Repetitions for Beginners
June 9th 2007 12:40
When the novice weight trainer picks up his/her first weight, he is likely to be told to do 10 repetitions with it. Thus for many people 10 becomes the orthodox rep scheme and anyone who questions it is viewed with suspicion. I have written about this talismanic number 10 before( Forget 10 in my archives). The fact is that the number 10 is a round number and thereby a convenient benchmark with which to start a newby. It stimulates the muscles and probably doesn't overdue the first tentative sets for the inexperienced. This is what the trainer is looking for with the newcomer.
How do rep schemes actually function? Along with rest period duration they set the body on a specific adaptation scheme. The rationale of rep schemes is that more repetitions tend to stimulate the body's endurance adaptation. When a large number of repetitions is undertaken, the strength adaptation of the body is staunched. High repetitions and short rest periods will pretty much shut down real strength adaptation.
Rep scheme is intimately related with the size of the weight used(as everyone knows). Your task in training is to calibrate weight to repetitions. This means that you must experiment with both at the same time. Take a weight and do as many reps as you can. If you are struggling for 8 reps, that should tell you that you are eliciting a strength adaptation from your body. If you easily achieve 12 or more reps, you are eliciting an endurance response. It is true that one cannot change any aspect of training without altering the adaptation between strength and endurance.
For the above reason it is very important that you decide what you want in your training. If you are out of shape and just want to get into a better shape, you are going to want to split the difference and use as heavy a weight as you can for 8-12 reps. This will set your body on a course of building some muscle tissue which will aid in weight loss and retard the process of muscles loss that dieting initiates. If you wish to enhance performance in some activity, you must decide what is the most important contribution that you wish weights to make in that activity. If endurance is key, train for it with higher reps. If you want more strength, lower your reps and pick a larger weight.
Finally,I clandestinely watch rookies train and my impression is that many have applied the strategy of trying to get the most for the least to their weight training. It will not work. If you fiddle around doing 20 reps with a tiny weight or a couple of reps with a heavy one, you are too lazy to work out. Go home.Your servant, as always.
How do rep schemes actually function? Along with rest period duration they set the body on a specific adaptation scheme. The rationale of rep schemes is that more repetitions tend to stimulate the body's endurance adaptation. When a large number of repetitions is undertaken, the strength adaptation of the body is staunched. High repetitions and short rest periods will pretty much shut down real strength adaptation.
Rep scheme is intimately related with the size of the weight used(as everyone knows). Your task in training is to calibrate weight to repetitions. This means that you must experiment with both at the same time. Take a weight and do as many reps as you can. If you are struggling for 8 reps, that should tell you that you are eliciting a strength adaptation from your body. If you easily achieve 12 or more reps, you are eliciting an endurance response. It is true that one cannot change any aspect of training without altering the adaptation between strength and endurance.
For the above reason it is very important that you decide what you want in your training. If you are out of shape and just want to get into a better shape, you are going to want to split the difference and use as heavy a weight as you can for 8-12 reps. This will set your body on a course of building some muscle tissue which will aid in weight loss and retard the process of muscles loss that dieting initiates. If you wish to enhance performance in some activity, you must decide what is the most important contribution that you wish weights to make in that activity. If endurance is key, train for it with higher reps. If you want more strength, lower your reps and pick a larger weight.
Finally,I clandestinely watch rookies train and my impression is that many have applied the strategy of trying to get the most for the least to their weight training. It will not work. If you fiddle around doing 20 reps with a tiny weight or a couple of reps with a heavy one, you are too lazy to work out. Go home.Your servant, as always.
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