M5:D34 (D442) Brain candy

I know that counting to 5 isn’t that hard, but what about when you are doing 25 repetitions?  If you just straight up count to 25 you run the risk of losing count or worse, falling asleep while counting!  You need something to keep your brain engaged while counting.  Additionally, if you are using a specific cadence when lifting (like 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down), how do you keep track of that and the repetitions you are doing?  There are numerous ways to handle this and I discuss those below.

Break up the monotony

Assume you are trying to do 25 repetitions.  In order to keep your brain occupied, count to 10, then count to 10 again, then count to 5.  By breaking up the count you insure that you won’t lose count and you keep it interesting.  Your brain stays engaged.

Metronome or just your own?

If you are using a specific cadence and are trying to get to 25 repetitions you have your hands full.  You can use the “break up the monotony” strategy and incorporate it into your counting of the cadence.  A typical count would be “1-2-3-1-2-1-1-2-3-1-2-2-1-2-3-1-1-2-3-3…” and so on.  This is the “just your own” strategy.  I personally use the “metronome” strategy.  I have purchased a small electronic metronome and I use that to time my repetitions.  I have it set to a 3 second click.  This means that I need to be at the end of the “up” portion of my lift by the first click and then at the end of my “down” portion of my lift by the second click.

Straight up or every other one?

A problem unique to arm exercises where you work one arm and then the other in alternating fashion is easily solved.  I’ve tried two different ways they both work well.  One way is to just straight up count it.  If you are aiming for 10 repetitions for each arm, just count to 10 twice.  “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10”.  My favorite is the “every other one” strategy.  Assume you are doing dumbbell bicep curls.  You do the lift on the right arm and don’t count, but then you do the lift on the left arm and count “1”.  This cycle repeats until you hit your target repetitions.

Conclusion

The reality is that your brain needs some brain candy to keep it engaged during your lifts.  You will find that no one strategy for counting works everytime.  You will soon learn that combining the various strategies is what will work best.  Have fun with it and try different ideas.  You will keep your brain engaged and have a better workout as a result.

Matty’s Workout Log:

We had another great workout today.  On the advice of Matty’s goalie coach we canned the wrist curls for him.  He is working his wrists with a handle and a weight dangling from it.  He rotates his wrists to lift that single plate.