In short: Side modes change how reps count — 100 alternating equals 200 movements. EMOM / E2MOM / E3MOM / E5MOM are timing presets. Tasks group your work, and Cycles wrap multiple Rounds when nested.
Workouts in KETTLEBELL MONSTER use a small set of words that mean specific things. Get these right and any workout you read becomes unambiguous. This guide covers the four areas that trip people up: reps and side modes, cadence presets, container types, and how blocks nest.
Side modes — how reps count when sides are involved
Most exercises happen on one side at a time. The side mode tells you how to interpret the rep count when both sides are in play. Each mode has a clear math rule. The number you see on a workout is always whatever count the executor actually performs, no mental conversion required.
Side modes at a glance
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Bilateral
Both sides at once (e.g. 2-handed swing). 100 reps = 100 reps.
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Alternating
Each rep is one side then the other. The displayed count IS the total. Example: 100x Dead Clean (Alternating) = 50 left + 50 right, switching every rep.
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Left then right
Do all reps on the left, then all reps on the right. Renders as two rows. Example: 12x Dead Clean (Left) followed by 12x Dead Clean (Right) = 24 movements total.
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Right then left
Same as Left then right but starting on the right side.
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Switch each round
Reps stay per round, and the side flips between rounds. Example: 10 reps per round across 4 rounds = 20 left + 20 right (the workout balances over even round counts).
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Switch at will
Total reps — the executor splits sides however they like. Example: 100x Dead Clean (Switch at will) = 100 total. Could be 50/50, or 30/70, or 10 here / 15 there — whatever you prefer.
When you see '100x Dead Clean (Alternating)' on a workout, the 100 is the total. You'll do 50 on each side, switching every rep. Same total, different cadence than '100 each side, left first.'
Cadence presets — EMOM and friends
EMOM means 'Every Minute On the Minute.' At the top of each minute, you start the prescribed reps. Whatever time you have left in that minute is your rest. The other presets — E2MOM, E3MOM, E5MOM — are the same idea with longer windows.
Cadence presets
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EMOM
Every Minute On the Minute. New round starts at 0:00, 1:00, 2:00, …
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E2MOM
Every 2 minutes. New round starts at 0:00, 2:00, 4:00, …
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E3MOM
Every 3 minutes. New round starts at 0:00, 3:00, 6:00, …
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E5MOM
Every 5 minutes. New round starts at 0:00, 5:00, 10:00, …
EMOM keeps the canonical 'every minute on the minute' phrasing. The longer presets just say 'every N minutes' — at multi-minute spacing, 'on the minute' reads redundant in English.
Containers — Rounds, Cycles, and Tasks
A container repeats whatever's inside it. Rounds is the basic one — '3 Rounds of [Work + Rest]' means do that pair three times. When a Rounds container holds another Rounds inside it, the outer one renders as Cycles instead, so you can tell the levels apart at a glance. A Task is a labeled section (Strength, Conditioning, Finisher) — useful when you want named, numbered chunks of a workout.
Container types
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Rounds
Repeat the contained blocks N times. Example: 3 Rounds of (5 Push-Ups + 0:30 rest) = 3 sets of 5 Push-Ups with rest between.
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Cycles
What Rounds becomes when wrapped around another Rounds container. The renderer auto-relabels so the levels stay distinct. Example: '4 Cycles of 6 Rounds' is unambiguous, while '4 Rounds of 6 Rounds' would be confusing.
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Task
A labeled chunk of the workout (Strength / Conditioning / Finisher). Inside a Task you can mix any blocks — Work, Rest, Rounds, even Active Recovery. Tasks get numbered (Task 1, Task 2, …).
Read nested containers from the outside in. '4 Cycles of 6 Rounds of (1m Work + 0:30 Rest)' = 4 × 6 × (1m + 0:30) = 36 minutes of work.
Work types — AMRAP, For Time, Max Effort, EMOM
These are the kinds of timed-work blocks you'll see at the bottom of the structure. Each one tells you how the work is bounded — by time, by effort, or by a fixed count.
Work types
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AMRAP
As Many Rounds As Possible inside a fixed time cap. Score = how many full rounds you completed. Example: AMRAP 5 min of (10 squats + 10 swings).
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For Time
Complete the prescribed work as fast as possible. Optional time cap. Score = your finish time.
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Max Effort
Single set, max work — comes in three flavors: Open (any breaks allowed), Unbroken (no setting the bell down), Continuous (unbroken AND no rest position).
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EMOM
See cadence section above. Counted in rounds, where each round starts at a minute boundary.
Drop rules — what nests inside what
When you're building a workout, the creator enforces a few sensible nesting rules. The two big ones: a Work block can't contain another Work block (drop into the gap above or below instead), and AMRAP is a leaf — drop exercises directly into it, not other containers. Want fixed rounds inside an AMRAP? Use a Rounds block instead — AMRAP means 'as many as possible,' which contradicts a fixed inner round count.
Look for the small + chip between sibling blocks in the creator. Click it to insert a new block at that exact position instead of appending to the end. Works at every nesting level.
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