What about having a rep goal instead of sets

[eleanorwhite]

Im doing 6 day push pull legs and thinking of having a rep goal to judge progress over time.

M
40 Pullups
30 Ring Rows
2x15 DB Hammer curl

T
60 Dips
40 Pushups
5mins Core

W
100 Heel elevated squats
100 Bridge
20min Cardio

T
40 Pullups
30 Ring Rows
2x15 DB Bicep curl

F
50 DB Press
40 Feet elevated Pushups
5mins Core

S
100 Heel elevated Squats
100 Bridge
20min Cardio

S Rest

So first set of Pullups might go 12 then 10 10 last set 8 eventually the first set will go up and the last set down to where im doing it in 3 sets then up the goal reps.

Any drawbacks to this over sets?

At the moment im doing straight sets so Pullups will go 10 10 10 10 then work on 11 11 11 11 then 12 etc

 

[dawn16]

@eleanorwhite I do this, although I usually do it in 3 sets, sometimes it takes 4. Gains are incredible this way

 

[eleanorwhite]

@dawn16 Good to know thanks, i like the idea so I'll definitely be giving it a try

 

[lutherwestie]

@eleanorwhite As long as you are doing them right and making each rep count. Like not getting your head over the bar during a pull up shouldn’t count as a rep.

 

[cloudy]

@lutherwestie It's actually a technical mistake to bring your head above the bar: I can't remember the reason but I think it is because of the way we move our shoulders to get that extra length. If you keep your shoulders down, you can't bring your head above the bar. Got that from a coach.

 

[lutherwestie]

@cloudy You might want to clarify with him on that. There’s a reason chin ups are called chin ups

 

[cloudy]

@lutherwestie Hi, here's the link (turn on auto-translate to English), he doesn't justify why it is a mistake but he does explicitly say it is a technical mistake:

Time: 2:25

He's a learned coach in physical training:

• Master degree in physical training
• Teacher at University of Nantes in STAPS (qualification for sport professionals)
• Former power lifter
• Trained professional athletes

While I don't think he was an elite power lifter neither trained top athletes (afak), his content is top quality, beyond anything else I found in both French and English. A bit too detailed and technical though, hence not many views and subscribers. You can explore by turning on auto-translate on his content and judge by yourself.

I would rather trust him than anybody else. That's all I can say.

 

[jam_allday]

@cloudy He’s wrong. One reason I can see why he calls it a mistake is because many people use explosiveness from the bottom position to get to the top. However, it is still possible to get the head (and chest) over the bar. It is only more difficult because of the shortened position of the posterior muscles (which as a result generate less force)

 

[lutherwestie]

@cloudy You may have misinterpreted what he means. He’s clearly getting his head above the bar. What he doesn’t approve of is people putting their chin directly over the bar when they’ve already reached their full range of motion. That’s just asking for a disaster

 

[valorwoman4jesus]

@cloudy You're supposed to touch chest to the bar. So even when you're slightly angled your head will still be slightly higher than the bar. But most people don't do pull-ups correctly anyways.

 

[eleanorwhite]

@valorwoman4jesus I do chest to bar wide grip

 

[cloudy]

@eleanorwhite You can if that motivates you but I found the more exercises you do, the less handy it is because you need to manage your time and energy. Planning your sets and reps and rest times enables you to plan your session and make sure it fits in your schedule. If it takes longer than expected, you might also end up too worked up to do the last exercises. However, it's interesting to think in terms of how many reps you do in total. I noticed that under 20reps per exercise, I tend to stagnate. I always try to be above 20reps, even if I'm going to do other exercises that target the same area.

 

[eleanorwhite]

@cloudy Thanks, id still plan rest times and would know roughly how many reps and sets it would take, i know Pullups will be 12 10 10 8 give or take a rep, 3min rest between sets.

 

[tiff7iney]

@eleanorwhite I do this also. Each upper body workout, I do a total of 100 reps of Pull and 120-150 reps of Push; typically using 3-4 exercises for each. An example for an upper body workout might be:

Inverted Rows - 40 total reps (8-15 reps per set),
Regular Push-ups- 80 total reps (20-30 reps the first set, with decreasing reps on each following set),
Lat Pull downs - 40 total reps (8-15 reps per set),
Decline Push-ups 30 total reps (10-20 reps per set),
Jacknife Chin ups - 20 total reps (6-10 reps per set),
Dips - 25 total reps (6-12 reps per set)

Progression is by decreasing total sets needed to complete the total reps goal for each exercise. Then, I increase weight or angle and start over. The total number of work sets per workout is typically around 20-24.

 

[eleanorwhite]

@tiff7iney Yeah i like it, think I'll give it a go for the next 5 weeks or so.
Im presuming you stay a rep or 2 away from failure?

 

[tiff7iney]

@eleanorwhite I go until my form starts to break down, so I would say 1 rep away from failure while maintaining strict form. I like to use a slower cadence such as used by K Boges.