Podcast Ep 19
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Introduction to the UFFDA! Podcast
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the UFFDA! Podcast hosted by Emily O'Connor and Jordan Rudolph. The UFFDA! Podcast brings you a surprisingly fresh take on everyday topics in health, fitness and everything in between. We want to open the door to explore new information and new solutions in a way that's easy for you to understand and apply to your own life.
Let's get into today's episode.
Jordan Rudolph: Hello, everybody. Welcome. Come back to the Uber podcast. I'm Jordan Rudolph.
Emily Morris: I'm Emily Morris. So your peers throwing me off, it's going to take while.
Jordan Rudolph: Uh, we are at season four episode 19.
Understanding Reps to Failure
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Jordan Rudolph: We're going back into the strength training realm [00:01:00] today. Specifically talking about. Strength training and reps to failure involved with the strength training. And how they are relevant towards your goals.
Resolve. Results in strength training in general.
Emily Morris: Right. Uh, training principle and a way to train. That I think might be used maybe more. More than it should maybe incorrectly when it, when it is used, maybe. Maybe used too frequently, but really kind of diving into how. How it can be used most appropriately and how it can be extremely powerful. Powerful to leverage in your own training in. And making decisions around going up and wait and making decisions around.
Are we training? Training at the appropriate weight, are we getting the response that we need to get the. The outcome that we need to get from the training we're doing, oftentimes that wait selection. Can be a tricky thing and went over in previous episodes, we've talked about. Reps and sets and RPE. And we've talked about all these different variables. Reps to [00:02:00] failure follows in that same suit.
And. It can help guide our decisions around strength training. And as it relates to whatever the end goal outcome is. Is that we want to achieve.
Jordan Rudolph: So the, the reps to failure. As they play a role in your goals. It's. Helping us select certain intensities or certain weights that you're going. To use. To get said goal. And one of the things. Like outside of us using reps to failure as an example. Through our RPE, our rate of perceived exertion. Chart, because it's sometimes easier for people to understand that. We can also choose reps to failure to get a certain stimulus.
And for an example, Sample the easiest one. If we think reps to failure do as many as you can literally do as many as you can. And until you can not do anymore. It was a maximal effort. Repetition, regardless of, if we're looking for a 10 rep max. If we're working for a five rep max, one rep max, or if we're just [00:03:00] saying. Put something on the bar or do as many as you can do, those are. Those are reps to failure.
Physiological and Neurological Adaptations
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Jordan Rudolph: There are certain physiologic. as in what happens in the stimuli. Stimulus that you're changing inside your body, biologically. Uh, Stimulates and changes through that.
And then there's physical physiologic. No. Sorry. Physical adaptations. And stimulus. Is that your body goes through as well? And there's neurological. Stimulus and adaptations. So your body changes. How. The chemistry inside your body works. Sometimes that is influenced by the. The brain neurologically sometimes that is influenced by physical factors of stress and. Muscle tissue literally being torn apart, which is what happens when you strength, train don't want to. Freak out that happens to micro-tears. Moving on. All of those things play a role then in how your body recovers from that. Which is the results that we're actually looking for.
Emily Morris: And. Those [00:04:00] results only come. Not only, but can come from those sets when used appropriately. So when. We're constantly. Breaking the body down constantly going to fail. Failure on multiple, multiple sets in a row. We likely are doing too much of a good thing, right. There is a point where. There too much isn't or more isn't better. It's just. Just more and the body starts to not be able to recover. Recover not to get all of the stimulant or not to recover from. Appropriately not to get all the adaptations that Jordan. Jordan just was mentioning from all of the different areas. Around. In the body.
So.
Strategic Use of Reps to Failure
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Emily Morris: As we're doing these. Reps to failure, maximum effort sets when we're going till there are. Zero reps left in the tank. If you will. We really. We want to make sure that when we're doing that, it is very intentionally program. And we've worked up to that. We're not coming into the gym on a random. At the time [00:05:00] of recording this Wednesday. And just cranking out. A full set to failure just to see what we have in the tank often. Oftentimes there are warm upsets involved.
It may be an exercise that we've been working. Working on previously that we are comfortable with the form staying in. Intacct through all of those areas as well. So making sure that we're doing. To talk into one of our other variables, the minimum effective. Dose of these sets, but not the maximum recovery. Coverable volume.
It's not. How frequently can we train to failure? It's. It's how can we leverage those times that we do train to failure to maximize the potential of them as we go.
Jordan Rudolph: In all of those play. A different role, depending on the goal. All our reps to failure that we prescribe. Scribe are different based on the golf it's muscle building.
If it's true strength. Strength training. If it's absolute strength, if it's power, if it's endurance there, there's different. Effects. Right. So if we're warming up. And going through a. A warm up of something. We typically want a lot of reps to failure left. [00:06:00] We want the weight to. I feel lighter that you can do. 7 8, 9, 10 more than. Than what we're asking you to do for the reps.
