Most of us don’t have countless hours to spend within the gymnasium, however that doesn’t imply your exercises must undergo.
Strategies like Myo reps might help you do extra high-quality coaching in much less time, making your exercises extra environment friendly with out sacrificing muscle progress.
They work by packing more practical reps into shorter units, so you can also make good features with out dragging out your coaching.
On this information, you’ll study precisely what Myo reps are, how they work, and tips on how to use them to get essentially the most out of your time within the gymnasium.
Key Takeaways
- Myo reps allow you to construct simply as a lot muscle as conventional coaching in much less time by protecting relaxation intervals brief and permitting you to succeed in failure a number of occasions in every set.
- As an alternative of doing a number of lengthy units, you carry out one activation set, then use brief rests and small “Myo-rep units” to get extra productive reps in much less time.
- Myo reps are simpler in your joints and tendons as a result of you may prepare with lighter weights whereas nonetheless stimulating muscle progress.
- They might help you break via plateaus by growing your coaching quantity with out including an excessive amount of fatigue.
- In a Myo-rep match set you determine a rep goal in your first set and use Myo-rep units to match it in each following set.
What Are Myo Reps?
Myo reps are a power coaching method designed to make your exercises extra environment friendly by serving to you do extra “muscle-building” reps in much less time.
As an alternative of doing a number of conventional units with lengthy relaxation intervals, Myo-rep sets have you ever carry out one conventional set (known as an “activation set”), then a number of brief units with just a few seconds of relaxation in between.
Norwegian power coach Borge Fagerli developed Myo reps as a approach to do extra high-effort reps in much less time. He primarily based his methodology on the concept that the ultimate reps of a set, when your muscle tissues are near failure, are those that stimulate essentially the most progress—a principle known as “efficient reps.”
Some researchers debate this, however Fagerli and lots of others consider that doing more practical reps by taking your muscle tissues near failure a number of occasions in fast succession is a extra environment friendly approach to construct muscle than following a conventional set construction.
Myo Reps and Henneman’s Dimension Precept
Fagerli’s stance attracts closely on Henneman’s Dimension Precept, which explains how your physique recruits muscle fibers. Right here’s the gist:
- Your muscle tissues don’t activate all fibers without delay. They begin with smaller, weaker, “slow-twitch fibers” and solely name within the bigger, extra highly effective, “fast-twitch fibers” when completely crucial.
- These fast-twitch fibers—which even have essentially the most potential for progress—solely “swap on” while you both raise heavy weights or turn out to be so fatigued that your physique has no selection however to make use of them.
- In conventional coaching, you utilize a number of “lengthy” units to succeed in the purpose at which your muscle tissues recruit all out there muscle fibers. As compared, Myo-rep sets get you thus far quicker by protecting relaxation intervals extraordinarily brief so your fast-twitch fibers keep switched on.
Right here’s a graph for example this level:
How Do You Do Myo Reps?
Myo reps are easy when you perceive the construction. Right here’s tips on how to do them step-by-step:
Step 1: Activation Set
Carry out 15-to-30 reps with a weight that’s 30-to-50% of your one-rep max (1RM).
- Learners: ~30% of 1RM
- Intermediates: ~40% of 1RM
- Superior lifters: ~50% of 1RM
Finish your activation set 1-to-2 reps shy of failure.
Step 2: Myo-Reps Units
- Relaxation for 5-to-15 seconds. One of the simplest ways to time this with out shedding focus is to take 3-to-5 deep breaths.
- Do 3-to-5 extra reps.
- Repeat this cycle for as much as 5 Myo-rep sets or till your reps drop under 3 reps per Myo-rep set.
Listed here are a couple of examples of how your Myo-reps units may look:
- 20 reps + 5 reps + 5 reps + 5 reps
- 22 reps + 3 reps + 3 reps + 3 reps + 2 reps
- 25 reps + 5 reps + 4 reps + 4 reps + 4 reps + 3 reps
3 Suggestions for Extra Efficient Myo-Rep Sets
- Chill out on the finish of every Myo-rep set. When attainable, set the load down. For those who can’t do that (e.g., throughout the bench press), lock out the limbs concerned within the train to permit the goal muscle tissues time to relaxation.
- Restrict your self to not more than 5 Myo-rep sets. Doing extra may be tempting, nevertheless it doubtless gained’t produce higher outcomes however will make your coaching extra uncomfortable, hinder restoration, and place extra stress in your gentle tissues.
- Use Myo reps for isolation workout routines solely. Whereas Fagerli says you are able to do Myo-reps on compound workout routines, most individuals discover this too taxing.
