THE TOTAL REPETITION METHOD
By Shane Robert
When it comes to strength training, most people, myself included, tend to organize their workouts around predetermined sets and reps: 3 sets of 10, 4 sets of 8, 5 sets of 5, and so on. While this approach has stood the test of time and works very well, there’s another method that may, at times, be better suited to your needs: the total repetition method.
What Is the Total Repetition Method?
The total repetition method flips traditional programming on its head. Instead of prescribing a fixed number of reps per set, you’re given a target total number of reps to complete for an exercise. For example, instead of a traditional prescription of 4 sets of 8 (32 total reps), with the total rep method, the prescription simply becomes “complete 32 reps” using as few or as many sets as needed that day; how you reach that total is up to you.
Some days you feel strong; other days, not so much. The total rep method adapts to both. On a good day, it will likely take you fewer sets because you can complete more reps per set. Conversely, on a tough day, you may need more sets with fewer reps per set. Because the load is the same, you still hit the same total workload, gaining very similar levels of strength adaptation but in a way that matches your capacity for the day.
Rather than just blindly slogging through sets with sloppy reps, your goal becomes accumulating quality reps efficiently. Instead of forcing yourself to hit a fixed rep target when fatigued (and risking sloppy form), you can break sets earlier, helping you maintain technique and practice high-quality reps. This subtle shift often improves intensity, focus, and effort.
How To Use The Total Rep Method
Choose Your Total Reps based on your goals. There is no hard and fast rule that you simply must follow, however you can’t go wrong with the classic recommendations of:
- Strength: 15–25 total reps
- Hypertrophy: 25–50 total reps
- Endurance: 50+ total reps
Use a weight that makes each set challenging but manageable. If the goal is hypertrophy, regardless of the training setup, a widely accepted rule is to push each set to 1-3 reps in reserve (RIR).
Strength is a little different. You can have quite a bit more reps in reserve/stay farther away from muscular failure than for pure hypertrophy. The advantage of doing this lies in the greater number of sets you can do, thus getting more movement-specific practice. Be reasonable, of course, and don’t plan to do 60 total reps with 85% of your max by doing 30 sets of 2. Even though the first few (or dozen) sets might feel easy, the stress of this would be a lot.
Keep in mind that progress still matters. Over time, you need to increase the amount of weight used for a specific number of reps, or reduce the number of sets needed to reach that total or increase the number of reps done with the same load.
Final Thoughts
The total repetition method offers a simple but powerful shift in how you approach training. If you’ve been feeling stuck, fatigued, or bored with traditional programming, this method might be exactly what you need to break through.
Give it a try at your next workout. Pick one exercise, assign a total rep target (let’s say 40), and see how it feels. You might be surprised how effective and enjoyable it is.
