Weight Training: What Are Reps, Sets, and Time?

If you look at many of the Workouts in the FitForever library, you’ll notice the regular use of three words: sets, reps, and time.

What are representatives?

Reps is short for repetitions and refers to the number of times you do a certain exercise without stopping. One repetition is when you go from the starting position, through the exercise, and then return to the starting position. So if you’re doing a basic dumbbell bicep curl and you want to do 10 reps, you’ll go from the starting position, raise the dumbbell, and then return to the starting position 10 times.

What are sets?

A series is a group of repetitions. Continuing with the example of the dumbbell biceps curl, the exercise may require 3 sets of 10 repetitions. This means you do 10 reps of the exercise without stopping, then rest, do 10 more reps and rest, then 10 more reps and rest. Many weightlifters will alternate with another exercise between sets.

What is time?

Timing, or rep timing, is used by professional athletes and bodybuilders, but it’s an important part of weight training that novice weightlifters often ignore. Time is simply the time it takes, in seconds, to complete one repetition. The time is often displayed as 3 numbers, such as 8:1:8. For the example of a dumbbell bicep curl with a time of 8:1:8, you would simply raise the dumbbell for an 8 second count, hold it at the top of the exercise for 1 second, and then lower the dumbbell for an 8 second count. Tracking time helps you take your time isolating your muscles and prevents you from swinging or throwing weights up.