Myo-Reps Instance Exercise
Right here’s a 3-day PPL routine that makes use of Myo reps for all isolations workout routines:
Myo-Rep Exercise #1: Push
Myo-Rep Exercise #2: Pull
- Deadlift: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 3-to-5 min relaxation between units
- Pull-up: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 3-to-5 min relaxation between units
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation between units
- Dumbbell Curl: 1 activation set of 15-to-30 reps + 3-to-5 Myo-rep units of 3-to-5 reps with 5-to-15 seconds (3-to-5 breaths) between units
Myo-Rep Exercise #3: Legs
- Again Squat: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 3-to-5 min relaxation between units
- Leg Press: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 3-to-5 min relaxation between units
- Bulgarian Break up Squat: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation between units
- Leg Curl: 1 activation set of 15-to-30 reps + 3-to-5 Myo-rep units of 3-to-5 reps with 5-to-15 seconds (3-to-5 breaths) between units
The Advantages of Myo Reps Defined
Myo Reps Are Time-Environment friendly
The most important benefit of Myo reps is that they assist you construct simply as a lot muscle as conventional coaching in a lot much less time.
To construct muscle, you have to push your muscle tissues near failure, the place they’re pressured to work as exhausting as attainable.
With conventional coaching, you solely attain this level on the finish of a set, after a number of lower-effort reps. To get extra of these muscle-building reps, you’d must do extra units and extra complete reps—which extends your exercises and probably how lengthy it takes to get well from coaching.
Myo reps clear up this drawback by letting you hit failure a number of occasions in a single prolonged set, protecting your muscle tissues in that high-effort, high-reward zone with out having to relaxation for lengthy intervals or do much less productive further work.
For instance, in a research printed within the Journal of Science and Drugs in Sport, weightlifters utilizing Myo rep-style coaching accomplished the identical quantity of labor greater than 7 occasions quicker than when utilizing conventional units.
Myo Reps Are Simpler on Your Joints and Tendons
Lifting heavy weights is nice for constructing muscle and power, nevertheless it additionally stresses your joints and tendons, particularly in the event you don’t stability quantity (units), depth, and restoration correctly. Myo reps assist scale back this pressure by letting you prepare with lighter hundreds whereas nonetheless stimulating muscle progress.
This additionally makes Myo reps a superb choice you probably have joint ache, are recovering from an damage, or wish to decrease long-term put on and tear with out sacrificing progress.
That mentioned, Myo reps nonetheless require you to carry out quite a lot of reps in a short while, usually while you’re already fatigued. For those who let your kind break down or do them too usually, they’ll nonetheless trigger aches and pains.
A easy approach to keep away from that is to make use of them for less than 1-to-2 isolation workout routines per exercise and preserve them to 3-to-5 reps per Myo-rep set and 3-to-5 Myo-rep units per train.
RELATED: The best way to Establish, Deal with, and Stop Gentle-Tissue Accidents
Myo Reps Could Assist Break By means of Plateaus
In case your progress has stalled, Myo reps could allow you to get shifting once more. One of many easiest methods to push previous a plateau is to improve your coaching quantity.
However this technique can backfire in the event you overdo it.
An excessive amount of further work can disrupt restoration, drain your vitality, and make progress even tougher. The problem is discovering the candy spot—doing sufficient to stimulate progress with out operating your self into the bottom.
Myo reps allow you to stroll this line by permitting you to build up extra productive quantity with out inflicting extreme fatigue. As a result of they take little time, in addition they make it simpler to coach cussed muscle teams extra often with out spending further hours within the gymnasium.
RELATED: 6 Confirmed Methods to Break By means of Weightlifting Plateaus
What Are Myo-Rep Match Units?
Myo-rep match units are a variation of Myo-rep units the place you set a “rep goal” in your activation set, then use Myo reps to “match” your rep goal in all subsequent units.
Their major profit is that they will let you attain failure much more occasions per train than common Myo-rep units, which can allow you to construct extra muscle, supplied you may get well from the additional quantity.
How Do You Do Myo-Rep Match Units?
Observe these steps to carry out Myo-rep match units:
- Carry out an activation set, stopping 1-to-2 reps shy of failure.
- Observe what number of reps you accomplished—that is your rep goal for all subsequent units.
- Relaxation as you usually would between conventional units (sometimes 2-to-3 minutes).
- Carry out your subsequent set, aiming to match your rep goal in a single go.
- For those who can’t hit that quantity, relaxation 5-to-15 seconds (or 3-to-5 breaths), then do a Myo-rep set of 3-to-5 reps.
- Proceed doing Myo-rep units till you attain your rep goal.
- Relaxation for 2-to-3 minutes, then repeat the specified variety of units following the identical steps.
To grasp how this may look in apply, let’s say you’re utilizing Myo-rep match units for dumbbell aspect lateral raises.
