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HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP: how timed workouts are built
Work and recovery times for each format, number of rounds calculated for your duration, choice of stations and reps: the exact mechanics of Azetta's timed workouts.
4 min read Updated October 9, 2026
The principle
A timed workout is organised around the clock rather than sets: you work for a given time, recover, start again. Each format has its own logic — alternating work and recovery (HIIT, circuit, Tabata), starting an exercise every minute (EMOM), doing as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) or finishing a number of rounds as fast as possible (For Time). Azetta takes your duration, chooses the exercises (the stations) and calculates how many rounds fit into it.
The Azetta method
The formats
| Format | Work | Recovery | Between rounds | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIIT | 40 s | 20 s | 60 s | 5 |
| Circuit | 45 s | 15 s | 90 s | 8 |
| Tabata | 20 s | 10 s, 8 times per station | 60 s between stations | (duration × 60 + 60) ÷ 300 |
| EMOM | one exercise at the start of each minute | the rest of the minute | — | 3 |
| AMRAP | a single open block for the whole duration | — | — | 4 |
| For Time | rounds to finish before the time limit | — | — | 3 |
Each workout starts with 10 s of preparation. The duration is bounded between 4 and 90 minutes.
The number of rounds
For HIIT and circuit, a round is the sum of the work and recovery periods of its stations, without the last recovery (the rest between rounds replaces it):
Tabata: 8 intervals per station. EMOM: as many rounds as minutes, with the stations rotating one per minute. AMRAP: a single block, you count your own rounds. For Time: about one round every 4 minutes, i.e. duration ÷ 4, between 2 and 6 rounds.
Stations and reps
The roles rotate in this order: legs → push → cardio → pull → core, taken from a pool of 50 exercises filtered by your equipment, your level and your injuries. The base reps per role are: legs 12, push 10, pull 10, core 15, cardio 20; in EMOM, they are reduced to two thirds (8, 6, 6, 10, 13) to leave some rest within the minute. Held exercises (like the plank) and cardio machines are excluded from rep-based formats.
Energy and reward
A timed workout counts a MET of 8.0 for calories (see the article on calories burned) and adds 10 ml of water per minute to your hydration goal.
Why this choice
- Interval formats let you work at high intensity in little time; research on low-volume interval training shows real cardiovascular and metabolic adaptations.
- Rotating the legs, push, cardio, pull and core roles spreads the fatigue: one muscle recovers while the next one works.
- Tabata is named after the protocol of 20 s of work and 10 s of recovery studied by Izumi Tabata.
Limits
- The original Tabata was done on a bike at a measured maximal intensity; with bodyweight exercises, the intensity depends on you.
- Heart rate is not used to guide intensity.
- AMRAP rounds and reps are not counted automatically: you enter them.
- The actual duration may be shorter than the chosen duration, because only complete rounds are scheduled.
References
- Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1996;28(10):1327-1330.
- Gibala MJ, Little JP, MacDonald MJ, Hawley JA. Physiological adaptations to low-volume, high-intensity interval training in health and disease. Journal of Physiology, 2012;590(5):1077-1084.
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011;43(8):1575-1581.