Identifying the Marker Rep: How do you see it?
An interesting study is to watch various lifters and learn to identify where their marker rep occurs. It will help you be able to identify your own marker rep and help you better understand how various people train. In the video below, you can see 10 different lifters doing as many reps as they can for 225 pounds. See if you can identify their marker rep, which refers the initial rep in the set where rep speed begins to slow down. This is a sign that the lifter is transitioning from a ATP creatine phosphate energy system emphasis into a lactate system emphasis. Three lifters were able to do over twenty reps. They are the hardest ones for me to identify in regard to where their marker rep occurs because the transition from the creatine phosphate system to the lactate system becomes less distinguishable when doing high reps. This is one reason why I don’t advocate using weights that permit you to reach your marker rep after 15 reps because it’s too easy to go into a lactate emphasis which can result in an endurance adaptation rather than a strength adaptation.
Can you identify the Mark Rep of each Lifter?
How I see it:
Lifter #1: Marker rep = 13 Total reps = 16
Lifter #2 Marker rep =5 Total reps =7
Lifter #3 Marker rep =6 Total reps = 8
Lifter #4 Marker rep = 12 Total reps = 18
Lifter #5 Marker rep = 13 Total Reps = 22
Lifter #6 Marker rep = 16 Total Reps =24
Lifter #7 Marker rep = 21 Total Reps = 30
Lifter #8 Marker rep = 3 Total Reps = 5
Lifter #9 Marker rep =11 form breaking down Total reps =14
Lifter #10 Marker rep = 15 Total reps = 20
Ronnie Coleman
If you want to see how one Mr. Olympia trains, Ronnie Coleman is an example. He does 5 sets of the bench press. See if you can identify his marker rep for each set.
How I see it
1st set: weight= 135:
Slows down at the end of the set but it is intentional, not because of true fatigue. He does not reach his marker rep.
2nd set: weight = 225
Does not reach his marker rep.
3rd set: weight = 315
Perhaps he reached his marker rep on his twelfth and final rep, but I doubt it. I think Ronnie can do 20 to 30 reps with 315 and he slowed down intentionally, not because fatigue forced him to. I do not think he ever reached his marker rep.
4th set: weight = 405
Appears to hit his marker rep on his 10th and final rep.
5th set: weight = 500
Reaches his marker rep on his 4th rep out of 5 reps.
Hopefully it is obvious that Ronnie Coleman is strong. He does several sets and a lot of reps but trains in a very positive state, not a fatigue producing state. His last set is the only one where he is really pushing. Gaining strength and muscle size does not require grinding out reps. You can get strong by training in a primarily positive state without killing yourself.