Built by Reps
Do you find yourself doing the same 10–12 reps during your weight-lifting workout? Have you hit a plateau? It might be time to implement different repetition schemes. Besides the conventional/normal rep, here are three schemes you can try during your next workout.
Pause Reps
A pause rep means you are holding the repetition at a specific point during the movement or exercise for at least three seconds. For example, if you are squatting, then you will pause at the bottom of the squat for three seconds. If you’re doing the leg press, you will pause at the bottom of the press.
Tempo Reps
Tempo reps are about the speed and timing. They are written as a four-digit number and each one refers to the four phases of movement: eccentric (lengthening phase), isometric (pause phase), concentric (shortening phase), and isometric again (pause phase). There are many different combinations of tempo reps you can do. For example, a 3010 tempo for a squat will mean you are lowering the weight for three seconds with no pause at the bottom and exploding back up.
One & One-Quarter Reps
This rep scheme is a full repetition followed by a quarter repetition at the toughest part of the movement or exercise. For example, if you are doing leg extensions, you will do one full rep, then slightly lower the weight a quarter of the way and come back up again.
