Worried about rep ranges?
Well, you really shouldn’t be. Research shows that the number of reps, isn’t near as important as the quality of those reps in relation to your failure point. For example, is 4 x 10-12 reps inherently better than 3 x 6-8 for muscle growth? In the first instance, you are doing more volume, so surely you will gain more muscle, right? That isn’t the case. In the second instance, even though you aren’t performing as many reps, the quality of those reps in relation to musculature failure might be better, leading to more growth. So exactly what rep ranges should we be training in? A mixture of all rep ranges is probably best, but I have found that the 5-15 rep range is best for me when taking fatigue, injury prevention, joint health, and practicality into effect.
The way Ignite is formatted, the goal is to try to increase a rep every week with a similar weight. This is to encourage progressive overload over time so we can see those gains we are working so hard for!
So remember, we can focus on the rep ranges, but really focus on the effort of your sets, and if the rep range goal is 8 but you can only get 7, that is completely fine if that set is intense!
And if the rep range goal is 8 but you can get 10-12, maybe up the weight so we are training closer to that goal because you are stronger than you thought!
What is progressive overload and why is it important?
We are in the gym working so hard to see the progress we want, and one of the key indicators that our efforts are being rewarded, is progressive overload.
Progressive overload ensures that you are increasing the demand on your muscles by increasing the amount of weight or reps during a structured workout program. It may be hard to conceptualize, but it’s easier to see in an example.
In both examples, we are seeing a strength increase overtime. So we can either do more reps with the same weight, or more weight with the same reps. This is why we keep our exercises similar over a long period of time, so that we can see this progress and really see the muscle growth we want.
Why are the workouts the same every week?
When I was developing and creating Ignite, I spent months trying different workout routines and testing new workouts and workout splits because not only do I stand by my programs, I run them myself.
I know doing the same workouts every week may seem different if you have never trained like that before, and I used to go in to the gym doing different workouts every week. I wasn’t following a structured program, and I felt like I was never truly happy with my results.
So I decided to switch from this style of training to a style that was more structured and focused more on intensity and progressive overload, and progressive overload may seem intimidating or new, but we are in the gym working so hard to see the progress we want, and progressive overload is so important in seeing that.
Progressive overload ensures that you are increasing the demand on your muscles by increasing the amount of weight or reps during a structured workout program, and the practical way to apply it is to try and either do more reps with the same weight, or more weight with the same reps over time.
So If we start the program and can do 100 pounds on squats for 8 reps, hopefully by week 8 you can do 100 pounds for 12 reps, or maybe 120 pounds for 8 reps.
And this is why it's important that we keep our exercises similar over a long period of time, so that we can really perfect the movements and be able to push ourselves and see progress over time. So even if it is new, give it a try and we can train together and see all of the progress we are working so hard for!
I am not getting sore from my workouts, am I doing something wrong?
The soreness we feel after a workout isn’t always a good indicator of a good or a bad workout. I know it can feel amazing to have that soreness in your glute or legs or whatever muscle group you want to grow, but it doesn’t always mean one workout is better than another.
The body does an excellent job adjusting, especially on movements that it is used to. For example, week 1 glute bridges might make you super sore when you did 100 lbs, but week 8 maybe it isn’t as sore, but you are doing more weight.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t working; you are so much stronger than you used to be! Your body has just gotten used to the movement and isn’t as sore after performing it.
Now, if you are NEVER sore at all, maybe look at your intensity and how hard the last couple of reps on your sets are. We want to be training hard, and I have been training for years and still get sore but just don’t get discouraged and judge how good a workout is by your level of soreness.
If you are seeing progressive overload and training super intense, your workout might have been incredible even if you aren’t as sore as you used to be.