TRAINING SPLIT
BACK, BICEPS
CHEST, TRICEPS
OFF
LEGS
SHOULDERS,
TRAPS, ABS, FOREARMS
OFF
To be sure, there is value in giving
a rep range for an exercise, if you
in turn choose your resistance
accordingly. When you see that a
set should be, say, 10 reps, that
means you should be choosing
a weight that brings on failure at
or near that target. So, if you are
doing dumbbell flat-bench
presses, and you can get 10 reps
with 75-pound dumbbells but
struggle to get 11 or more, you’re
doing it right. If, however, you grab
the 45s and blast out 10 reps,
you’re not getting the intended
benefits of the “10-rep set.”
It also assumes a certain style
of repetition for bodybuilding
purposes—that is, a controlled
negative of two to three seconds
in length, and an explosive (but still
controlled) positive contraction of
one to two seconds. Going too fast
during the eccentric motion can
shave quite a number of seconds
off a set, meaning one person’s
“10-rep set” could be very different
in length from another’s.
Counting reps, however, has a
more crafty enemy, too—your own
mental willpower. Think about this:
If your goal is 10 reps per set, and
you’ve chosen a weight in which
you’re struggling by the seventh or
eighth rep, you can more than
likely find the internal fortitude to
power your way through to 10.
“It’s just two more, I can make it,”
your inner warrior whispers,
and indeed, you probably can.
But what if you’ve set your initial
goal too low?
YOUR OWN
WORST ENEMY