What constitutes a missed rep?

[ZonaLifter]

Few months from 40. I've been resting ~5 minutes lately.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You don't read this board carefully, do you? One of the first things I ALWAYS ask about when stuck is rest time.

[ZonaLifter]

You don't read this board carefully, do you? One of the first things I ALWAYS ask about when stuck is rest time.

I do. I was under the impression I was supposed to rest until I feel recovered, but not so much that I actually cool down. Five minutes has felt like that for me. I'll rest longer.

[mikeylikey]

My, uh, "friend" got 5,5,4 on his squats this morning. Was reaaally close to getting that last one. The "friend" was lifting at 5am for some stupid reason, on about 4 hours of sleep last night, and probably didn't rest adequately between sets as he was pressed for time. He's an fool, but can he add 5 lbs next time, or must he repeat the weight?

Seriously though, dio you believe there is ever a time when it is appropriate to increase the weight when even one rep is missed? I've seen it attributed to you that it is ok in limited circumstances, but then I've also seen attributed to you that barbell rows = power cleans.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I do. I was under the impression I was supposed to rest until I feel recovered, but not so much that I actually cool down. Five minutes has felt like that for me. I'll rest longer.

Good idea. Always the first thing to try, since your perception of recovery may be incorrect, depending on your previous training history.

My, uh, "friend" got 5,5,4 on his squats this morning. Was reaaally close to getting that last one. The "friend" was lifting at 5am for some stupid reason, on about 4 hours of sleep last night, and probably didn't rest adequately between sets as he was pressed for time. He's an fool, but can he add 5 lbs next time, or must he repeat the weight?

Seriously though, dio you believe there is ever a time when it is appropriate to increase the weight when even one rep is missed? I've seen it attributed to you that it is ok in limited circumstances, but then I've also seen attributed to you that barbell rows = power cleans.

Your "friend" probably needs to stay at that weight for the next workout. I would have a trainee go up after a missed rep in one of the three sets if the miss was in the first or second set, the result of what was clearly a technique error and not a matter of strength. This would usually happen in the first couple of months. So if a guy that has been training for 6 weeks misses a rep on set 2, and the subsequent reps are easy, have him go on up. If he misses it the next workout, the decision was wrong. If a guy that has been training for 5 months misses the last rep of set 3, he stays there next workout and tries to figure out what the problem might be.

[Steve Hill]

Good idea. Always the first thing to try, since your perception of recovery may be incorrect, depending on your previous training history.

I'd also add that most people's perception of how fast they cool down is also incorrect. Usually by vast amounts.