That's intentional. That's to help get. The warmup going, get your stabilizer muscles, getting the physiological response, getting. The pattern, blah, blah, blah. If it's something where we want to build muscle. We might ask you to go closer to a two rep to failure for. Optimal range people. Usually when we're trying. To build true strength and true muscle. Usually end up going to heavy. Where to what you just heard, like from UN. Is that they, they, they do too much.
They. Do too much of too much. And they can, they continuously maximize. Uh, till till, uh, zero reps there, their muscles, literally can't. Lift another rep until they have X amount of time of rest. Or they choose way too light and they think that there's quote unquote. Two reps left in the tank to failure. But they actually probably have. Closer to six, seven or eight, but they're [00:07:00] afraid to go heavier.
So typically most. People tend to go to light. Or too heavy too often. And they, neither of those give you response in terms. Have a training stimulus or adaptation. Long-term.
Balancing Training Intensity
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Jordan Rudolph: So I want to make sure you understand that too, going to light. Or if you max out all of the time, Neither. Of those. Give you results. Long-term. There's nowhere for your body to adapt and go from it's. Too easy. Or it's too intense and you can't have your body recover. Just like you just heard from him. So the goal. Is to find the in between and then be strategic on when you want to max out some. Of those things. Whether it's. Every six weeks, every 12 weeks. Every once in a while. You don't need to max out every time. You don't need to max out every week. But it can be spaced out.
It just depends. On what your goals and what you're training for. But when we work with people here at unity. We're [00:08:00] typically not working with somebody that. Honestly gives. Gives a crap, what their PR is like at. As their primary goal. They love to see that they're getting stronger. They love to know that they're testing their abilities. But unless you're doing something that's specifically for a competition, like a powerlifting. Weightlifting, maybe a sport performance. We don't need. I need to know your maximum reps to failure on certain things. But it's nice to use those gauges for your progress.
Most people. People want to still be able to just do what they love to do outside. At the gym golf. Play with their kids, play with their grandkids bike. Go on vacation. say yes to more vacation, say yes to more excursions and adventures. Most people that we work with. Follow that suit. There are those people that still want to care and know what they do in here, which we support that and do that. Clearly you and I mess around with that every once in a while as well. But the reps to failure are key to understanding your optimal.
Range or stimulus of [00:09:00] training and then. Optimal results longterm.
Emily Morris: Right. And like you were saying, One of the most important things is truly determining how many. The reps to failure. Do you have on a specific exercise? Right. Really getting to know your body. And sometimes that just comes with time. That comes with reps of learning, literal reps, pun intended of learning. Learning.
Okay. What does 20 pounds feel like? Like is it actually two. In the tank or do I have 6, 7, 8? Like we often underestimate. Ourselves. In what we can do, especially if. The gym is a different environment is something that we're not used to using. Is it something, maybe a place that we're not quite comfortable quite yet. Or a new thing. We often tend to underestimate ourselves.
So. Having some of those max rep sets can be helpful once we get the form down. And when they're used appropriately. But overall allowing yourself. The space to still learn, but being mindful of what is the. Overarching goal. If [00:10:00] the overarching goal is. To play with the grandkids. And kids to go on the adventures that you like and do the things. That you love to do to feel confident. Whatever that overarching goal. Is, we just need to do enough to get us there.
We don't have. I have to do more than that. We don't have to push our body to. Absolute failure. We need to match the training to the intended. Ended result. Right. And we've talked about that in our programming standpoint, we've talked about. That in so many episodes previously. Where programming has a desired outcome and what we program. At least here. Unity is intended to get that specific outcome. Right. But how we get there, how we execute the program is just. Just as important as what's written on the paper and that's where this reps to failure. And knowing that really has some power.
Jordan Rudolph: For sure.
And. And this is. I have one thing that's going to wreck people's brains. Then one thing to hopefully. We give them a little more reference. Relate-ability. Because this is hard for people. To [00:11:00] find if they've never been in a gym environment before, or they. They don't understand that reps to failure piece.
And we want to make sure as coaches that we're. We're doing what's best for them and the optimal side of things. We actually.
Testing and Measuring Strength
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Jordan Rudolph: Started doing when people are ready for it, certain tests. Tests of strength or strength balance. With and what I mean by balance. It says like, are, is your squat? Uh, and inappropriate. In a, in an inappropriate range of strength compared to what your. Hinge or deadlift is, or is your left side as strong as your right side for this pusher pole? Or step or split squat, whatever it is, we create a specific program for a specific. Uh, people that test their strength according to how their body is balanced out. Not like, literally. Bouncing on a leg.
Anyway, that's hard for people to gauge.
That's hard for us as coaches to gauge. Gage, but we want to make sure how to do this so we can quantify that. Through our training programs and we can get a little more analytical on it. We can. Uh, data. A lot of people like this. [00:12:00] So when people are ready. Ready. We start testing a mountain. We will do it every six weeks. Four. 1218. We do it for
Emily Morris: usually
Jordan Rudolph: four weeks.
