Training 101
Jan 27, 2021
by Micah Worrell
For the most part, people typically understand sets and reps when it comes to training, but often get lost in how many sets/reps to perform for exercises. Well, my fine young lad or lady, it all comes down to what your goal is for that specific training session. Are you training for size? Strength? Endurance? Power? Once you have your goal set, then you can move into what set/rep ranges you'll need to help get you there. Before we completely dive down that rabbit hole though, let's first do a quick review of some basic definitions.
Rep: A rep is one completion of an exercise/movement. For example, if you performed a squat, one rep would be going down and then standing back up to the starting position.
Set: On the other hand, a set is just a group of reps or also the number of rounds you'll complete a specific exercise. Going back to the squat, if we said to do three sets of 10, you would perform 10 squats, rest for prescribed time, and then repeat. Follow that pattern until you've completed all sets/rounds.
Rest: This is just the amount of time you will be resting after each set. Again, your goal is what will determine how long you should be resting between sets.
Hypertrophy: Hypertrophy training is training that increases muscle mass and muscle cells. In other words, this is a fancy way of saying "growing" or "building" and more often than not, this is the goal for a lot of new comers to the gym. This is the type of training that actually makes the muscles bigger and often gets confused with "tonining" (PS you can't just "tone" muscles, but that's a totally different subject.)
Strength: This is the quality of being physically strong. Strength is an important part of training because as you become stronger, you should be increasing the weight to continue pushing your muscles to further growth.
Power: This is the ability to move x-amount of weight in the shortest amount of time. Power is also often referred to as "explosiveness".
Endurance: Muscular endruance is the ability for muscles to work for extended periods of times. The more endurance your muscles have, then the longer you'll be able to train.
1RM: Your 1 rep max is the absolute heaviest weight you can lift to complete one full rep for a specific exercise. For example, if your 1RM for squat was 225 pounds, then that means you could do a full squat (with good technique) at 225 pounds for ONLY ONE REP. If you can do more than 1 rep, then that is not your 1RM. This is a useful thing to know when it comes to training so you can lift based on percentages specific to you and not just lifting random ass weight. On a side note, our A.W.A.Y Athletics app allows you to track and save your 1RM for a ton of different exercises so you never forget where you're at!
Now, that you know some useful definitions, we can look at the sets, reps, and rest you should be using for your wokrouts. Use the table below to see the recommended numbers for the dfferent types of training goals.
Is that all starting to make sense? Now that you know how to apply sets and reps to your goal it's time to head to the gym and get after it! Still a little lost on how it all works? Scheudle a Goal Mapping session with me today and we'll build a sample workout together and answer any questions you may have!
Disclaimer: The health information provided in this blog is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional health advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based on such information, we encourage you to consult with your doctor or other medical/healthcare professional. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site (www.awayathletics.com) is solely at your own risk.
