CrossFit Pacing Strategies: How to Master AMRAPs, EMOMs, and For-Time WODs

Why Pacing Matters in CrossFit

CrossFit isn’t just about strength or conditioning—it’s about learning how to manage your effort. Go out too hot, and you’ll redline early. Go too easy, and you’ll leave performance on the table.

Pacing strategies let you:

• Sustain intensity across the entire workout.
• Avoid burnout in longer metcons.
• Maximize efficiency with smart transitions.
• Finish strong instead of crawling to the clock.

Know Your Gears

Think of your effort in “gears.” Being able to shift gears is the essence of pacing:

• Gear 1: Easy (conversational pace) → warm-ups, long recovery pieces.
• Gear 2: Moderate (sustainable) → most of your AMRAP and EMOM work.
• Gear 3: Threshold (challenging but steady) → where most for-time workouts live.
• Gear 4: Redline (unsustainable) → only in short sprints or the final kick.

Your goal: spend most of the workout in Gear 2–3, and only tap Gear 4 when it counts.

Pacing by Workout Format

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

• Start steady—first 2–3 minutes should feel almost “too easy.”
• Break reps early into small, consistent sets (e.g., 5/5/5 instead of 15 unbroken).
• Use the clock: aim for consistent round times or splits.

👉 Pro tip: If you hit 5 rounds in the first 5 minutes of a 20-minute AMRAP, you won’t hold that pace. Find a rhythm you can repeat.

EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute)

• Select a rep scheme you can sustain for at least 10 minutes.
• Work:Rest ratio matters—ideally leave yourself 15–20 seconds recovery.
• Scale early—better to maintain quality reps than fail in the later minutes.

👉 Pro tip: If you can’t finish the work by :45, it’s too heavy or too many reps.

For-Time Workouts

• Avoid the “hero start.” Open at 80–85% of max effort.
• Use planned breaks—don’t wait until you hit failure.
• Tight transitions matter: 3-second chalk breaks become 30-second time losses.
• Finish with a final kick in the last 10–15% of the workout.

Movement Density and Transitions

• Pair high-heart-rate moves (burpees, thrusters) with lower-skill or static moves (rows, carries) to recover while working.
• Keep equipment close—lost time between stations adds up.
• Breathe deliberately during transitions to control heart rate.

Common Pacing Mistakes

❌ Going unbroken too early in long workouts
❌ Neglecting rest in EMOMs
❌ Relying on “feel” instead of time splits
❌ Letting sloppy transitions eat up free seconds

Practice Pacing in Training

• 8-minute AMRAP – aim for negative splits (last half faster than first).
• 20-minute EMOM – set sustainable reps and stick to them.
• 12-minute For-Time – practice starting at 85% and finishing with a sprint.

👉 Don’t just train movements—train your engine management.

The Bottom Line

Pacing is a skill just like double-unders or snatches. Learn your gears, respect the workout format, and manage your effort wisely. The result? More consistent training, fewer blow-ups, and better scores.