Rest, Rep Ranges, and Soreness- Client Questions Answered!
I wanted to write this week and answer three really good questions asked by personal training clients over the last few weekly check-ins.
I always like covering these questions because, well, if clients are asking I'm sure more people are wondering the same thing!
If you're interested in checking out past editions of articles like this, you can check them out
Question 1: "Should I be resting during my workouts? I feel like I am rushing through them"
In my opinion, rest is super important, but only when it's important.
Confusing? Let me explain.
Like everything in your workouts, rest is individualized to the person. Typically rest is correlated to the type of response you want to get from your workout. Looking to build muscle? Rest longer so that your body can give more effort on each set. Looking to elevate your heart rate? Rest shorter so your body is working at a higher threshold.
What if you're looking to be some where in the middle? 99% of the people I train fall in to this category.
What I like to do is program 'filler' movements as a third exercise in a cluster of movements. For example...
Exercise 1: Goblet Squats
Exercise 2: TRX Rows
Exercise 3: Hip Flexor Stretch
That third movement, the hip flexor stretch, is going to be a non-fatiguing- typically mobility based- movement that doesn't compete with either of the other two movements but still gives you a high return in your workout. I like these fillers as a way to add more to your overall training without adding extra time or extra fatigue.
The second way I like to program is to just cue the individual to rest as needed. This gives a lot of feedback on how you're feeling during a workout. It's a little vague, but if I am doing my job correctly, then you are doing movements that fall in to your wheelhouse of expertise and skill level and you have the confidence to move through them efficiently and will rest only when you need a minute (probably to look at your phone OR get the music going...just being honest here...)
Question 2: "Why do the reps have a range? What do they mean?"
This is another great one- spoiler, I think they are all great questions!
Rep ranges are when a workout says to perform said exercise for however many sets for 8-12 reps (the range can be anything, but in this example we are using 8-12).
What does the range mean?
Think of the rep range as a moving target. If you can land somewhere in between those numbers -8 and 12- then you've successfully hit the target.
Now, not all reps are created equal. For example, say you are doing push ups and are unsure if you should elevate your hands or not. You start on the ground and start to bang out some push ups and get to 6 reps. Well, you missed the target. At this point you have two options...adjust the movement to complete the required reps OR make a note of this in your workout program and adjust accordingly on your next set.
Is it bad you missed the target? No, not at all. I have actually found that missing rep ranges is when clients ask really good follow up questions. However, what you should be doing is making a note on how to adjust for the next set.
Likewise, say you are doing those same push ups and you get to 12 and feel like you could have done 18 or 20 reps. Then clearly, the weight or movement was too easy and you need to progress it for the next set. Adding weight or inclining your feet would be a great way to progress the exercise in this case.
If you're ever unsure of how to progress the movement, or how to better hit your rep range, these are all things that come in to play when working with a Personal Trainer, either in person or online. (If you want more information on working with me, you can click here to fill out an inquiry form!)
To recap, rep ranges are a target, you want to aim for somewhere in the target, but understand if you miss, it isn't the end of the world and it can be a great feedback tool to improve your workouts going forward!
Question 3: "My workout doesn't make me sore like it used to...am I working hard enough?"
I'll start by saying this- soreness doesn't mean you had a good workout. It just means you're sore.
It's actually a goal of mine when I start with new clients to have them tell me that their workout is too easy. True story.
I will say this- gauge your workout by how much progress you make - more reps, more sets, more comfortable, more confident, etc. I actually list 22 ways to track progress in this article.
Back to the question. If you start training and you're sore, but then it goes away, your body has successfully adapted to the stress that was being applied to it during the workout. SO, in short, not being sore anymore is a phenomenal sign of progress!
But does it mean you aren't working hard enough? Not at all. Seriously, check out that article on progress. As long as a metric is improving- reps, sets, weight- or even something subjective like perceived confidence is improving, then you are 100% crushing and keep doing what you are doing!
The real question is now, what questions do YOU have? Throw a comment below or email me at Casey@PurposefulStrength.com , let me know, I'd love to help or even write up another article answering it!