In your activation set, you full 20 reps. This implies each subsequent set should additionally attain 20 reps.
In your subsequent set, you push till you’re 1-to-2 reps shy of failure and handle 15 reps. You’re 5 reps wanting your goal, so that you relaxation for 5-to-15 seconds (3-to-5 breaths), then do a Myo-rep set of 3-to-5 reps.
On this set, you do 4 reps, taking you to 19 complete reps—nonetheless 1 rep wanting your goal. You relaxation one other 5-to-15 seconds, then do 1 rep to match your rep goal and end the set.
You relaxation 2-to-3 minutes, then repeat the method for all units of dumbbell aspect lateral raises in your exercise.
FAQ #1: Are Myo reps efficient?
Sure, Myo reps is usually a extremely efficient approach to construct muscle—particularly in the event you’re trying to prepare extra effectively or improve your coaching quantity.
That mentioned, they aren’t at all times crucial or preferrred for everybody. Some gymgoers discover that repeatedly pushing to failure is extra uncomfortable and mentally draining than conventional units, which might make coaching much less fulfilling.
As a result of they’re so fatiguing, different folks battle to keep up good kind throughout Myo reps, which may be offputting and improve damage danger.
For those who’re new to power coaching, Myo reps are additionally pointless for muscle progress and should needlessly overcomplicate your routine. Learners progress simply high-quality utilizing normal units, so there’s little motive so as to add complexity that might detract out of your coaching.
FAQ #2: What number of Myo-rep units ought to I do?
To keep away from extreme fatigue, use Myo reps for simply 1 or 2 isolation workout routines per exercise and restrict your self to 3-to-5 Myo-rep units per train. Doing greater than that gained’t essentially result in higher outcomes and should make it tougher to get well.
FAQ #3: What does Myo reps imply?
Borge Fagerli by no means explicitly outlined Myo reps’ which means, however the almost definitely clarification is that “Myo” comes from “myofibrillar hypertrophy”—a kind of muscle progress that occurs when muscle fibers construct extra contractile proteins.
Since Myo reps intention to extend the reps that drive muscle progress, the identify doubtless displays their concentrate on constructing muscle effectively.
FAQ #4: Myo reps vs. Relaxation-pause: What’s the distinction?
Technically, Myo reps are a kind of rest-pause coaching, developed and popularized by Borge Fagerli. Nonetheless, “rest-pause coaching” is a broad time period that refers to any methodology the place you’re taking brief breaks to increase a set—whether or not for muscle progress, power, or endurance.
What makes Myo reps totally different from different rest-pause coaching is that they have a particular construction, with an activation set adopted by brief relaxation intervals and small clusters of reps known as “Myo-rep units.”
That mentioned, bodybuilders together with Mike Mentzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Joe Weider used related strategies for many years.
One other variation is cluster units, that are extra widespread in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting. Not like Myo reps, folks extra generally use them to achieve power and energy slightly than muscle.
Scientific References +
- Gustavo, et al. “How Do Relaxation-Pause and Sarcoplasma Stimulating Coaching Fashions Have an effect on Metabolic and Psychoaffective Responses in Bodybuilding Athletes In comparison with Conventional Coaching?” Frontiers in Sports activities and Energetic Residing, vol. 6, 29 Oct. 2024, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1467762. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
- Karimifard, Mahmood, et al. “Twelve Weeks Relaxation–Pause and Conventional Resistance Coaching: Results on Myokines and Efficiency Variations amongst Recreationally Educated Males.” Stresses, vol. 3, no. 1, 8 Feb. 2023, pp. 302–315, https://doi.org/10.3390/stresses3010022. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023.
- Prestes, Jonato, et al. “Energy and Muscular Variations after 6 Weeks of Relaxation-Pause vs. Conventional A number of-Units Resistance Coaching in Educated Topics.” Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis, vol. 33, July 2019, pp. S113–S121, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001923. Accessed 27 Aug. 2020.
- Marshall, Paul W.M., et al. “Acute Neuromuscular and Fatigue Responses to the Relaxation-Pause Technique.” Journal of Science and Drugs in Sport, vol. 15, no. 2, Mar. 2012, pp. 153–158, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.08.003.
- Refalo, Martin C., et al. “Affect of Resistance Coaching Proximity-To-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Evaluation with Meta-Evaluation.” Sports activities Drugs, vol. 53, no. 3, 5 Nov. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y.
- Burd, Nicholas A., et al. “Resistance Train Quantity Impacts Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis and Anabolic Signalling Molecule Phosphorylation in Younger Males.” The Journal of Physiology, vol. 588, no. 16, 13 Aug. 2010, pp. 3119–3130, https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2010.192856.
Discussion about this post