Reps: How Many?

G'day sports fans, I hope you are all well,

Today we'll be looking in depth at sets & repetitions and what sort of weight we should be pushing.
We all know of the traditional 3 sets of 10 reps, which is the basic guide to free weights at the gym. This is a great way to gradually build up strength, size, tone and endurance. But what happens if you have good tone but lack size or strength. Or you may have good strength and size, but lack tone/definition.
Well your in luck, here we have a guide which should give you the solution to your problem!

3 Sets, 1-3 Reps - Strength
This work out is purely for strength. What you should be lifting here is the 'maximum amount'* of weight that you possibly can for the 1-3 reps, without risking form! For this exercise it is very important that you have good posture and support otherwise you can easily cause damage to yourself. There is also a long recovery time between sets. This type of work out is one used commonly by weightlifters who aren't overly worried about muscle definition.

8 Sets, 4-8 Reps - Size
If your looking to gain muscle size, this is the one for you. Here you should be lifting your maximum amount of weight that you can sustain for the 4-8 reps. This should be less then your maximum for the 1-3 reps. There is again a long recovery time between sets. This workout is one used by body builders and certain athletes looking for size and an increase in speed and explosive power. I find that 5 sets of 5 reps with a normal-long recovery to be a great workout to increase size.

3 Sets, 9-15 Reps - Tone
This is primarily a toning exercise which adds a little strength and size secondarily. You want to be lifting your maximum you can sustain for the 9-15 reps. There is an average recovery between sets. This is another workout used by body builders as a way to shape and 'perfect' their muscles, while getting the added secondary benifits.

6 Sets, 16-20 Reps - Endurance
If your finding yourself fatigued easily from different activities, you may need to build up your endurance. Your looking to lift the maximum you can sustain for 16-20 reps. There is a short recovery between sets. The endurance workout is one used by marathon runner, boxers and other athletes requiring stamina for repeated actions. This workout also offers limited strength as a secondary bonus.

*You may be wondering, 'how do figure out my maximum weight for that amount of reps?' Well what you should be looking for is you should be at failure on the second last or last rep. You can calculate your Reeitition Maximus, (RM) this here: RM Calculator, (this should give you a ball park figure to work with), but it all comes down to feel.

Remember form and posture is everything, and there is no shame in starting at a low weight and working your way up to ensure good form. Other wise you could be risking injury, leading to time off work and away from things you would rather be doing.

Keep working hard and stay motivated