didn’t first start using it until about 2004.

If you’re not familiar with it, it’s where you do a set when your timer hits :00 then rest the remainder of the minute.

Usually, the reps are kept relatively low, depending on the exercise.

Like 10 reps or less.

Sometimes you’ll see them creep as high as 20 with Swings.

OTM - popularized as EMOM - Every Minute On the Minute by CrossFit - is a fantastic way to organize your training schedule and keep you focused.

Especially if you’re prone to distraction - checking the Book of Faces or other social media on the ol’ dumb phone while training.

It’s particularly good for “conditioning”.

Like I said, I used it back in ‘04 with KB Snatches - sets of 2 or 3 OTM.

Worked great for building a bigger tank.

However, here’s the problem:

If you’re using it for low rep strength or power work, it can work against you.

Especially if you’re using a higher % of your RM.

Here’s what I mean:

Sets of 1 or 2 OTM with your 5RM C+P are tolerable.

That’s a 40% effort of your 5RM if you’re using 2 reps per set.

Sets of 3 and definitely 4 are not, especially at the beginning of a training cycle.

And that’s because you’re using 80% effort if you’re using 4 rep sets.

Fatigue builds and your technique starts to fall apart as you chase those reps and try to slide them right after the timer goes off.

That’s because you’re experiencing 2 types of fatigue that aren’t correlated with one another:

1- Neural (nervous system) fatigue

2- Metabolic (energy production) fatigue

You’ll recognize the first when several things happen:

[1] Speed drop off

[2] Technique changes (lose coordination)

[3] Can’t “feel” your body like you could on earlier sets

The second - metabolic fatigue - shows up in the following ways:

[1] Muscle fatigue

[2] “Grinding” your reps instead of making them “snappy”

[3] Heavy breathing that you can no longer match with or to your timer

You increase neural fatigue with lower reps OTM.

And you increase metabolic fatigue with medium to higher reps OTM.

You can avoid both with -

AUTOREGULATION.

That’s simply hitting your next set when you feel fresh enough to -

[1] Breathe without gasping and passing the Talk Test (I like breathing through your nose as a good indicator)

[2] Keep your KB speed high and more importantly - constant - no speed drop off

[3] Reduced / minimal muscular fatigue

Now here’s why that’s important, especially as we get past 40:

Stress has a way of accumulating and sticking around in your body.

Shortness of breath and or breath holding

Tightness in your neck or lower back

Feelings of anger, frustration, or worse - sadness and depression

… to name but a some.

All these change your “state” - your daily energy levels.

So, if you’re always using OTM, some days you may do great and get a lot of sets.

Others you may suck and get a few and burn yourself out or worse - injure yourself chasing your last workout numbers.

Especially if you’re using higher rep sets or higher effort loads relative to your RMs.

Autoregulation keeps this from happening, when you apply it correctly.

And as a result, your training takes on a “wave-like” pattern -

Up and down… Up and down… Up and down…

Which is its own form of cycling and the best way to see the results you're looking for – stronger, leaner, more muscular, better conditioned.

Now am I saying you shouldn’t use OTM?

No, not at all.

I’m just saying you have to use it intelligently – so you don’t burn out.

But for many of us guys, autoregulation is the way to go, especially if you’re training for strength or power.