WOD timer: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata.

• AMRAP: as many rounds as you can in a fixed time. Countdown.
• EMOM: one task at the start of every minute; the time left is rest.
• For Time: a fixed amount of work as fast as possible, with a time cap. Ascending stopwatch.
• Tabata: 8 rounds of 20 s effort and 10 s rest; 4 minutes in total.

WOD stands for workout of the day. The term was popularized in functional training and is now used in any functional training gym for a short, intense session that combines strength, gymnastics and endurance exercises. The full definition, with how to read a WOD, is in the guide what a WOD is.

A timer does three things: it sets the pace so you do not have to check the clock between reps, it turns the session into a measurable result (rounds, reps or time) and it makes a workout comparable with the ones from previous weeks.

AMRAP

“As many rounds (or reps) as possible”: you complete as many rounds as you can within a fixed time. The timer counts down and the result is full rounds plus the extra reps. How it is scored is in the AMRAP guide.

EMOM

“Every minute on the minute”: at the start of each minute you perform the prescribed task and rest whatever time is left until the next minute. The faster you finish, the more you rest. Variants exist every 2 or 3 minutes. How to build one is in the EMOM guide.

For Time

You complete a defined amount of work (for example, 5 rounds) as fast as you can. The stopwatch counts up and the result is your finishing time.

Tabata

Eight rounds of 20 seconds of maximal effort and 10 seconds of rest: four minutes in total. It is named after the Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata, who published the protocol in 1996.

Time cap

The time limit of a For Time workout. If you reach it without finishing, you stop and log how much work was left. It keeps a session from running on indefinitely.

There are more formats (RFT, chipper, AFAP, ladders) in the WOD formats glossary.

• You want to hold a pace for a long stretch (10-20 minutes): AMRAP. It measures work capacity and lets you regulate effort.
• You want to work on technique or one movement with fixed rest: EMOM. The rest is defined by the structure itself.
• You want to measure whether you are improving: For Time. Repeating the same WOD weeks later and lowering the time is a direct comparison.
• You want very short, very intense efforts: Tabata. It works well as a finisher with a single exercise.

1. Pick the format (AMRAP, EMOM, For Time or Tabata).
2. Set the total duration or the number of rounds. In an EMOM, also set how often the signal sounds.
3. Set a realistic time cap if the WOD is For Time: a reachable limit beats a session that never ends.
4. Turn on a preparation countdown of about 10 seconds so you can get into position before starting.
5. Get your equipment ready before you press start: the time it takes to load the bar should not run inside the WOD.
6. When you finish, log the result in the matching format.

AMRAP

Full rounds + reps of the round in progress. Example: “5 rounds + 7 reps”.

For Time

Your finishing time. If you hit the time cap, log the cap and the reps you had left.

EMOM

The minutes or sets completed within the time and the load used.

Tabata

A common convention is to log the reps of your worst round out of the eight, because it reflects what you can hold once fatigue sets in.

• Choosing a load you cannot move with good technique for the whole WOD: the right intensity is the one that lets you finish well, not the heaviest one.
• Setting an unrealistic time cap and ending up shortening reps to make it.
• Starting an AMRAP at maximal pace: the first minutes decide whether you reach the end with energy.
• Skipping the warm-up or the progression when you try a new movement.
• Comparing yourself with someone else's result without accounting for loads, level and variations.

AMRAP “Cindy”

20 minutes of: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 air squats. Log full rounds plus extra reps.

For Time “Fran”

21-15-9 reps of thrusters and pull-ups, as fast as you can. The load depends on your level and category.

10-minute EMOM

Our own example: on odd minutes, 10 kettlebell swings; on even minutes, 8 push-ups. Whatever is left of each minute is rest.

Squat Tabata

Eight rounds of 20 seconds of air squats and 10 seconds of rest. Log the reps of your worst round.

“Cindy” and “Fran” are benchmark WODs popularized in functional training. Repeating them every so often is a simple way to check whether you are improving.

• 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; 28(10): 1327-1330.
• Definitions of AMRAP, EMOM and For Time: standard functional-fitness terminology.

Zoku Athletics is an app for hybrid athletes with a multimodal timer that covers the formats in this guide (For Time, AMRAP, EMOM and Tabata, with a time cap, plus a mixed mode). The Free plan includes the timer with all its modes and unlimited benchmarks to measure your progress, no card required; hands-free voice commands (HandsFree) are on the Pro plan.

The app is not public on the stores yet. It is in testing and there is no launch date.

The Free plan is free, with no card and no expiry. Pro and Elite are paid; what each includes is shown in the plans section of the home page.

Who is behind the website and the app: About Zoku Athletics.

• Hybrid training and hybrid WOD: sample week: What hybrid training and a hybrid WOD are, how to combine strength and endurance in the same week and a sample weekly routine you can adapt.
• How to scale a WOD: Rx vs scaled: What Rx and scaled mean, when to scale a WOD and how to adjust load, movements and volume without losing the stimulus or your technique.
• How to choose a WOD timer app: Criteria to choose a WOD timer app (AMRAP, EMOM, For Time, Tabata), a ten-minute test and what to check on price and data.
• Benchmark WODs: Fran, Cindy, Grace, Helen: Fran, Cindy, Grace and Helen: what each benchmark WOD is, how to repeat it under comparable conditions and how to track your progress.
• Murph WOD: strategy and scaling: What the Murph WOD is, its format and origin, how to split the reps, scale it for a first attempt and do it safely, especially in the heat.
• Natural movement and WODs: how to combine: How to combine natural-movement training with WODs and benchmarks: how to structure the week and how to time and log your sessions.
• What is a WOD? Formats and meaning: What a WOD is and how to read one: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata, what Rx and scaled mean and how to log the result to compare it.