A trainer explains why rigid rep counts fail. He uses client Kay as an example, adjusting from 15 to 20 to 22 reps based on effort, prioritizing reaching failure over hitting preset numbers. The principle matters more than the technique.
The thing where trainers go wrong using intensifiers is they don't understand the principles behind them. They go, okay, mechanical drop sets, I'm gonna do a perfect mechanical drop set, I'm going to do it on this angle, this angle, then this angle, and I'm going to train like a Care Bear on Valium. Imagine a Care Bear taking Valium, right? It's not going to give you the results. There has to be understanding the principle. The principle is take them to failure or take them beyond failure. So I'm using the tools and the ways to get them beyond that. So I will change things. So like with Kay, for example, I'm reading his body as he did it. He picked 15s? He's like, yeah, I'll do the 15s. He was nowhere near failure with the 15s. We did 2 sets. It's like, all right, he's warm now. Grab the 20s. And then I knew when we dropped on the decline, it was too light. We needed to go heavier. So that's why I said go 22s, cuz I knew that would get him for when we do the push-ups. And again, I'm not like, we have to do the push-ups, has to be 10 reps. I don't care about how many reps he does. It's not about how many reps, it's about getting him to failure and getting him to failure safely.
