POV: You have 3 sets of 8 to 10 goblet squat reps. You’re feeling good today, so you pick up a weight heavier than your normal. You only manage to crank out 6 reps, falling short of the goal of 8—you feel defeated. My clients are constantly apologising for not making it all the way to the end of the set. And I always assure them: “It’s okay. It matters less than you think.”
Fitness professionals have been traditionally taught lower range reps (2 to 6) train power and strength, intermediate reps (8 to 12) promote hypertrophy, and higher reps (12 to 20+) work muscular endurance. But get this: New science is telling us it’s not all that deep. A new study published in Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport put two groups of people through two different six-week lower body training plans. Both groups worked to concentric failure, meaning working until they can’t complete the “up” portion of the lift.
More, here.
