Training for time

The standard bodybuilding template for training that has shaped the fitness industry in the West has resulted in the sets and reps protocol becoming standard.

While sets and reps can certainly be effective and is an easy way to structure a workout, many people overlook the idea of working for time, which is also very effective and may be a better way to achieve your goals, or may just be a good way to mix up your training and prevent plateaus.

Training for time instead of sets and reps has many benefits, particularly when it comes to kettlebell training, that we will discuss here.

Strength Endurance and Power Endurance

Strength/power endurance is the ability to repeatedly perform a strength or power exercise over a long period of time as opposed to pure strength or power, which is measured best with maximum single lifts. So time is a very important consideration in strength/endurance training.

Strength/power endurance requires use of all energy systems and is a requirement for many sports . For example, think about boxing, a boxer has to repeatedly generate power with each punch over a period of 3 minutes, this is power endurance).

When a boxer is training, a big priority is being able to last those 3 minute rounds without gassing out. Therefore, training that focuses on building a high level of conditioning for this time period is essential.

As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, kettlebells are perfect for strength/power endurance work because of their unique design. One of the benefits of the kettlebell is that you can perform a whole workout with a single weight in a small area, transitioning from one exercise to the next quickly and easily, which is perfect for strength/power endurance training.

A really simple example of strength endurance program is 3 minutes of a one arm kettlebell clean and press. You could start swapping hands as often as you needed and progress to a single hand change in the 3 minutes. Then you can start increasing the time.

Focusing on Technique

If you are working for time, and not having to worry about counting reps, this will enable you to really pay attention to your technique and build your skills.

This is particularly beneficial with kettlebell training as many of the lifts are quite technical compared with standard dumbbell lifts and getting reps out just for the sake of reaching a certain number can lead to sloppy form.

Pacing

Pacing is something that most of us don’t think about when we’re training but can actually have a dramatic effect on your volume of training. Finding an optimal pace can make a huge difference in the volume of weight lifted in a session.

Or if you want to train for a sport that requires speed you want to practise that skill and understanding pace will help that.

Pace will also affect the ratio of the energy systems you’re using and how long you can lift for. For example, a fast pace will usually reduce the amount of time you can lift for and result in a more anaerobic energy system (think about sprinting versus running a marathon).

Working for time allows you to hone in on your pacing and use pacing that will best help you reach your goals. You can also change the pacing of your training from workout to workout in order to get better all round fitness.

A simple way of pacing is to think about reps per minute. Set a pace and stick to that number of repetitions in the minute, keeping them evenly paced. You might be surprised how much of a difference a change of one rep per minute can make particularly if you’re working for extended periods of time.

Regulating Rest

People often don’t consider their rest periods when training, however this is another variable that will affect your training outcome , for example if you are looking to increase your endurance when training you want less rest between sets/exercises whereas if you are trying to get very strong you will want longer rest periods between sets/exercises.

A lot of the time people will perform a set and then move onto the next when they feel like it. When the variables in a workout aren’t accounted for training loses its measurability – you may be able to perform more reps in one workout than you did in the one before, but is that because you’ve gotten stronger or just because you had more rest so were better recovered?

A really simple protocol that will help you regulate your rest is setting a work period and a rest period. So you might work for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds.

You can also try performing a set number of reps in a time period. For example you may choose to perform 8 reps in the period of a minute. You can combine this with pacing – you may try to get through the reps as fast as possible and the remainder of the minute is rest or you may pace the reps out evenly.

Your Precious Time

If you are working for time, you will know exactly how long a training session is going to take. This will keep you on track and stop workouts from going overtime.

The Gymboss

One of the simplest ways to get started on working for time is to grab a Gymboss. The Gymboss is a simple timer that allows you to set one or two time intervals (and can also be used as a stopwatch). This makes it easy to use for many timed protocols, including Tabata intervals (20 secs work/10 secs rest x 8 rounds).