The format of a WOD is its clock and how it’s scored. In an EMOM you start a set every minute on the minute. In an AMRAP you do as many rounds as possible in a fixed time, and your score is rounds and reps. In RFT (rounds for time) the work is fixed and your score is the time. Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest.
The formats at a glance
| Format | What it means | Score | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMOM | Every minute on the minute: start the work at the top of each minute, rest for what’s left | Usually none; finish the work each minute | Fixed interval × rounds |
| AMRAP | As many rounds (or reps) as possible in a fixed time | Rounds + reps | Counts down from a time cap |
| RFT / For time | A fixed amount of work, done as fast as you can | Time | Counts up, sometimes with a cap |
| Tabata | 8 rounds of 20 s work and 10 s rest, 4 minutes in all | Often reps per round | Fixed work and rest |
| Intervals | Repeated work and rest, such as 40/20 or 1:00 on, 1:00 off | Reps, calories or distance per interval | Fixed work and rest |
| Chipper | A long list of exercises done once, top to bottom | Time | Counts up |
| Ladder | Reps go up (or down) each round: 3, 6, 9, 12… | Highest rung, or time | AMRAP or for time |
What is an EMOM?
An EMOM (every minute on the minute) gives you a set amount of work at the start of every minute; whatever time is left in the minute is your rest. “EMOM 10: 12 wall balls” means 12 wall balls at 0:00, 1:00, 2:00 and so on, for 10 minutes. Variations stretch the interval (“every 2:00 for 5 sets”, sometimes written E2MOM) or rotate exercises (“minute 1 wall balls, minute 2 burpees”).
The format builds rest in. That shows in what athletes actually do: in Atlon’s data, the median rest between sets in an EMOM was 30 seconds, more than twice the 13 seconds in AMRAPs and rounds for time.
Pacing: choose work you can finish with rest to spare, so the last rounds still leave you some. If the first rounds already leave you only a few seconds, scale the reps down.
On Apple Watch: set the interval (0:15 to 5:00) and the rounds in Atlon’s EMOM mode. The watch starts each round on its own, taps your wrist before the change and shows how much rest you got in the minute before. How to set up an EMOM
What is an AMRAP?
An AMRAP (as many rounds as possible, sometimes “as many reps as possible”) fixes the time and lets the work vary: you repeat a round of exercises until the clock runs out. The score is your completed rounds plus the reps of the round you were in, such as “7 + 12”.
Pacing: almost everyone slows down. In Atlon athletes’ AMRAPs, the median second round took 16% longer than the first, the third 24% longer and the fourth 29% longer. A first round that feels a little easy is usually the right speed. Splitting big sets early, before you have to, helps you hold your pace: see how to split your sets.
On Apple Watch: set the time cap (1 to 90 minutes) in Atlon’s AMRAP mode, and tap Round (or double tap) as you finish each round. Each round’s time is saved, so you can see your own drop-off afterwards. How to set up an AMRAP
What does RFT or “for time” mean?
RFT (rounds for time) fixes the work and scores the time: “5 RFT: 10 burpees, 15 kettlebell swings” means five rounds as fast as you can. A time cap stops the clock if the work takes too long; then your score is the reps you got. “For time” with no rounds means the same thing for a single piece of work.
AMRAP or RFT? They’re the same idea from two sides. An AMRAP fixes the time, so a faster athlete does more work. An RFT fixes the work, so a faster athlete finishes sooner. In Atlon’s data they also come out a similar size: the median AMRAP lasted 14 minutes and the median RFT 13. Rounds for time slow down like AMRAPs: the median second round took 17% longer than the first, and the fourth 33% longer.
On Apple Watch: set the rounds and an optional cap in Atlon’s RFT mode. The clock counts up, you tap Round after each round, and on the last round the button says Finish. How to do rounds for time
What is Tabata?
Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of all-out work and 10 seconds of rest: 4 minutes in all. It’s named after Izumi Tabata, whose 1996 study had athletes do 20-second bouts at about 170% of their VO2max, with 10 seconds of rest, on a braked cycle ergometer. After six weeks, their VO2max rose by 7 ml/kg/min and their anaerobic capacity by 28% (Tabata et al., 1996).
Most gym Tabatas use the timing, not the intensity: air squats or sit-ups for 20 seconds are hard, but they aren’t 170% of VO2max. That’s fine as a workout. Just don’t expect the study’s results from it.
Tabata vs other intervals: Tabata is one fixed interval workout. Others change the ratio: 40/20 (40 seconds on, 20 off), 30/30, or 1:00 on and 1:00 off.
On Apple Watch: in Atlon’s Intervals mode, choose 8 × 0:20 work and 0:10 rest. The watch switches between work and rest by itself, white for work and orange for rest. How to set up intervals or Tabata
What are chippers and ladders?
A chipper is one long list of exercises, done once from top to bottom, often with big rep numbers (“50-40-30-20-10” or “100 double-unders, 50 wall balls…”). You “chip away” at it, and the score is your time. A ladder changes the reps each round, usually going up: “3-6-9-12…”, for as long as you can in a fixed time, or down to a finish.
Both are about pacing big sets: the reps add up, so plan where you’ll break them before you start.
On Apple Watch: a chipper is RFT with 1 round. A ladder runs as an AMRAP (or RFT); tap Round at the end of each rung if you want a split for each. Atlon recognises the exercises and counts the reps whatever the structure. How to enter a complex WOD
How do multi-station and alternating EMOMs work?
An alternating EMOM rotates exercises through the minutes: “minute 1: 12 wall balls, minute 2: 10 burpees, 20 minutes” is 10 rounds of each. A multi-station EMOM has three or more stations, so each one comes round less often and gets more rest. Count the total minutes as the rounds: a 20-minute alternating EMOM is 20 × 1:00 on the clock. If a station has two exercises in the same minute, do both: Atlon recognises each one.
What Atlon’s data says about each format
| Format | Median length | Median rest between sets |
|---|---|---|
| EMOM | 10 min | 30 s |
| AMRAP | 14 min | 13 s |
| Rounds for time | 13 min | 13 s |
| Intervals | 10 min | 13 s |
| Round | AMRAP: time vs round 1 | RFT: time vs round 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | +16% | +17% |
| 3 | +24% | +21% |
| 4 | +29% | +33% |
Method. Atlon’s 30,000 most recent workouts between 1 minute and 2 hours long, excluding test and deleted workouts. Rest is the gap between two recognised sets in the same workout, including transitions, so it’s a little longer than the rest you’d feel. Round times are each workout’s round compared with its own first round, then the median across workouts, and only cover workouts where the athlete counted rounds. Atlon users mostly do functional fitness with an Apple Watch, so they aren’t a random sample of everyone who trains.
How do I time any of these on my watch?
Pick the Atlon mode that matches the clock: EMOM, AMRAP, RFT or Intervals, and Just train when nothing fits. Atlon recognises your exercises and counts your reps whatever the format. For everything else about tracking WODs on Apple Watch, from workout types to calories, see the complete guide.
This is general information about workout formats, not coaching advice. Scale any workout to your level.
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Sources
- Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 1996;28(10):1327–30.
- Atlon: aggregate data from the 30,000 most recent workouts (method above)