Michele Cannell

Fitness professional certified in Personal Training, Wellness, CPR/AED, Cycling, Pilates, YogaFit, Tai Chi, and living with Celiac Disease.

10 reps, 12 reps, 15 reps, max set… Why is it so confusing?

Trainers are telling you to do 10 repetitions while your group exercise instructors are asking you to complete 20-25 repetitions.  Your HIIT video is telling you to do as many as you can. What is the correct answer? You just want to do the right amount of repetitions to have the best results. There are two answers to this question.

Answer #1: If  you want to build muscle then you shouldn’t go over 15 repetitions (according to ACSM). The more repetitions you do over 15 simply means that you should be increasing your weight. You definitely want to build muscle whether you are a female or a male. Your bones need that extra support and your metabolism will thank you. Just remember that your friend (who doesn’t work out) who is sitting beside you isn’t burning those extra 100 calories per hour like you are because you are strength training.

Answer #2:  If you want to build endurance and change your routine periodically then you can increase those repetitions as long as you are decreasing the weight you are lifting. You are testing how many repetitions you can get in in a minute so play it safe and decrease the weight. You want to participate in this type of workout only 1-2 times per week.

Build our base first by increasing your muscle mass and then mix up your routine 1-2 days per week with some endurance lifting.  Keep it simple for the best results! Email me if you have any questions under “Lets Chat” Good Luck!