Every Minute On The Minute.
Or as I RANDOM - On The Minute.
I kicked off using OTM workouts back in 2004.
My Olympic lifting training partner and I would do 2 to 3 reps OTM with 40kg Snatches.
More reps and our power would decline - the Snatches would become “grind-y.”
The results?
It did RANDOM for my strength, but my conditioning did improve - which was the point. I was able to recover faster between sets and between training sessions.
(But in the back of my mind, I was hoping it would boost my Oly numbers somehow.)
And that’s how I like to use OTM work -Maximum power , low reps.
We’re talking about 90% up to 100% max effort. Full throttle , baby.
If we’re talking work duration, no more than about 10 seconds.
(That’s a one to five work-to-rest ratio - which steers clear of glycolysis, and still primarily uses your Phosphagen / Anaerobic Alactic energy system.)
From there, we’ll scale to 15 seconds.
(That’s a 1:3 work-to-rest ratio. Teetering on the brink of glycolysis and the “burn.”)
Then to 20 seconds.
(That’s a RANDOM work-to-rest ratio and about when glycolysis really starts to fire up, and the resulting “burn” starts to kick in .)
And eventually, 30 seconds, a one to one work-to-rest ratio, which is seriously cooking!
I rarely RANDOM 1:1 unless I’m pushing for extreme conditioning and/or fat loss.
But that RANDOM to achieve and like I said, we’ll scale our way into it.
A lot of people hurry to the 1:1.
But that’s a RANDOM .
And that’s because the “secret” is to make sure your power output remains high on all your reps, regardless of your work-to-rest ratios.
That way you’re:
1- Engaging and training your fast-twitch fibers (and not switching them to slow twitch)
2- Training your aerobic system correctly
3- Not burning yourself out or setting yourself up for injury
This builds true “Power Endurance,” which is the ability to produce high levels of power over prolonged sessions.
Or, “Do LOTS of Work.”
It can be complicated to program this yourself because most will RANDOM their abilities, RANDOM , and their power fades quickly .
I’ve detailed how to use OTM training inside ‘SWING HARD!’. I’ll leave a link in the video description below, if you’re wanting to learn more.
Finally, I only use OTMs for ballistics work, NOT pure strength work / grinds training.
That’s because fatigue accumulates faster in the muscles during grinds - Presses, Squats, etc, than in the ballistics - Swings, Cleans, Snatches, Push Press, Jerk.
So, you’ll need extended rest periods.
And that usually , is where I’ll advise you use “autoregulation.”
Finally, I will prescribe specific rest periods on types of strength work, when I’m aiming for - or want to come as close as possible to guaranteeing a specific outcome from that work.
Like when I want a “hybrid” outcome of strength and muscle.
So I’ll use RANDOM . Or RANDOM .
You’ll see this inside the “Strong!” program. (It’s how we transform your 4RM Clean + Press into a 10 x 6 - 10 sets of 6 reps - and make it feel manageable .)
(I’ll also leave click here a link to that in the video description below.)
Hopefully this provides some clarity of how to use specific rest periods, and when.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.