How many pull-ups can I do? No idea. I don’t know because I haven’t counted reps for over a year – for good reason.
In this article, you will learn why stubborn focus on reps can RUIN your training progress – and what you can do instead to really train effectively and improve your progress immediately!
The workout mindset: Many only do “the bare essentials”
Reps make you feel good, a mission to accomplish. 3 sets of 10 repetitions each – if you can do it, you will feel that you have trained effectively.
But that feeling is damn deceptive. “Fixed reps” are foolproof instructions for completely ineffective training because if you rely too much on rigid parameters, you never really go to your limits.
It is typical for those who train very parameter-oriented (and that is the majority) that they break off the set before they have actually reached their performance limit.
As soon as you have reached the repetition goal, your head switches to “bonus mode”. From now on everything is just a side dish, the goal has already been achieved. Maybe you do 1-2 repetitions, but often not as many as you actually could.
Behind this is a widespread mindset that can negatively affect not only your training, but basically your entire life – namely, always doing only what is supposedly necessary.
The problem is, as a rule, you don’t know what is really necessary and with this attitude, which many bring into the studio, you usually do less than necessary and ALWAYS less than possible.
This point has already been clarified elsewhere on Simply Progress: To be successful, to train really effectively, you MUST be willing to go the extra mile.
Do more than the bare minimum and push yourself to the limit. Only then can progress be made.
Why counting repetitions can be counterproductive # 1
The thing is: this is the hard part. That is the MENTAL challenge of the PHYSICAL training.
And as it is the case with real challenges, you can’t just manage them in passing. You can only achieve this if you accept it and tackle it in a targeted manner.
Therefore, if you go into your workout with the wrong goal (e.g. doing a certain number of repetitions), you will not be able to achieve the actual goal.
You can only achieve goals if you focus on them.
Your actual training goal is to push your performance limit.
Admittedly, there are workouts for active regeneration, there are fun workouts and that’s all good and right – you don’t really have to strive for progress all the time.
But most workouts are meant to help you develop, right?
If you want that, you have to search for that goal. You have to intentionally go to your limits.
Not doing 3 × 10 repetitions, but doing as many repetitions as possible with a given weight is the motto!
Why counting repetitions can be counterproductive # 2
But it’s not just the fixation on repetition goals, but also counting itself that distracts many.
It unconsciously draws your attention to the number of repetitions when it should actually be on the quality of each repetition!
HOW you do your exercises is of fundamental importance to your progress.
Not only does bad technique increase your chances of injury, it also sends conflicting signals to your nervous system, undermining your efforts to make progress.
The quality of the repetition is therefore crucial for sustainable AND effective training! EVERY repetition. Therefore, it will help you tremendously if you learn to concentrate on doing the perfect repetitions as possible, specifically tensing and using your muscles in order to develop as much strength as possible.
Counting here just distracts unnecessarily. Let your thoughts wander into the future, because the goal (x repetitions) is always floating around in your head.
Why counting repetitions can be counterproductive # 3
Last but not least, focusing on repetitions can be quite frustrating because your performance depends on your daily form. Some days you can do more than you can – other days you can do less than you want.
The latter can be demotivating because it feels like a step backwards, which you will notice immediately if you always pay attention to your repetitions.
Not counting the repetitions is therefore both more effective and, on some days, more liberating.
What does it mean for your role that you managed to do fewer repetitions today? It is quite normal for the performance to fluctuate.
So why focus on a specific reps reference when it’s all about doing high quality reps and getting the most out of your daily fitness?
InfinityReps – The new way to count reps
You can see that counting repetitions in the classic sense can be a brake on your development.
At the beginning I said I wouldn’t count any more repetitions. Strictly speaking, that’s not entirely true.
The truth is: I count reps differently . I only start counting when I felt unable to.
I developed this method called InfinityReps for myself and my clients – and now you can benefit from it too!
But first: What does it actually mean to feel like you can’t anymore?
This point is very important in a training set. It is the so-called sweet spot of progressive fitness training – from then on the sentence becomes effective, from then on the correct training stimuli are set.
Until then, the burden is subliminal, i.e. there is no significant adaptation on the part of the body.
It is now crucial that you not feel unable to not is the same as actually not being able to!
The sweet spot is the moment when a strong will steps in, the will to go beyond yourself, and the true potential of your body unfolds – the last and decisive 5%!
When you have the feeling that you can no longer do so, your will must start to burn. One more repetition. Two more repetitions. You might even make three more.
THAT is effective training. These are real growth stimuli. That brings progress.
This form of counting motivates and enables you to push your limits – and is also healthier because you can focus your attention fully on the quality of your repetitions right up to the sweet spot.
In this way you get more out of your workouts and what has been sluggish or not at all can finally get going!
InfinityReps – all the more important for bodyweight training
InfinityReps bring every form of strength training into the fast lane. So it applies not only to dumbbell training, but above all to bodyweight training in the home gym!
Because this is where the quality of the repetitions often suffers. For example, many strive to do 100 pushups. But not all push-ups are the same.
As soon as it is about more than boasting, as soon as it is really about performance and development, push-ups must be performed in a controlled and swingless manner over the full range of motion.
In terms of effectiveness as a strengthening exercise, it makes a considerable difference whether you work with muscle strength or momentum, whether the chest touches the floor or comes to a stand 10 cm above it, whether the arms are full in the end position are stretched out or still slightly bent, whether the body is as hard as a board or sagging like a rag.
