The four formats
- AMRAP
- As many rounds (or reps) as possible in a set time. The clock is fixed and your work varies. Pick a speed you could still hold at the buzzer; the last minute counts as much as the first.
- EMOM
- Every minute on the minute. At the top of each minute you do the set work, then rest whatever is left. If the work takes 50 seconds, the reps are too high. Aim for 15 to 25 seconds of rest.
- For time
- Fixed work, as fast as you can do it well. Every for-time workout has a time cap. When the cap hits, you stop and record how far you got.
- Intervals
- Work, then rest, on a fixed block, the same work each round. Good for pacing: the goal is the last round looking like the first.
Rx and scaled
Rx means as prescribed: the loads, reps, and movements exactly as written. Scaled means you changed something so the workout fits you today. Scaled is not a lesser version. A workout is written to feel a certain way, usually a steady pace, or a few hard rounds. If the written version would turn a 12-minute piece into 25 minutes of grinding, the scaled version is the more accurate one for you.
Pick the scale before the clock starts, not halfway through round three.
How to log a score
- AMRAP: rounds plus reps. 7 + 14 means seven full rounds and 14 reps into the eighth.
- EMOM: minutes finished on time, plus any minute you missed.
- For time: the finish time. If the cap wins, rounds plus reps at the cap.
- Intervals: reps or meters per interval, or the lowest one.
Always add what you scaled, in plain words: 7 + 14, 35 lb bell, push-ups on a bench. A score without its scaling cannot be compared to anything later.
Sample workouts
One sample per format, with the score written out.
The scale-it lines here are labeled with the kind of scaling they use, so you can see all four at work.
General fitness information, not medical advice. Scale or stop if something hurts. Read the safety note
An AMRAP, scored
AMRAP 12:00
Twelve minutes, three movements, as many rounds as you can.
- 10
Kettlebell swing53/35 lb
Scale it Load: 35/26 lb
- 8
Push-up
Scale it Range of motion: hands on a bench
- 12
Air squat
Scale it Reps: 8 per round
Log it 7 + 14 means seven full rounds, then 10 swings and 4 push-ups.
An EMOM, scored
EMOM 10:00
Odd minutes, the first row. Even minutes, the second. Rest what is left.
- 6
Pull-up
Scale it Movement: banded or jumping pull-ups
- 12 cal
Row
Scale it Reps: 10 cal
Log it Minutes completed on time. Example: 9 of 10, missed minute 9.
A for time, scored
For time cap 10:00
Three rounds as fast as you can hold good positions. The cap ends it either way.
- 200 m
Run
Scale it Reps: 150 m
- 10
Front squat135/95 lb
Scale it Load: 95/65 lb
- 10
Box jump24/20 in
Scale it Movement: step-ups
Log it Finish time, like 8:52. Capped, it is rounds plus reps at 10:00: CAP + 2 + 15.
Intervals, scored
Intervals 5 x 1:00 / 1:00
One minute of work, one minute of rest, five times.
- 1:00
Burpee
Scale it Movement: step back and step up, no jump
- 1:00
Rest
Scale it Take 1:30 if your count drops by more than 3
Log it Reps per interval, or the lowest one. Example: 15, 14, 14, 13, 13.
Four ways to scale
Change the fewest things that make the workout fit. Usually that is one.
- Load
- Lighter weight, same movement. The first choice when you can do the movement well but the weight would slow you to a crawl. A rough guide: you should be able to do the first round's reps unbroken.
- Reps
- Fewer reps per round, often by a quarter or a third. Good for high-rep gymnastics and long runs, where the movement is fine but the volume is not.
- Range of motion
- Same movement, shorter path. Push-ups with your hands on a bench, squats to a box, swings to eye level. The pattern stays, the hardest part comes out.
- Movement
- Swap for a version that trains the same thing. Banded or jumping pull-ups for pull-ups, step-ups for box jumps, a run for a row. Keep the swap in the same family: a pull for a pull, a hinge for a hinge.
If something hurts, as opposed to being hard, stop that movement. Swap it for something that does not hurt, or end the session there. Stopping for pain is a reasonable call.
Common mistakes
- Scaling mid-workout. Decide before you start. Changing the plan in round three makes the score meaningless.
- Scaling everything at once. Lighter load, fewer reps, and an easier movement turns a hard workout into a warm-up. Change one thing.
- No time cap on for-time work. Without one, a 10-minute workout can become 30. The cap is part of the workout.
- Logging the time without the scaling. Next month you will not remember which bell it was.