Make Every Rep Count

Let’s face it; time and energy are valuable commodities these days. If you’re going to take the time to workout, you might as well make the most of it. There are simple things you can do while strength training to ensure that you make every rep count with an efficient and effective routine.

Use good form. Good form is crucial to building muscle, not to mention staying injury-free. You should be standing tall, with your chest up, shoulder blades retracted and your arms naturally at your side. Don’t hunch over or hold tension in your neck, and keep your abs tight to protect your lower back. If you have questions about form, you may consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

Concentric vs. eccentric training. Simply put, the concentric part of an exercise is when the muscle shortens in length. If you think about a very basic move like biceps curl, the concentric part of the move is when you curl the weight toward your shoulder. The eccentric part is the lengthening phase. Your muscles need to work in both of these phases for optimal development. Putting an emphasis on the eccentric part of an exercise is one of the most effective and efficient ways to get results. You should be spending more time in the eccentric phase (four counts for example) than the concentric one (two counts for example) in order to build muscle where you are strongest.

No more relying on momentum. I see a lot of people, OK guys at the gym flinging dumbbells around. Using momentum, not strength to curl dumbbells. Not only does this make a person look stupid, but you are also setting your self up for injury later. You need to be able to concentrically lift the load, eccentrically lower it, and then isometrically stabilize your self. This is what I like to call “owning your weight”. Don’t try to curl 45 lb dumbbells just because the muscle head next to you can. You work out to get stronger, build muscle, and improve your over all health, not impress people at the gym by lifting an amount that you know you can’t. When you concentrate on lowering your weights slowly, you eliminate one of the biggest workout “cheats” around – momentum. By slowing down the exercise, you’ll eliminate the momentum and your muscles will work harder through the full range of motion.

Work multi-muscle groups. One of the most efficient ways to build muscle is to incorporate compound exercises (exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time) into your routine. You will also burn more calories by doing this. For example, a walking lunge is a compound exercise that requires use of multiple muscle groups: quads, glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings. Throw in a bicep curl as you do each lunge and now you are also working your biceps. There are many ways to incorporate the upper and lower body with this machine, like a wood chop move – squat as you take the cable from high to low and rotate
through your core.

Feel it. If you’re whipping through 15 reps and not feeling anything, you aren’t working hard enough. Adjust the weight you are using so that after 12-15 reps you are feeling muscle fatigue. Learn to pay attention to your body – it’s important to understand the difference between pain and muscle fatigue. Pain is “Ouch that hurts.” Muscle fatigue is “Wow, my muscles are tired. I can only do a few more.”