AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata explained

Almost every WOD on the box whiteboard starts with one of these words: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time, Tabata. Each one changes how the clock runs, what you write down at the end and how you should spread the effort. Here are the five most used, with an example of each and a link to the free WOD timer, already set up.

The five formats at a glance

AMRAP: as many rounds as possible

AMRAP stands for as many rounds (or reps) as possible in a fixed time. The clock counts down and when it hits zero you stop. Your score is the full rounds plus the reps of the round you left unfinished.

The classic example is Cindy: 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats. If you finish 14 rounds and then get the 5 pull-ups and 6 push-ups of the next one, your score is 14 + 11.

Pacing: the usual mistake is to go flat out and pay for it at minute eight. Find a round pace you can repeat and check the clock every few rounds. If the first rounds take 1:10 and the last ones 1:40, you started too fast. Count rounds as you go: the timer has a «+1 round» button so you do not have to rely on memory.

Open the timer with a 20-minute AMRAP.

EMOM: every minute on the minute

EMOM means every minute on the minute: at the start of each minute you do a set piece of work and rest whatever is left until the next one. If it takes you 35 seconds, you rest 25. There are versions every two or three minutes (E2MOM, E3MOM) for longer blocks.

A technique example with load: 10 minutes, 3 power cleans a minute at a weight that is hard but stays clean. A conditioning one: 12 minutes alternating 12 calories on the rower on odd minutes and 10 burpees on even ones.

An EMOM usually has no single score. You write down whether you made every minute, and at what weight or how many reps. A useful rule: the work should take 30 to 40 seconds of the minute. If you are left with less than 15 seconds of rest halfway through, drop the weight or the reps.

Open the timer with a 10-minute EMOM (for an E2MOM, change the interval to 120 seconds).

For Time: as fast as possible, with a cap

For Time means finishing a fixed amount of work as fast as you can. The clock counts up and your score is your time. There is almost always a time cap: if it runs out before you finish, you stop and write down the reps you did.

The best-known benchmarks are For Time. Fran is 21, 15 and 9 reps of thrusters at 95/65 lb and pull-ups; under five minutes is a very good time, and most athletes take between three and ten. Helen is three rounds of a 400 m run, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 pull-ups.

Open the For Time timer with a 10-minute cap.

Tabata: 20 seconds all out, 10 seconds rest

A Tabata is eight rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 of rest: four minutes in all. The name comes from Izumi Tabata, who studied the protocol on a stationary bike at an effort well above aerobic. In the box it is done with air squats, rowing, the assault bike, sit-ups or push-ups.

The classic CrossFit way to score it is the reps of your worst round: it makes you hold the effort for all eight, not just the first two. Other boxes add up every round. What matters is that everyone in the box scores it the same way.

Pacing: in the first rounds, stay one or two reps below what you could do. If you do 22 squats in the first round and 11 in the last, your score is 11. If you do 18 in every round, it is 18.

Open the timer with a Tabata.

Intervals: work and rest your way

Intervals are the general case of Tabata: you choose how many rounds, how much work and how much rest. They suit cardio (5 rounds of 3 minutes rowing with 1 minute of rest), long sets of one movement, or race-pace work such as the stations of a Hyrox.

You write down what you did in each interval: metres, calories or reps. The aim is usually that the last interval does not fall far below the first; a drop of more than 10 % says you started fast.

Open the timer with 5 × 3 minutes and 1 minute of rest.

The timer

The WOD timer is free and runs in your phone's browser with nothing to install. It has all five formats, a 10-second countdown before the start, a sound of your choice at every change (beep, bell, whistle, voice or vibration only), and it keeps the screen on while it runs where the browser allows it. For the reference workouts, each page of the benchmark library has a button that opens the timer with that WOD's format and time.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an AMRAP and For Time?

In an AMRAP the time is fixed and the work varies: whoever does more wins. In For Time the work is fixed and the time varies: whoever takes less wins.

What if I do not finish a For Time before the cap?

You write down the cap plus the reps you had left, or simply the reps you did. For example, with a 10-minute cap and 8 reps to go, «10:00 + 8». That way it can be compared with those who finished.

Is an EMOM cardio or strength?

Either, depending on what you put in it. Few reps at a heavy weight is technique and strength work with controlled rest. Calories or burpees make it conditioning.

Does a Tabata always have eight rounds?

The original protocol does. If you do more or change the times, it is interval work, which can be just as useful but no longer compares with a Tabata.

Do you program WODs for a box? In Wodmark the format you choose for each part sets the score and the athletes' timer for you: WOD formats and levels.

Source: Tabata I. et al., «Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max», Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1996. Weights and structure of Fran, Cindy and Helen: Wodmark's benchmark library.