Moving Beyond ‘Sets’ and ‘Reps’
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Uninspired Fitness
Like many people, I used to think “working out” meant resistance training broken up into sets and reps. To get in shape, I would dutifully sign up at my local gym and start showing up regularly. My workouts consisted of an assortment of free weight, dumbbell, and machine resistance exercises broken up into a combination of sets and reps.
This is all I knew, and I was okay with it. After all, it was a simple model to follow, and if persistent, it tended to work. Over time, I was gradually able to change my body and increase my strength.
There was problem, however. I could not sustain my motivation, and I would inevitably stop going to the gym, cancel my membership, and fall out of shape until it got so bad that I signed back up.
This cycle occurred a handful of times throughout my adult life. Each time it would start for the same reason, tired of being out of shape; and each time it would end for the same reason, lack of interest and motivation. I clearly wasn’t getting the sustained fitness I wanted, but I assumed it was due more to a personal shortcoming than a function of my workouts. It wasn’t until I fundamentally changed my workout style that I finally broke the cycle and rewrote my understanding of what it meant to be in shape.
Beyond Sets and Reps
In 2015, I once again found myself in the familiar spot where I felt grossly out of shape. But this time, instead of joining the local gym, I decided to try something different, and signed up for a beginner course at a nearby CrossFit* affiliate gym. I really didn’t know anything about CrossFit except that it was more expensive than a Planet Fitness, but I figured it was worth a shot.
*CrossFit is mentioned simply because it was the medium that exposed me to the general workout concepts outlined below. You do not need to join a CrossFit gym.
My first class was a whirlwind, and made it clear that this would be a completely different gym-going experience. At CrossFit, workouts were amorphous and could follow one of many possible workout structures — not just sets and reps. And each workout structure came with its own unique set of challenges and objectives. This was a mindset shift, and the effects were profound and immediate.
Increased motivation. With sets and reps, my only real objective was to lift more weight over time — something I am neither naturally good at nor particularly care about. However with many of these new workout structures, the emphasis wasn’t how much weight I lifted, but how quickly I could complete the workout or how long I could endure.
I found these new objectives and different ways of measuring my performance to be huge motivators when it came to gym attendance and effort level.
Greater enjoyment. The new workout structures made even the most mundane movements more enjoyable. Movements I hated to work on individually — like pull-ups or push-ups — were more appealing as components of a larger workout. If I didn’t complete those movements, I couldn’t move forward in the workout. Simple as that.
I noticed that I would happily do more push-ups during a 20 minute workout with a push-up component than I would during a 60-minute open-ended gym session.
Feeling challenged. Each workout structure provided its own set of unique challenges, and each workout could be adjusted to become more (or less) challenging. I was able to set goals for myself and track my progress beyond the amount of weight I could lift. Being able to set and achieve a variety of challenges made working out more fulfilling and gave my fitness a new sense of purpose.
Physical results. When I varied the types of workouts I performed, I saw results. It was hard to believe at the time, but I was able to lift heavier and run faster than I ever had before.
Lasting Results
It’s been five years since I first ventured out beyond sets and reps, and five years of sustained fitness. That is no coincidence. Breaking the cycle and moving beyond sets and reps reframed my purpose for exercising and helped me tap into a previously unknown source of motivation.
A Better Way to Approach Fitness
I’m not unique. Many people struggle to sustain their motivation to work out, but few people have tried changing the format of their workouts. That’s why I want to pass on what I’ve learned. Below are a few ways to vary your approach to working out. Try it out and see if your results improve. Think of it as learning a new recipe to help spice up an otherwise boring list of ingredients.
The descriptions below are general, but interested readers can find a ton of detailed information and sample workouts online with a Google search.
- Sets and Reps. The terms used to describe the number of times you perform an exercise. A rep is the number of times you perform a specific exercise, and a set is the number of cycles of reps that you complete. The primary objective of this workout is to gradually increase strength by lifting more weight over time.
- AMRAP. Short for “As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible.” This is a type of workout where you’re performing as many reps of a single exercise as you can in a predetermined period of time, or as many rounds of several exercises as you can in a predetermined period of time. The primary objective of this workout is to improve your conditioning by increasing the number of repetitions you can complete over time.
- For Time. A type of workout where a set amount of work must be done as quickly as possible. A “For Time” workout can have a time limit in which case you try to get as far as possible, or no time limit in which case you are expected to finish the work or give up. The primary objective of this workout is to improve your conditioning by completing the work faster each time, or getting further into the workout during the limited amount of time
- Interval. A common type of workout where the workout is structured by intervals, or fixed amounts of time. An interval can be either “work” or “rest.” The primary objective of this workout structure is to improve conditioning through sustained intensity with limited rest between rounds.
Tracking Your Progress
Tracking your workouts can have a huge impact on your ability to sustain fitness over a long period of time. However, I quickly discovered that most workout tracking apps only support tracking sets and reps. This makes it difficult to track your results for the other workout structures.
That’s why I created the PJL Fitness Journal, which allows users to track their progress for every workout structure listed above. If you’d like to create a free account, you can do so with the beta-key healthy-medium in the PJL Fitness registration form, or if you’d just like to learn more, you can do so here.
I truly believe in this way of approaching fitness, and I’m excited to share it with everyone I can. If you’d like to connect, reach out to me on Instagram @pjl.fitness. I’d love to hear from you about your fitness goals or to answer any questions about the application or this post.
Good luck. Have fun!
