Weight Training: Three Phases of the Repetition

The steps to successful resistance training or weight training are exhausting your muscle, then feeding it, and finally letting it rest so it can grow bigger and stronger. The key is remembering the fundamental elements while keeping your long term goals in sight. The most basic element in weight training is called the repetition, or rep for short. You may perform hundreds if not thousands of reps during your normal workout cycle. 

A repetition is one range of motion of the exercise you are doing. A group of reps that are divided by periods of recovery are described as a set. For example if you do ten sit-ups, rest, ten more sit-ups, followed by another rest period, you’ve done two sets of ten sit-ups. 

There are many aspects that influence every repetition. The more knowledge you have concerning these factors during each rep will allow you to better understand how your muscle is growing. By applying this wisdom to every exercise you perform you will increase your efficiency and effectiveness. 

A repetition consists of three phases. Phase one is concentric contraction or the lifting of the weight. This is where your muscle contracts or shortens. Phase two is transition when the muscle at its shortest length. Phase three is eccentric contraction when the weight is lowered. During eccentric contraction the muscle is lengthened as the joint is extended. A common misconception is that the muscle only contracts during concentric contraction and relaxes during eccentric contraction. The truth is that the muscle contracts or is being worked during both motions. That fact is what makes all phases of the repetition equally important.