Whether we’re tracking the temperature or UV index, value of stocks and shares, unemployment statistics or the score of a football match, we never seem to stop keeping count. We count off the days when we’re looking forward to something and count our lucky stars when it finally happens. We count on the people we trust and carefully keep count of those we don’t. In fact, I could probably list more references to our incessant counting on this very page than we could actually readily count.

When we get to the gym to seemingly relax from all those things that stress us out in the real world, alas, the counting continues. Exercises, sets, repetitions and minutes spent engaged in cardiovascular activities are all counted as well. I cannot help but ask therefore, are we counting right?

I always enjoyed teasing my long-suffering training partner and would always answer his inquiries as to how many repetitions we had to do on a given exercise with, “as many repetitions as are needed”. Of course, I was just trying to be annoying. However, my answer was actually not all that ridiculous. What really determines the length or duration of a set is the amount of time required to reach fatigue according to the energy system being employed.

In the gym, a typical resistance training set of about 10 challenging repetitions will employ the anaerobic lactic acid energy pathway, which delivers energy to working muscles for approximately 40 to 60 seconds. This system is considered the optimal for achieving the most efficient gains: muscle size and strength.

If we’re going to make the effort to count, we might as well make this effort count

Performing an exercise safely and effectively, maintaining deliberate control over the weight without swinging or jerking it, just happens to take an average of about two to three seconds to lift, and another two to three to safely resist on the way back down. If you calculate how many such repetitions fit inside the time-frame associated with the anaerobic lactic acid energy pathway, the answer is exactly 10, so 10 in this case is certainly not an arbitrary number. If we selected the right amount of weight to reach fatigue in the required amount of time to remain in the optimal energy system, technically we wouldn’t even need to keep count of repetitions at all, as we would always end up doing approximately 10. Some sources have also indicated that following a thorough warm-up, a single set of a given exercise performed to a point of momentary muscular failure is all that is needed to elicit results, so there goes the need for counting off sets too. I’m getting a little ahead of myself, however, as the point here is that if we’re going to make the effort to count, we might as well make this effort count.

I propose a system based on a more useful kind of counting, that can actually super-charge your intensity, polish off your technique, improve the efficiency of your training, improve your mental focus, and ultimately get you better results, faster. That’s a pretty tall order, but I can assure you this is a system you can count on.

I heard about a wonderful little meditative technique recently that involved counting off a range of time-periods in seconds, in time with one’s breathing. To get the timing right, you’ll need to use a technique similar to that used by parachutists to ensure they don’t pull their rip chords to soon. They are instructed say slowly and deliberately in their minds, “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand”. You could practise and calibrate your ability to do this accurately with a stop-watch at first.

Now breath in for three seconds, and out for three seconds, counting off the appropriate number of thousands. Repeat the process, this time taking four seconds per breath, and so on until you can stretch your breathing to seven seconds in and seven seconds out. A number of interesting things happen when you do this. First, your mind is prevented from wandering, as you are solely focused on counting off the numbers and timing your breathing right, or in other words, you are focusing your attention entirely on what you are doing at that present moment.

You are also fulfilling your basic physiological need for oxygen, increasing your blood oxygen levels and alertness. When you complete this simple activity you should feel a little more refreshed and focused. I’ve always maintained that exercise can be one of the most powerful meditations of all,allowing you to train your body and mind simultaneously. By applying the simple breath-counting technique to exercise, achieving your fitness goals could very well become as easy as counting up to three.

Keep all other aspects of your routine the same but just try this simple technique. As you lift the weight, count three seconds while breathing out. As you lower the weight, count three seconds while breathing in. Don’t stop at the top or the bottom, maintaining continuous motion, and make sure you exploit a full range of motion. Do this for every single repetition. If you do it right, many wonderful things will happen.

Your technique will automatically improve since you will be moving deliberately through a full range, intensity will rise since lifting in this way is more challenging, and your workout essentially becomes a form of meditative practice, busting stress and improving mental focus and general mindfulness.

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.