Lazy reps, slow reps, forceful reps, and explosive reps; these are the types of reps that were discussed in the last article. Lazy reps are never good, but the other three type of reps can be beneficial when used correctly. If you want examples of each type of rep, refer to this link from the previous post titled: Lazy Reps, Slow Reps, Forceful Reps, Explosive Reps
In this article, I am still going to discuss different types of reps, but the emphasis will shift to three types of reps that can be identified as you proceed through a set when pushing to the point of all out failure.
- Quality Reps and Strong Reps
The first type of reps that lifters generally start with when performing a set of an exercise are quality reps. I also refer to them as “strong reps.” Strong reps and quality reps are forceful reps that can be repeated using a steady even rep pace. If you keep repeating quality reps, fatigue will begin to accumulate and you will reach the point where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace. This is when you will transition into the second type of rep, which I refer to as marker reps.
- Marker Reps
Marker reps mark the point in a set where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace, and the pace at which you repeat reps will start to slow down. While marker reps are somewhat slower than quality reps, they are not super slow grinder reps.
- Grinder Reps
When a lifter reaches a point in a set where they are doing super slow strenuous reps, they are doing the third type of reps, which are often referred to as grinder reps.
Different Styles of Lifting
If you ever have a chance to observe the typical training style of the Russian power lifters, you will notice that they almost exclusively stick with quality reps. Every rep is perfect and looks the same in terms of form and rep speed. They generally stop before their rep speed begins to slow down.
Of course there are many powerlifters who exceed their capacity for quality reps and push to the point of doing one or more marker reps. Their rep speed will slow down a little when this happens or they will start to pause longer between reps.
The last category of lifters is those who push a set to the point of doing grinder reps. Some lifters can’t grind and simply fail when they try to grind. If they push to the point where the weight is moving slow, they miss and cannot complete the lift. Of those who can grind, some can only do one grinder rep before failing, and others may be able to do a two or three grinder reps before failing; especially when doing high reps.
Christian MacCaffrey has raw grit. In the NFL combine, he does ten total reps for the bench press, but notice in the video below (click on the link) that his first marker rep occurs at about his 6th rep. He is basically doing marker reps on his 6th, 7th, an 8th reps, until he starts grinding on his 9th and 10th reps. Christian can definitely grind and push his way through the tough reps, but remember this is a strength test and Christian is going all out. Does Christian grind this much when training? I don’t know.
Christian MacCcaffrey NFL combine video
In the video below, Kirill Sarychev’s style of performing reps is quite different than MacCaffreys. Part of the reason for this may be because Kirill is training whereas MacCaffrey is testing for max reps. Kirill does a set of 9 reps and maintains a steady rep pace for almost his entire set until the very last rep. For the most part, Kirill focuses on quality reps when training and it works for him as he holds the world record with a 738 pound raw bench press.
Personal Experience
For my first two decades of lifting, I pushed to the point of grinding at least once per week. I worked each body part three times per week and knew from experience that I didn’t benefit from grinding every workout, however, I had been brain washed to believe that I needed to grind out high intensity reps once per week. I did this by doing two lighter workouts per week and one heavy workout where I pushed all the way to the point of grinding my way to failure. As time passed, my workouts became more consistent in terms of how hard I pushed. I would either push to the point of doing as many quality reps as possible, or I would push one rep further by stopping after the first marker rep. These workouts were not light and easy, nor were they super hard. I found that this worked better than vacillating back and forth between easy workouts and all out high intensity workouts.
Observations
From my observations, bodybuilders are more likely to grind than powerlifters, although top bodybuilders like Phil Heath rarely grind on basic exercises. Most of the top powerlifters stick with quality reps, or they push to the point of a marker rep. Some do grind occasionally, but most that I know of do not grind on a weekly basis. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with quality reps and marker reps, but grinder reps can backfire and cause more harm than good. However, that’s just my opinion and you should do what you find works best according to your own experience. Best of training to you.