Understanding Sets And Reps
Are you new to working out?
Because you are, it might seem like people are speaking a different language when talking about gym stuff because there’s a lot of vocabulary that’s unique to the gym and virtually nowhere else.
Now, of the bevy of terms you’re probably unfamiliar with as the newbie we’ve established you as being, “sets” and “reps” are the ones you’ve more than likely heard before though you may not know exactly what they mean.
Well, it’s those “sets” and “reps” you’re about to learn about because they deal with the organization and structure of a workout, making them probably the most important concepts to learn before learning anything else.
WHAT ARE REPS?
Reps are the number of times you complete the motion of an exercise before resting.1There are three distinct phases of a rep. The first is the concentric, or positive, phase and occurs when the weight is lifted and the muscle shortens. The lowering of the weight and lengthening of the muscle is the eccentric, or negative, phase, which is responsible for upwards of 80 percent of muscle growth and is why serious lifters don’t neglect it as much as newbie lifters do in focusing only on the concentric. As for the last phase, it’s when the muscle neither lengthens nor shortens but remains under tension, such as when you pause at the top of a movement and squeeze the muscle before returning the weight to the starting position. That’s called the isometric phase and it’s also neglected more than it should be.
Yes, reps are the number of times you repeat the movement of an exercise, which means “reps” is short for repetitions!
EXAMPLE: Let’s say you perform 12 squats then rest for an ungodly amount of time. You? Do legs?! And do them for that many times?!?! I know that’s beyond the realm of possibility, but let’s keep our focus and not get too hung up on that! Now, as I was saying, you just performed 12 squats, which means you did 12 reps.
HOW MANY REPS TO DO?
How many reps you should do will be determined by your rep range.
WHAT ARE REP RANGES?
A rep range is the number of reps that should be performed for different goals.
|
REPS |
OBJECTIVE |
LOAD |
|
1-3 |
Power | Very Heavy |
|
4-6 |
Strength | Heavy |
|
8-12 |
Hypertrophy | Moderate |
|
15+ |
Endurance | Light |
NOTE: Regardless what your goal is, you should train in all the rep ranges over the course of a planned training cycle.2Sure, you may never become a well-rounded individual but by using various rep ranges, you can at least become a well-rounded lifter.
WHAT ARE SETS?
Sets are the number of times you repeat a particular exercise for a number of reps.
Yes, a group of reps is known as a set, which is just a synonym for the word “group”. Fuck, whoever said it’s easy to get stuff by you is a liar!3Psst…your cheating ass significant other is who said it’s easy to get stuff by you.
EXAMPLE: Let’s say you perform 12 squats then rest for an ungodly amount of time.4How long should you rest between sets?
That question is answered here and varies but the general rule is to take 30 to 40 seconds between sets, assuming you’re working with a light load. Once the load starts getting considerably heavy, you can take as long as you need to recover. That is, so long as the rest interval is nothing excessive.
For example, if you do a set of heavy deadlifts and feel refreshed after taking a two-minute break, then do your next set instead of stretching out your break to go watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. If that’s what you want to do, then you might as well get into powerlifting.*
*That joke is funny because powerlifters take absurdly long rest periods! Then you do another 12 squats, take another long ass break, and then do another 12 squats. You? Do legs?! And do them for that many times?!?! I know that’s beyond the realm of possibility, but let’s keep our focus and not get too hung up on that again! Now, as I was saying, you just performed 12 squats three times, which means you did three sets.
HOW MANY SETS TO DO?
The answer depends on your goals, general fitness, and experience, as well as the amount of time you have available to work out.
The factors that go into determining the number of sets vary for an individual, so there’s no concrete answer. As a general guideline, though, all lifters should perform 3 to 5 sets per exercise, with beginners totaling 6 to 8 sets per muscle group and the more advanced topping out at 10 to 20 sets per body part.
INCREASE SETS, REPS, OR WEIGHT?
Assuming that your goal is hypertrophy, or muscle growth, then you’d want to stay in the 8-12 rep range with a moderate weight. Given these parameters, let’s suppose you’re benching 95 lbs for three sets. I know, that’s a lot of fucking weight! Anyway, on the first set, you complete 10 reps. After a break, you get 9 reps on the second set. After another break, you perform the third set for 8 reps, with the last rep being a virtual life or death struggle to get the barbell up so it doesn’t crush your larynx. Under the given scenario, you should continue going to the gym and benching the whopping 95 lbs until you’re able to hit 12 reps for all three sets on two successive workouts.
It’s after then that you have the option to either add another set or increase the weight, with you continuing to do the added set and/or use the increased weight until you’re once again capable of hitting 12 reps for all your sets without your form breaking down.
Preferably, returning to the given scenario, I’d recommend staying with the 95 lbs and bumping up the sets from three to four. Once able to perform all four sets with the 95 lbs for 12 reps each for two back-to-back workouts, I’d increase the weight by 5 to 10 percent and drop back down to three sets. Once two straight workouts pass where I’m able to hit 12 reps with the increased weight for all three sets, I’d then add a fourth set.
As an explanation for this type of programming, what you’re doing by increasing volume via reps and/or sets and then raising intensity by adding weight is building new muscle. And then when you reduce volume and intensity and go through the cycle of increasing their respective variables, you’re teaching the brain how to recruit the new muscle under heavier loads, which builds strength.
After all that, how’s your understanding of sets and reps now?
Good?, you say.
GOOD!
Glossary: barbell, bench press, deadlift, exercise, goal, gym, hypertrophy, intensity, lifting form, muscle, squats, work out, workout