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Do you count your reps DOWN or UP?

EmbeeKay
EmbeeKay Posts: 249 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just curious… I always find myself counting my reps down. There's something so much psychologically easier to me about starting high and finishing low! Sometimes I will switch up the numbers to keep my brain occupied so I don't focus on the burn (aka "I'm going to die") as much. Like for 20 reps I might start 20, 1, 19, 2, 18, 3, etc.

Does this make a difference for anyone else? Is this just me? :D

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I just count from 1 although lately my watch counts my reps now.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I would lose track doing that with 20 reps.

    I count up most of the time. Sometimes if I am doing an even number of reps I will count every other one as an "and." So if I were to do 8 reps I'd do "1, and, 2, and, 3, and, 4, and." If I am doing an odd number of reps sometimes I'll count up to the midpoint and then back down (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.) If I do something with really high reps like calf raises I'll do groups of 3 or 5 (12345/22345/32345/42345 for 20 reps.)
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I count up from 1
  • fbchick51
    fbchick51 Posts: 240 Member
    I always count mine when the full rep is complete.. so depending on the lift it can either be the up or down.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,108 Member
    With clients, I do a ten count rep with 1,2......then after 5 I'll say "5 more" then count backwards.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    Up. If it's more than 5 reps I also count like...
    8: 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4
    12: 1,2,3 1,2,3 1,2,3
    etc.
  • EmbeeKay
    EmbeeKay Posts: 249 Member
    Lizarking wrote: »
    Up. If it's more than 5 reps I also count like...
    8: 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4
    12: 1,2,3 1,2,3 1,2,3
    etc.

    I don't know about you, but it's something about trying to do 20 reps of say, push-ups or squats (right now since I'm pregnant I can't squat super heavy weight so I try to do a lot of reps with medium weight) when I get to number 13 or 14 I think, good grief I'm not gonna make it. But if I get to number seven or six counting down I think, only six more! I've got this! LOL. Maybe I should try your trick.
  • HermanLily
    HermanLily Posts: 217 Member
    I agree with Chef Barbell, I have a device that counts for me, and counts up. :D
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    EmbeeKay wrote: »
    Lizarking wrote: »
    Up. If it's more than 5 reps I also count like...
    8: 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4
    12: 1,2,3 1,2,3 1,2,3
    etc.

    I don't know about you, but it's something about trying to do 20 reps of say, push-ups or squats (right now since I'm pregnant I can't squat super heavy weight so I try to do a lot of reps with medium weight) when I get to number 13 or 14 I think, good grief I'm not gonna make it. But if I get to number seven or six counting down I think, only six more! I've got this! LOL. Maybe I should try your trick.

    I sometimes do 2 minutes of goblet squats. I usually have a goal number of reps in my head and I will allocate them based on time. So if I'm trying to do 25 reps in 2 minutes, I aim for 5 reps every 24 seconds. If I hit the 5 reps before 24 seconds is up, I either pause until the timer hits 0:24, 0:48, 1:12, or 1:36, when I start again or if I feel good I'll push through the next 5 but my rule is if I start the 5 I can't stop until that 5 are completed.
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    As a long-time Labor and Delivery nurse, I count reps up since "push your baby 1-2-3-... is something I've said eight million times in the past *cough29cough* years. My trainer on the other hand, counts down, so I get two numbers in my head at the same time. Keeps it interesting.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited April 2017
    I count up....

    If I'm doing 20/30/40 I generally count in 10s.

    If I'm doing 50, I do 20,15,10,5.

    (it's not very often I do that many...)
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    up. i like to keep myself realistic about how far i still have to go.

    counting up focuses me on what i am doing. and what i have done. i guess i don't so much like to count my [strike]reps[/strike] chickens before they're hatched.

    i'm not above adding 'x more' to myself after i've crossed the halfway line of a set though. i just don't like to make it the thing that i hang my hat on.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    I always start at 1 and count up. When I bench with my trainer, I don't count. She counts silently...then yells, "2 more!"

    I count down on the treadmill, b/c I hate it and like to think, "only 10 minutes left...only 5 left."
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    I always start at 1 and count up. When I bench with my trainer, I don't count. She counts silently...then yells, "2 more!"

    I count down on the treadmill, b/c I hate it and like to think, "only 10 minutes left...only 5 left."

    I don't think I'd be able to not count at all. It would drive me nuts.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    I always start at 1 and count up. When I bench with my trainer, I don't count. She counts silently...then yells, "2 more!"

    I count down on the treadmill, b/c I hate it and like to think, "only 10 minutes left...only 5 left."

    I don't think I'd be able to not count at all. It would drive me nuts.

    She made me stop counting b/c I was getting stuck at rep 5...all mental. I stopped counting...and hit 8 immediately. It was liberating! I won't even try that with squats though.
  • EmbeeKay
    EmbeeKay Posts: 249 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    I always start at 1 and count up. When I bench with my trainer, I don't count. She counts silently...then yells, "2 more!"

    I count down on the treadmill, b/c I hate it and like to think, "only 10 minutes left...only 5 left."

    I don't think I'd be able to not count at all. It would drive me nuts.

    Me too! It comes just naturally!

    I like to count down to zero and then add some bonus reps if I can. But today I kept adding five more... then five more... then five more... then I was like DARN it how many was that total? One of the benefits of counting up, I guess.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Going for big lifts. I always count up. Smaller muscles like calves or posterior delts I just try my best for mind muscle and go till failure or close to
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i always count up.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited April 2017
    Lizarking wrote: »
    Up. If it's more than 5 reps I also count like...
    8: 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4
    12: 1,2,3 1,2,3 1,2,3
    etc.

    I do something like this. If I have 20 reps, I'll count

    1,2,3-1
    1,2,3-2
    1,2,3-3
    1,2,3-4
    1,2,3-5

    Somehow easier than getting into the teens.
  • ilfaith
    ilfaith Posts: 16,769 Member
    If I am doing 20 reps, I count forward 1-10 and the backward 10-1.

    If I am doing 30+ reps (like mountain climbers, jacks, or jumping rope), I'll usually count 1,2,3...-9,10... 1,2,3...-9,20... 1,2,3...-9,30...etc. But I still count down the final ten reps backward.
  • gen39
    gen39 Posts: 36 Member
    I start from 1 and count up. Doing it the other way doesn't make sense for AMRAP sets.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    up
This discussion has been closed.

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