Focus Point of the Week: The Last 3 Reps
By: Bruce Burke
As we near our first full year of One on One’s “Focus Point of the Week”, we will begin taking the “best” of our focus point’s and highlighting them. This week, Bruce picked his favorite “The Last Three Reps”.
He shared that “In order to get the most out of each training session, you must start by getting the most out of each exercise. To do so, you must totally focus on the most important part of the set…the last three reps. Read this focus point and make it happen!”
“The Last 3 Reps”
Resistance training can be tough, especially the last few reps. Let’s face it, those last reps are uncomfortable! It is both a mental and physical challenge. However, it is these last reps that are most important. No matter what your training goals, ensuring that the last three reps look like the first three will allow you to get the most out of every exercise.
Approach your first few reps (the easy ones) as your warm up. They are preparing you for the reps that will stimulate the greatest physiological changes. During these reps, we are strong, focused and can perform as expected. However, as the set progresses and fatigue sets in, our minds are saying “this hurts, I need to stop” and our muscles are truly becoming less capable of working as expected. It is at this point that we must bear down and realize why we are doing this in the first place…to get results. Those last three reps are going to take probably 15 seconds. Get yourself refocused and remind yourself “It will be over soon…I can handle anything for 15 seconds”!
In addition to being most effective, staying focused on form towards the end of your set will help prevent faulty joint mechanics and potential injury. Proper body position, posture, range of motion, and speed of movement must be maintained.
This mindset also generates greater exercise intensity. Increased intensity means increased EPOC and, for those trying to lose and/or maintain weight, this is key. For those looking for enhanced muscle tone, strength and endurance, those last reps have the most impact.
Focusing on the last three reps means sticking your endpoints, maintaining good posture, and making sure you are mentally focused. If you do these things, your last three reps will be done with purpose and yield the greatest benefits possible.
For this week, focus on making the last three reps of every exercise look like the first three and maximize your training efforts!
