Increase Your Reps Tip
July 20, 2009 by Jeff Anderson
When you’re lying on your back on the bench and your training partner is snorting and hollering over you, spittle dropping down on your forehead right where that vein is about to burst…
…you always seem to have MORE POWER than you think, don’t you?
But what if you don’t HAVE an adrenaline-jacked training buddy?
Never fear! Here’s…
How To Increase Your Reps On Any Exercise
Stupidly simple yet amazingly POWERFUL, this “quick tip” works every time for generating a bit more power…
…and it’s all PSYCHOLOGICAL!
All you have to do is, instead of counting your reps 1-2-3-etc.
Count BACKWARDS!
(Told you it was stupidly simple)
Here’s Why It Works
Just as having a spotter who’s jacked on adrenaline and caffeine forces you to dig down deep and push your body beyond any MENTAL blocks you have…
…counting BACKWARDS also “tricks” your brain to get more power out of your muscles.
Knowing that you’re getting closer and closer to the “end” of your set, your brain will almost MAGICALLY flip the switch on the afterburners and you’ll be able to get more reps than if you’d been counting the “traditional” way.
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Jeff Anderson
Author of Combat the Fat Workout and Hardgainer Project X
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Rob Cooper, also known as the Former Fat Guy once weighed 475 pounds. Through a system of natural health, whole foods and a basic walking program of 20 minutes a day, lost nearly 300 pounds of fat over 2 and a half years. Weekly weight training added over 50 pounds of muscle and has lowered his body fat even further. He’s the author of How To Lose 10 Pounds a Month, Every Month, a free report given to subscribers of his natural health and weight loss newsletter as well as the transformational... 
July 29th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I like to mix it up with some Interval Training form time to time. Resistance training is great, but mixing it up, say every 60 – 90 days can lessen the plateaus.
BK
.-= BlueKayak´s last blog ..Body Weight Exercises =-.
August 28th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I’ve been using the backward count technique for a while now and glad to know there’s actually an explanation for it. Sometimes I alternate counting forward and backward on alternating sets to break the monotony.
August 29th, 2009 at 9:38 am
the next increase your reps tip is to simply “not stop” when you’re finished counting. Let go of the attachment to the number and stop when you can’t lift anymore.
Muscles are stronger than any “limit” we place on them by a number.
September 14th, 2009 at 1:40 am
@ John: Counting tricks work well, but I’ve discovered playing songs that have the same speed as my reps are also excellent for taking my mind off the exhaustion, breaking the monotony and increasing my workouts.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Jeff I’m liking this idea and I’ll definitely try it. In general I find that the psychological aspects of lifting are critical when I’m in the gym.
I also find that counting upward has always limited my success… instead I focus my attention on the muscle groups that are being activated and thinking positive words in my mind such as “strength.” May sound a bit cheesy, but I swear it works wonders for me. Also, before I begin a set, I like to remind myself that I embrace my pain, that pain is my ally and teacher. This puts me in the proper mindset and seems to help me push through that final rep when I feel like my muscles are ready to give up.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I like to post pictures of models with shredded abs and use that as inspiration in my workouts. Imagining myself with a six pack like the ones on the pictures somehow fires me up and helps me increase the reps. = )
November 19th, 2009 at 1:50 am
I like to count by sets of twos. So if I am doing 10 reps I break it down to 5 sets of two. For some reason I always feel like I can get two more reps so by counting by twos I never feel like I can let myself stop even if I am on the 4th rep.