Tuesday, 31 January 2012 03:52

One repetition workouts

When it comes to workouts, we've all heard about doing X number of repetitions in a set, doing 5 sets of this exercise, followed by 2 sets of another - and so forth. We've all been schooled on the "do reps - get stronger" philosophy. And not entirely without good reason - doing multiple repetitions of an exercise (such as pushups, for example) is a time honored way that gets you stronger and fitter, and there is nothing wrong with this form of training. In fact, I wholeheartedly advocate this approach in Fast and Furious Fitness; the reason being that it WORKS.

But what if you were introduced to a form of training that would allow you to get stronger from performing just ONE repetition? 

That's correct - ONE repetition of an exercise. If you want, you can repeat that one repetition,  but that's all you do in one "set" - one repetition. And YES, you WILL get stronger by following this approach - provided you do so correctly.

Most people find this a hard concept to grasp. Yet, it works. Let me give you an example from my own training today. I did some sprints (more on that later) - and followed up with a brief 15 minute routine consisting of nothing but handstand pushups and pullups. And most of my sets in these consisted of ONE repetition of either a pushup or pullup; the only caveat being that I did them in a way that would be nearly impossbile for the average trainee to achieve.

And believe you me, that ONE repetition alone was a HARD set in itself. I was sweating buckets, and getting enough of a cardio workout (as if I even needed one after my sprints) - and this was after only two sets. I did five in all, then finished up with some grip work, and called it a day. Or should I say, HAD to call it a day - I had nothing left at that point!

And note that I've been doing handstand pushups and pull-ups for a long time, so these exercises are hardly new to me. So this way of exercising can give you a fantastic workout regardless of what level of training you are currently at - begineer,  intermediate, or even advanced. Last, but not least, this type of training can be extended to virtually any exercise. 

I don't advocate doing low repetitions DAILY; but it can be a very effective technique if used alongside your "regular" training routine (or maybe on days when your regular routine isn't going according to plan).

Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: If you enjoy training the way I do, Fast and Furious Fitness is just what the doctor ordered.

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