Emily Morris: Yeah. It. Depending
Jordan Rudolph: on the person and depending on where they're at in their training history. Would you say something like that? Yeah.
Emily Morris: Usually, usually we go at least 12 or. At least 12 weeks where we get to kind of test. First for those first ever. Every six, every six. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah. Not for. For 12 weeks in a row. That reference what we said earlier about too much too soon.
Yeah. Not enough. But yeah, usually every six weeks for 12. So we do it twice where. We kind of get to, Hey, we learned those exercises for six weeks. We got comfortable. With them. Let's see where we're at. Strength wise. Awesome. Let's now use those numbers. Back off don't actually match the maximum. Every time you come. Come in, but let's use the test.
Get a little bit stronger, maybe a lot. A bit stronger. More adaptation more from physiological neurologic. A logical, all the areas. Yeah,
Jordan Rudolph: then
Emily Morris: let's retest. Okay. Let's see where we're. At, yeah,
Jordan Rudolph: and we don't need new [00:13:00] exercises for that. Just continue to build. The appropriate strength through that correct response or stimulus. To get that there.
And that all helps longterm.
Emily Morris: We.
Jordan Rudolph: We used to only do it at like week 12. Somewhere in there when. When people started. Yeah. Now we do it. At six and 12. Because 12 is taking too long and we weren't getting the correct results that we wanted. So we did it at six, so that we have a better idea. And then we just repeat some. Some of those same parameters or exercise selections, and do it again, six weeks. Later when we have a better idea, cause then we can choose the appropriate.
Wait for them to hit. Hit the certain stimulus based on their goals. So that's a part that. We do here at unity. Then we obviously do that again, strategically, whenever we need to. The other part then is I think, I guess I know what rep. Brain just say, we've talked about them in here. They're arguably the most.
The most influential. Uh, parameter that we can prescribe. that has the most effect on your goals. Like I understand [00:14:00] that. Me personally. Uh, I have gotten.
Personal Training Insights
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Jordan Rudolph: Probably more into what I call a field player over the last, like six to eight months. That's where I don't always count all my reps. I pushed myself through certain sets at certain weights till I get to. Uh, certain reps in the tank or reps to failure where I feel like there's two or three left. Reps left.
And then if I want to make sure I'm still challenging myself, I give myself enough rest. Rest to repeat that, or I go up and wait, if I want to do the last set, I try to go to near one. One rep. Depending on how many reps I'm doing. How my body's. Feeling. X Y Z. I can't. I know this is the part that's going. To hurt people's brains.
I'm not following true reps at the moment. Through. Everything that I do. I'm basing it more purely on I'm looking. At a chart right now for those of you that can't obviously see me. That shows different intensities. Cities based on reps to failure that we have in the office. I'm basing a. A lot of my training lately, more on that, and I'm searching more of a stimulus. Without worrying about how much reps I'm [00:15:00] focusing more on failures and then letting the weight. Be my guide towards that failure moment.
Emily Morris: Can
Jordan Rudolph: not tell you if it's helping or hurting. Quite yet. But I also know, I feel really good doing it.
And then. Unless I'm going to work out with my buddy Jay and his damn strong man. Strength stuff. I'm hoping you have these listening to this and he's making me do five sets of stuff. That basically. Basically was to failure on the last set. I've been feeling fairly good lately. Um, very sore after, in certain areas after working out with him, but that. It was intentional. Um, and it's leading into my dealer, so right. Well,
Emily Morris: and that's again, different ways of looking at strength, training and different levers to pull where not every workout is like. That where we can kind of go towards the stimulus.
And if you have the goals that require that. Awesome. There was a time to do that, but it's not every time that we're in the gym. And this
Jordan Rudolph: is prescribed to me specifically. I don't do this with other people. I'm a terrible. Terrible counter. I won't count when I'm training, when I'm coaching. And people know that. But I, I pers this is a specific prescription to me that I'm kind of experimenting with. No. [00:16:00]
Emily Morris: And as all good experiments sometimes. Trickles through, but also we want to make sure that we're using all of these things appropriately. Most frequently going to be using reps to failure. Almost as a, like you were saying secondary to the actual reps. Reps that are prescribed to people where we want to hit those reps or at least plus or minus within those ranges.
Again. We know what the textbook says, but there's some wiggle room there. Um, for. The true feeling and the perception of how the body's interpreting. Getting that too. Yes. Where the data can match the perception. As well, correct.
Conclusion and Podcast Wrap-Up
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Emily Morris: I think that about wraps it up. I
Jordan Rudolph: think so.
Emily Morris: As always, thank you guys so much for listening to this week's episode. Of the, of the podcast, share this with someone who you think will find it valuable. Leave us a rating, a review, subscribe, download all the things that help us to grow organically and we'll catch you.
[00:17:00] Yeah.
