One of the inquiries I get regularly from customers goes something like this:
“Hey Geoff, I’m doing XXXXX and I just hit 4 million reps in my latest workout. Is that decent?
I read on the forum that some guys are doing a trillion reps and I just want to know how I measure up…”
Now obviously, I’m exaggerating on the rep count, but you see what I mean, right?
And that’s because typically (but sometimes), I assign reps and sets, but NOT total workloads.
I let the workout duration be the governor of the amount of work completed, like 30 mins for example.
So you may see “sets of 5,” or “ladders of 1,2,3,” or something kind of similar.
In other copyright, I rarely program “5x5.”
The reason I do this is to accommodate for individual differences.
Differences in:
Power levels
Training age and background
Past injuries
Endurance levels
They all factor in to “how many reps is best” for YOU.
I have a background in Olympic Weightlifting and have generally low “endurance.”
So, if you checked out the number of Clean + Press sets I performed doing a program like ‘THE GIANT,’ they’d be relatively low - maybe as low as about 40 in a half-hour session, depending on the size of the KBs I was using.
Other guys post numbers like a hundred reps of Clean + Presses in 30 minutes.
To me, that’s astonishing. But props to them!
So the only way you’ll know what’s “good” is to do three things:
1- Determine your RM for the chosen program.
2- Run your first training session and track the total number of sets and reps in your training log.
3- Repeat #2 every training session and monitor the increase of total reps.
“Good” is when you see those total reps rise over the course of time - a month… 6 weeks… two months… whatever the program duration is.
And that’s because you’re only measuring yourself - no one else.
But if you want a target - something to measure your strength against - why not program use my “STRONG ENOUGH” Standards?
“How do you know if you’re ‘strong enough’?”
Simple.
Hit these targets:
First, Double Clean + Press w/ 2x32kg for 10 sets of 5 in 20 minutes.
Second, Double Front Squat w/ 2x32kg for 10 sets of 5 in 20 minutes.
Third, Single KB Snatch w/ 32kg for 100 reps in 10 minutes.
Can’t reach them yet?
Seem too hard?
Maybe even impossible?
Good!
Now you have benchmarks to reach.
Simply break them down into smaller units and then achieve those goals.
Firstly, Use 2x16kg for the C+P and Front Squat, and 16kg for the Snatch.
Secondly, Use 2x20kg for the C+P and Front Squat, and 20kg for the Snatch.
Thirdly, Use 2x24kg for the C+P and Front Squat, and 24kg for the Snatch.
4- Use 2x28kg for the C+P and Front Squat, and 28kg for the Snatch.
And as you focus on becoming “STRONG ENOUGH” you will *magically* -
[+] Burn fat and slim your waistline
[+] Build muscle and notice stronger arms
[+] Increase your stamina so stairs feel easier to climb and playtime with your kids gets fun again
[+] Increase your daily energy so you’re not hitting your 3rd cup of coffee at 2pm
[+] Manage chronic issues so you reduce or eliminate medication use
And be proud of yourself once again.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert