[s.luedtke]

Hey all,

When comparing the book, training log, and my purchased plans I’m confused on how many reps to do for the general strength/core routine. On exercises like split bench squat, Turkish get-ups, etc do I only do 5 per side for a total of ten reps or do I do 10/side?

Each reference say it slightly different…

Thanks,

Seth

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on April 7, 2018 at 9:02 am #9157

Seth:

These ‘general’ strength workouts are intended as conditioning to prepare on for more demanding work later. There are more ways to do this kind of thing than you can shake the proverbial stick at. Hence the variations in the descriptions you mention. There is no ONE way to accomplish this task. A seasoned athlete with significant strength training background might no even use this phase unless he/she has had a long break.

So, don’t get bogged down trying to parse sets and reps too finely. The Strength world can split hairs over sets and reps ad nauseum but I have seen great real world results come from a wide variety of prescriptions. For this kind of conditioning work it’s just not that important. As we mention in the book and elsewhere: These exercises and routines are not a magical combo. They are just some we have use to good effect. Think big picture.

Scott

[Neil]

Neil on April 11, 2018 at 11:50 am #9300

I don’t know if my approach is the best (especially in consideration of Scott’s reply) but FWIW, here is what I do during the general strength phase:

For each exercise:
10 reps per side
3 series
3x/week.

I use a weight that barely lets me squeak out an 11th rep if I wanted to.
More series would perhaps be better but my tolerance for boredom keeps me to 3 series. I like to be out of the gym in no more than 1h15m. I used to do a lot of Turkish Get-ups but found that the training load was quite uneven on different body regions.

While waiting between the exercise I integrated Killer-core exercises and yoga poses.

[Alan Russell]

Alan Russell on April 22, 2018 at 5:47 am #9480

Hi,

I’m wondering whether Scott’s guidance above on general strength (don’t get bogged down on sets and reps) would also apply to core training as I’ve noticed some variations in the guidance.

I use Scott’s Killer Core a couple of times a week as a warm-up for other strength sessions and do 4 reps (either in total, or per side) / 6 seconds for isometrics based on this: https://uphillathlete.com/diy-skimo-strength/, which recommends 2-4 rep’s / 4-6 seconds.

However I’ve also seen the following:
– 10-12 rep’s / 5-6 per side: https://uphillathlete.com/10-tips-for-training-your-core-for-ski-mountaineering/;
– 5 rep’s / 10 seconds: https://uphillathlete.com/how-to-do-core/;
– 6-8 rep’s / 6-10 seconds: https://uphillathlete.com/uphill-athlete-8-week-mount-blanc-training-plan/;
so I’m wondering if I might be better to increase rep’s / duration.

Alan