SETS AND REPS

What are sets and reps for? How many should we do and when and for what and when should we change them? This is an endless topic because we can use and apply almost anything you can think of but there are some constant basics that are useful to understand. 

A repetition is the number of times we perform the movement. Reps can be anything from 1 single rep when performing a 1 rep max to determine strength, to more typically reps of 4 to 20. Beyond that reps become more classically time based i.e. 30 seconds or 60 seconds of performing that movement. 

Sets are the number of times we perform those repetitions. We can perform 2 sets when we’re starting out or on a rest/recovery week or when we’re building up strength or transitioning between training phases/programs, or we can build up to 4 or 5 sets when we’re deep into our program and really pushing for our max results. 

There are no rests between the reps but we do rest between sets. How long we rest for is determined by the energy system we have used to perform that set. If we have performed a more demanding set such as only 4 repetitions, then we will need to rest for longer to recover than if we have performed 12 reps at a much lighter weight. 

The number of reps we perform is determined by our goals and the purpose of our training. The most typical areas we can train in are strength, power, hypertrophy (muscle size) and muscle endurance. Toning and weight loss are not an area of training that has 1 specific set of reps. ‘Toning’ is a term we incorrectly use to mean ‘lean’. The word tone/toning actually means ‘tonicity’, the state of tension within the muscle. If you want to be toned, just walk into a gym and lift a heavy weight and BOOM your muscles will have a high state of tonicity to perform the movement. No one actually wants that. What we want when we say we want to be toned is that we want to be lean, to have low body fat and to see lovely muscle shapes over the whole body. To be lean and have low body fat requires an entire program and consistency. In fact we can use a range of all the sets mentioned above to achieve a lean muscle mass physique. We can work on strength, power, hypertrophy and endurance and move between them to achieve the overall result we want.

But this classic guide has us lifting lower reps of 1-6 if we want to target strength and power, with a different force and velocity of movement when targeting power over strength, a mid range of reps if we want to target hypertrophy 8-12, which is any form of developing the muscle, increasing density, physical size and shape (this can be tiny to look at it doesn’t have to be a 200kilo power lifting male, just because we’re improving the quality and quantity of muscle fibres) and muscle endurance is typically 15 reps and beyond. 

Usually when ladies working the ‘toning’ zone eg 10-12 reps, they’re actually working in the hypertrophy zone. Which is great, they’re building shape and density in the muscle which is perfect for body fat % reduction and shaping.

Outside of the numbers of reps and sets we can then apply types of reps and sets that can further develop strength, muscle endurance and muscle tonicity. These are things like super-sets, monster-sets and drop-sets. We can break that down even further into super-setting with another resistance exercise or with a cardio movement. Further more we can even break down super-sets with resistance exercises into super-setting with an antagonist movement or with an agonist movement.

The options and methods we can use are endless, powerful and exciting. We can change them up every few weeks or months depending on what program we have put together based on our goals.

Work hard, Train smart, Rest adequately, Be motivated and Think positively and you will create magic!!