Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While 80% back squats are manageable for most athletes, the EMOM format creates significant challenge. Each minute forces athletes to perform a heavy single with minimal recovery time, preventing full CNS recovery between reps. The accumulating neural fatigue over 8 minutes, combined with the pressure to hit the minute mark consistently, elevates this beyond typical strength work into demanding territory requiring both physical and mental resilience.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Strength (9/10): Back squats at 80% 1RM represent near-maximal loading, making this primarily a test of absolute strength production.
• Flexibility (4/10): Back squats require good ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility to achieve proper depth and maintain upright torso position.
• Endurance (3/10): Eight minutes of work with rest between singles creates moderate cardiovascular demand, but full recovery between reps limits aerobic stress.
• Power (3/10): While heavy squats require some explosive drive out of the bottom, 80% loads emphasize strength over pure power output.
• Stamina (2/10): Single rep efforts every minute with substantial rest periods minimally challenge muscular endurance compared to higher volume protocols.
• Speed (1/10): EMOM format with single reps allows full recovery; no premium on fast transitions or rapid movement cycling.

Movements

• Back Squat

Benchmark Notes

This is an 8-minute EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) with 1 back squat at 80% 1RM each minute. The score is total reps completed. Analysis: At 80% 1RM, this is heavy strength work requiring significant rest between singles. Elite athletes can maintain perfect form and timing for all 8 minutes, completing all 8 reps. As fitness decreases, athletes will either miss reps due to failed lifts or run out of time within the minute window. The 80% load means even strong athletes may struggle with consistency in later minutes due to accumulated fatigue. L10 athletes complete all 8 reps with time to spare each minute. L5-L6 athletes complete 7 reps, missing 1-2 due to either failed attempts or time constraints. L1-L3 athletes complete 4-6 reps, with significant form breakdown or inability to complete lifts in the time domain. The narrow range (4-8 reps) reflects the binary nature of strength work - you either complete the rep or you don't, with limited middle ground. Unlike metabolic workouts, there's no partial credit or scaling down mid-workout. Final targets: L10: 8 reps, L5: 7 reps, L1: 4 reps.

Modality Profile

Back Squat is a barbell movement with external load, making it 100% Weightlifting