Sets and Reps

One of the things every beginner that starts working out will eventually learn is what sets and reps are. Every workout you see, every workout log you come across, and every coach you work with will utilize sets and reps. What are sets and reps exactly?

We will start with reps. A rep, short for repetition, is any exercise performed exactly once. So for example a rep could be one squat or one bicep curl or one jump. Any exercise performed once would be 1 rep of that exercise. Now let's say as I coach I wanted you to do 3 squats in a row with out stopping down-up, down-up, down-up. That would be 3 reps of squats. So in short a rep is the number of times an exercise is performed consecutively.

Next up is sets. Using sets is a great way to push yourself and build strength. They are especially helpful for when your goals surpass your current ability. (Which let's be real, if they don't you need better goals.) Let's say I want to do 50 jumping jacks. But I can only do 25 before my legs and lungs start hurting. I can give up after 25 OR I can use sets. A set is what happens when you take a rest before doing more. Or more concisely a set is a group of reps. With the jumping jack example resting a few minutes before doing another 25 would be 2 sets of 25 reps of jumping jacks. And that my friends would be written as 2x25 jumping jacks. In the fitness world the number of sets is written first followed by an "x" then the number of reps.

So let's recap

1x3 = 1 set of 3 reps

1x3 squats = 1 set of 3 squats

To all the people that already knew this thanks for reading this post anyways! We will discuss what is the best number of sets and reps to use in a future blog post.

Stay active my friends, Anna