Question about approach to "EMOM x 10 minutes"

Apologies if this has been covered already.

I’m in week 3 of the General Strength & Conditioning template, and I’m finding myself a bit perplexed by a specific movement that recurs as exercise 3 on multiple days. They’re not exactly alike, but the general idea is this:

58% of 1RM x X reps EMOM x 10 minutes - move each rep as fast as possible

I keep finding myself wondering if I’m doing these right, because it doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything strenuous when I do these sets, even after the entire 10 minute period has passed. I don’t feel winded, I don’t feel like the weight gets heavy, I feel like I could do them for another hour without much problem.

I should point out that my 1RM for these sets is probably pretty low compared to most. Can you help me understand what I should be feeling on these sets? I am moving the weight as fast as I can, and in most cases that means I’m actually jumping or essentially throwing the bar in the air. What kinds of things are supposed to be being challenged in these sets?

For example, yesterday I did OHP at 75 lbs, which is somewhere around 60% of my 1RM, for 3 sets EMOM x 10 minutes, and felt just as fresh at the end of my last set as I did at the end of my first set. Since I’m not sure exactly what these sets are targeting, I’m not sure if it makes sense to increase the weight, or to add a rep or two, or to leave it as it is.

I’m wondering if it would make sense to raise the amount of weight, or to add a couple of reps to each minute, or if I’m looking too hard for a physical sensation that might not be relevant.

Thanks!

You shouldn’t really be feeling anything, save for moving the weight as fast as possible. If the bar speed is slowing down a lot during the EMOM, it’s probably too heavy. If it’s not slowing down at all or there’s no conditioning stress (albeit minimal) it’s probably too light. I would adjust the weight slightly, if needed.

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Got it. One other quick follow up…is the goal to complete each set as quickly as possible, or to move each rep as fast as possible?

In other words, is it okay to do a rep as fast as possible, then take a brief moment to breathe and reset myself, then do the next rep as fast as possible, or is the goal here to literally blast through the entire set as quickly as possible? I know this sounds pedantic, but to me, the approach is very different in each case.

Thanks again for the help!

Both. You can take a brief moment if you want, but the idea is that the set of 2 or 3 takes about the same time as a 1RM. Hope that helps!

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Great. Thanks very much for the help!