How to Pick the Correct Load for a Personal Training Workout

Develop Work Capacity Before Endurance in Your Personal Training Sessions

B2  Mid Neutral Grip Chins
Set 1: 180 lbs (body weight) for 8 reps
Set 2: 180 lbs for 5 reps
Set 3: 180 lbs for 4 reps
Set 4: 180 lbs for 2 reps

This concept applies particularly to body weight exercises such as chins, where the weight is non-negotiable, as in, you cannot remove a leg for a couple of sets to make the weight lighter. Work capacity is the ability to repeat your efforts, while strength endurance is the ability to do maximal volume (number of reps) of work in a single set.

In this example, the trainee produces one great set of 8 reps, only to fall off sharply in subsequent efforts. As such, he has adequate strength for the prescribed intensity bracket, but lacks work capacity.

A better way to approach the exercise in this case is to undershoot the efforts in each set until the end, at which point you can go for broke and use the rest of your remaining energy. In this case, the trainee should perform sets of 5 reps each set next workout until the final set, at which point he can shoot for 6, 7, or even 8 reps. The way that you determine the correct number of reps to perform per set is by taking your average reps per set for the entire exercise, and round it to the nearest rep. In the event that you are doing your first workout, train with a view to completing the sets with the greatest sustainable average number of reps.

The next page explains how and when maximal efforts in a given set of exercise are most appropriate.

Page 8 of 10