A Rep. The most over-used word in a gym or sports setting, yet the most misunderstood. A rep only means something if it is a consistent measure, from workout to workout, or practice to practice.
Person 1, tells me that they can do 50 pushups, and bench press 250 lbs. for 10 reps. IF IT’S TRUE, that’s great.
Person 2, tells me that they can do 30 pushups, and bench press 250 lbs. for 6 reps. IF IT’S TRUE, that’s great.
Question: Do we assume that person 1 is a lot stronger than person 2?
WE HAVE NO IDEA! Don’t let rep count numbers fool or intimidate you. Let's even assume that both people are doing full-range reps, and have great form (I know, it’s a stretch eh?). There is something missing here. It’s not about REPS. Think about it. If person 1, has a rep cadence (or tempo) of 1-1-1 (1 second up, 1 second down, and a nice controlled 1 second pause at the bottom) then that person's rep is 3 seconds long, and therefore can pushes up for 150 seconds, and benches 250 lbs. for 30 seconds. Still, not bad.
Now, person 2, has a rep cadence of 2-3-1. See where I’m going here? A six-second rep. Therefore, this person can control a 250 pound bench press for 36 seconds, and can push up for 180 seconds!!!!
The weights and times are only an example, but see what I mean?
I always laugh when I hear coaches screaming out at their players (whether they are 6-years-old or 20-years-old) to “give them 30, or 50" or some other ridiculous request, after a player has missed the net with a shot or missed a fly ball in center field. The player gets down into pushup position, bobs up and down 25% of the way, with a time count of half a second per rep. AMAZING. 50 pushups, supposedly done in 25 seconds, and only 25% correctly to boot. And just think, if he misses the net 6 times, he will have done 300 pushups, as well as practising! That will be the talk of the school tomorrow morning.
Now I must calm down.
Crazy, from workout to workout, how your rep count one day will be 10, then the next time 14, ("WOW, I am getting stronger" you think to yourself). Then "oh no, I am getting weaker, what is going on", when you're back down to 7!!!!! Nothing is wrong, other than you are NOT being consistent with your full-range of motion and more importantly, with your tempo. You have to be consistent, for a rep count to matter. Even that little twist at the bottom of a movement, to produce some added momentum, will throw things off.
The fact of the matter is, it should be about getting to muscular failure within a certain time. Very complicated subject that I will touch on later. But right now, GET RID OF YOUR REP COUNTS. To build strength, I believe that you want to reach muscular failure in 45-75 seconds. (So if you insist on counting reps, if your rep cadence is 5 seconds or so, you will have a set of 9-12.) Get a clock in front of you, find the weights that will get you gassed in this time range. Because the length of the set is lending itself to a lot of fast-twitch muscle activity, you will probably need to work on at least a work:rest ratio of 1:2, if not 1:3. But I am talking about beating yourself up on every set, FOR REAL. If you don’t, this concept will not work for you. But you must be progressive. When your sets are going too long, with consistent range of motion and tempo, bump the weights. Don’t stand still. Ever.
The word "rep" is supposed to be a precise measure of something, but because there are so many variables, it is not precise at all, but in fact it's vague, telling us really nothing.
If you are lifting weights, everything positive comes from getting strong. Use your clock for your set times, keep bumping the weights where possible, and YES, every now and again…….. YA GOTTA DO IT...... The dreaded SINGLE REP MAX. I do it myself, to see where my training is at (I told you that my gym has as much free weight as alternative stuff). The fruits of your training labour. It is stressful but rewarding.
Now for some fun. My three favourite MEANINGFUL REPS as a gym owner:
1) The kid’s 435 pound deadlift, with a beautiful descent, not wrecking my house.
2) The 500 pound deadlift, when he wasn’t really mentally sure that night. Good job J.R.
3) Then the old guy, with a perfect descent, pause, and push. 408 pound bench press. J.R., Dad may have outdone you on that one.
BIG YELPS, HUGS AND SMILES.
The true quantitative meaning of a rep.
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