The execution decides whether you do progressive strength training or just aerobics!
InfinityReps – How to keep track of progress
You might be wondering how to keep track of your progress if you don’t know how many reps have been done in total. When is it time to increase the resistance?
Normally this is quite simple, for example if you want to do 3 × 10 repetitions and have managed at least 10 repetitions in each set, you can increase the resistance the next time – put more weight on or do a more difficult exercise variant (for bodyweight exercises) choose.
While this method works, it creates a major problem in many cases.
Because 10 repetitions are not the same as 10 repetitions in fitness training – the decisive factor, and I think that has now become clear, is HOW the repetitions are performed.
Since everyone is eager to improve, many tend to cheat on their repetitions. Bad technique, swing, shortened range of motion and you can fool yourself that you are ready to increase the resistance because you have met the supposed objective requirement (3 × 10).
In my experience, this is more the norm than the rule.
Increasing the resistance too early, in turn, often leads to a sloppy technique being used with the increased resistance.
Some increase two, three or four times before they get stuck and realize that something is wrong – and have to take the frustrating step back.
InfinityReps now have the advantage that you have to follow your feelings during the progression. You learn to feel how far you have mastered the exercise with the given load.
The resistance progresses only when you are really ready (instead of just pretending)! A fantastic advantage.
At this point it is important to note that the progression does not take place more slowly ! It is faster, but also more sustainable.
Above all, it makes you able to assess your own capabilities much better.
At first it may be strange not to rely on repetitions, but after 1-2 weeks you will find that you can feel your performance and progress very clearly.
InfinityReps and Auto-Regulation
Classically, one speaks of the muscle building zone in the range 8-12, above this the focus is on strength endurance, less than 8 repetitions per set are aimed at building strength.
So you don’t have to count to know what exactly you are training?
First of all, it is important to understand that the boundaries are very fluid and depend on the methodology.
You can also build muscle with a lot of repetitions, just like very heavy weights have their own advantages in terms of muscle building – it therefore not only depends on the “time under tension” (= the amount of time that your muscles are under tension during a sentence).
This means that it is not about putting down a point load, but only about training in a certain area, depending on the respective training plan (seriously, 2-3 repetitions do not make the cabbage fat!) – and ideally always to vary again to prevent stagnation.
That means it is easy to do intuitively – you can feel whether you have done a few, medium or many repetitions. This is known as auto-regulated training , a more modern form of training that is subject to rigid parameters, because it is more flexible and can better take into account the daily form.
You see: Conventional counting of repetitions is not necessary for classic strength workouts – InfinityReps are far superior here.
From now on only InfinityReps?
InfinityReps are particularly suitable for strength training.
There are also other training methods, especially in the area of conditioning, that count repetitions in the classic way, but still work similarly to InfinityReps.
Among other things, in CrossFit you will find some other methods with comparable functionality, but which mainly affect the general condition.
The only thing that matters is that there is no fixed goal. Either the number of repetitions, the number of laps or the time span (breaks) are open.
That makes the workout a challenge and pushes you to your limits.
Examples:
- AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) – As many rounds as possible in a given time window.
- AFAP (As Fast As Possible) – A certain number of repetitions or circles as fast as possible.
- Extinction Training – As many sets as possible with a fixed number of repetitions and as short breaks as possible. Simple example: do 5 crunches. Pause 10 sec. Again 5 crunches. 10 sec break. Keep going until you can’t do 5 reps any more.
There are a few more such methods, but almost all of them are in the conditioning area.
This gap is now closed by InfinityReps for strength development and muscle building training.
The special thing is that InfinityReps does not change the structure of the workout. You can continue your training plan as usual, only that the workouts become much more effective through the integration of InfinityReps.
The magic X-factor
InfinityReps may be strange at first, like a radical cut. But try it out. You will find: They work really well and even make training easier because you have to count less.
Most of all, InfinityReps are more fun! The fun factor is rarely talked about in fitness training, but it is crucial in order to stay with it in the long term.
Enjoyment of the workout is the icing on the cake, the X-factor that means the difference between well-intentioned and well-done.
There are three reasons why InfinityReps have the X-Factor:
- Stress in the limit range of the performance capability is for many an overcoming due to a lack of habit. However, if you strive for it specifically, and that is exactly the point of InfinityReps, it will be much easier and even fun for you – it is now no longer an unpleasant side effect, but exactly what you want and targeted strive for. Classic counting, on the other hand, as already explained, sets certain repetitions as a goal. So your head is focused on the parameters, not the effort. You therefore perceive this as a side effect and that can feel uncomfortable and encounter internal resistance – this is exactly why sentences are broken off too early because the effort is avoided.
- You increase your mind-muscle connection and therefore feel more comfortable in your skin during training and generally. InfinityReps allow you to concentrate better on the quality of the repetitions. This strengthens the connection between muscles and mind, the functioning of the nervous system. You feel your body better, you feel more comfortable with all physical activities and therefore you feel more joy in doing so.
- You have the feeling that you are really making a difference because it is easier for you to reach your limits. Okay, progress isn’t everything. But ultimately, for 99% out there, the main reason for training. Therefore, it is also motivating to clearly feel that the training brings something. Therefore, your enthusiasm during training and your satisfaction after the training will increase.