An Intro to Repetitions and Sets

A friend once asked me what was the purpose of incorporating a variety of different types of repetitions and sets into a workout. I do not remember exactly what I told him, but I do remember that it was not a legitimate response and hovered around a point that stated variety is good in a workout. I cannot think of a more vague response that avoided the question. So in this post I will attempt to explain the motivation behind the different types of sets and repetitions, with more clarity!

First, let me get some terminology out of the way. A workout session is a series of sets performed over a duration of time. For example, the workout session for my back includes sets performed on exercises such as the straight-leg deadlift, hyper-extension, dumbbell row and dumbbell pullover. A set is a series of repetitions (I usually use the short hand terminology "rep") that are performed back to back with no rest in between each rep. A rep can be broken down even further into three stages: a positive portion, a static portion and a negative portion.

The positive portion is defined to be the range of motion where the muscle fibers transform from a stretched position to a contracted position (in other words, the muscles shorten). On the other hand, the negative portion is defined to be the range of motion where the muscle fibers transform from a contracted position to a stretched position (the muscles lengthen). The static portion can be thought of as the transition between the positive portion to the negative portion, but with a short duration where the muscle fibers are statically held.

Take for example the bicep curl. The positive portion of one rep starts with the dumbbell hanging by the side. As you curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder, the highest point represents the end of the positive rep. The static portion is represented when you hold the dumbbell at this highest position for a small amount of time. The negative portion is represented by bringing the dumbbell back to the starting position of the exercise.

Keeping the three portions of a repetition in mind, a variety of repetitions can be defined from them. Take for example a "full rep," (this terminology is synonymous with the term "rep"), which is essentially a positive portion, followed by a static portion and finally a negative portion. Another type of rep, called the negative rep, focuses on the negative portion of a repetition. Here is a list of different types of repetitions that I will cover in a future post:

1. full rep
2. partial rep
3. positive rep
4. negative rep
5. static-hold rep
6. forced rep
7. negative-accentuated rep

From these reps, different types of sets can be defined. For example, the most common type of set is the work set. A work set is a series of full reps performed back to back with no rest in between reps. A work set for me ranges anywhere from six to ten reps. Another example is the superset, which is two work sets performed back to back with no rest in between sets. Here is a list of different types of sets that I will also cover in a future post:

1. work set
2. superset
3. pre-exhaust superset
4. max set
5. pump set
6. static-hold set
7. triset
8. giant set
9. negative-only set
10. rest-pause set
11. Supremum set

So to answer the question at hand, I incorporate different types of reps and sets into my workouts because each type targets a different portion of a muscle's range of motion. Some focus on the portion when the muscle fibers shorten (positive) whereas some focus on the portion when the muscle fibers lengthen (negative). To create a more effective and efficient (as well as add intensity) workout, different types of reps and sets are utilized.