A Guide to Myo-Reps: What They Are & How to Use Them

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Use myo-reps to make your workout more efficient
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Myo-reps were created by strength coach Borge Fagerli, and they’re a great way to maximize a shorter strength-training session. By keeping your muscles close to a state of fatigue, you can get a more efficient workout with fewer reps. But like any exercise, it’s important to do myo-reps correctly to avoid injury. If you’re interested in adding myo-reps to your strength-training program, we’re here with all the tips you need!

Sample Workout with Myo-Reps

  1. Do an activation set of 15 reps.
  2. Rest for 10–15 seconds.
  3. Do a mini-set of 4 more reps.
  4. Rest again.
  5. Continue until you do 5 mini-sets or can’t complete 4 reps in a mini-set.
Section 1 of 8:

How to Do Myo-Reps

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  1. Stop when you’re about 1 or 2 reps away from not being able to do any more reps. The point of the activation set is to bring yourself as close to muscle failure as possible without actually reaching muscle failure. [1]
    • If you’re using a lighter weight or doing an easier bodyweight exercise, your activation set can be as many as 20 reps. [2]
  2. 2
    Rest for 10–15 seconds. With myo-reps, you’ll take a brief rest-pause after your activation set and between each mini-set. Your rest should only be about 15 seconds, or enough time to take 3–5 deep breaths. [3]
    • If you’re using weights, put them down during your rest-pause.
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  3. 3
    Do a mini-set of 3–5 reps. Immediately after your rest-pause, do a short set of the same exercise. If you’re using weights, use the same weight as you did for your activation set. [4]
    • Decide ahead of time how many reps your mini-set will be. If you’re doing a more challenging exercise or lifting heavier weights, your mini-set might only be 3 reps, or you might do 5 reps of an easier exercise or lift.
    • Since you’ll already be close to muscle fatigue, be especially mindful of using proper form during your mini-sets. [5]
  4. 4
    Repeat the rest and mini-set pattern up to 5 times. After the first mini-set, rest for another 10–15 seconds. Follow that with another mini-set, then another rest-pause. Keep going until you can’t finish all of the reps in a mini-set, or until you finish 5 mini-sets. [6]
    • For instance, if you’re doing 4 push-ups in a mini-set, stop if you can only do a set of 3 push-ups. If you do 5 mini-sets of 4 push-ups, stop after you finish the fifth.
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Section 2 of 8:

Best Practices for Using Myo Reps in a Workout

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  1. Myo-reps can be intense—they bring you right to the edge of muscle fatigue and keep you there. Warming up can help you loosen up and improve your performance, and it may help you avoid injury. [7]
  2. 2
    Choose exercises that you can repeat while maintaining good form. When you’re doing myo-reps, it’s important to choose exercises where you’re able to keep proper form, even when you start to get tired. Good exercises for myo reps include: [8]
    • Bench presses
    • Rows
    • Exercises on weight machines
    • Single-arm arm curls or leg lifts
    • Bodyweight exercises like push-ups
  3. 3
    Start with lighter weights if you’re lifting. It’s important to find the right balance of weight to use during myo-reps. You want the weights to be heavy enough that you’re challenged during the exercise, but not so heavy that you struggle to lift them when you’re fatigued. [9]
    • If you know your “one-rep max”—or the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single rep—use between 40 and 80% of that weight for your myo-reps.
  4. 4
    Increase the intensity of your myo-rep exercises gradually. The point of myo-reps is to push yourself, but it’s important to progress at the right pace. After each session, think about your progress, then make a plan for the next session. [10]
    • For instance, if you finish all of the mini-sets in one myo-rep session, during the next session, you might add more reps to each mini-set or use slightly heavier weights.
    • If you don’t finish all of the mini-sets during your myo-rep session, use the same amount of weight and the same number of reps for the next session.
    • If you struggle to finish any mini-sets, decrease your weights or do fewer reps during your activation set during the next session.
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Section 3 of 8:

What are myo-reps?

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  1. Myo reps involve short sets with limited rest to keep muscles near fatigue. In the first set, known as an activation set, you push your muscles as close as you can to failure without actually failing. Then, you take a short break—only about 10–15 seconds—and continue with mini-sets of 3–5 reps each.
    • Stop once you finish 5 mini-sets or until you can’t do all of the reps in a mini-set.
Section 4 of 8:

Benefits of Myo-Reps

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  1. 1
    Myo-reps are time-efficient. Because myo-reps take you to the point of fatigue and keep you there, they can help you get a high-impact, efficient workout in less time. This aspect of myo-reps makes them a good option for someone who doesn’t have a lot of time to spend at the gym but still wants to see gains. [11]
    • The idea here is that by shortening your rest time, you eliminate “junk volume,” or the reps at the beginning of a set that is easier and, therefore, less effective.
  2. 2
    You may notice improved endurance. Myo-reps help keep your muscles under tension for longer periods. This sustained tension can help improve the endurance of the muscles that are being worked. [12]
    • The mini-reps in a myo-rep session are a great way to help you extend a set and get a little more out of each workout. [13]
    • Your cardiovascular system works hard during myo-reps, too, so you may notice an improvement in your overall physical endurance as well.
  3. 3
    Myo-reps may help you break a plateau. Myo-reps give you a physical and mental challenge, allowing you to push yourself to your limit. If you’ve been struggling to add more reps to a workout, myo-reps may help you push through your plateau. [14]
    • Myo-reps can also add a little variety to your workout, and when you’re more engaged, you may be able to push a little harder.
  4. 4
    Using myo-reps can help you build muscles with lighter weights. Myo-reps fatigue your muscles, which can help them grow. They can be a great way to add muscle mass, and you don’t have to increase the weight you’re lifting to see gains. [15]
    • When you consistently load your muscles like you do with myo-reps, you activate both high- and low-threshold motor units, or the individual nerve cells that control your muscle fibers. [16]
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Section 5 of 8:

Drawbacks of Myo-Reps

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  1. 1
    Myo-reps may be less effective than traditional reps. Myo-reps can be a great way to build muscle when you don’t have much time. But if you have more time to spend in the gym, you’ll still probably see better results through traditional training, where you perform the same number of reps for each set and rest longer for each set. [17]
    • With myo-reps, you have to use lighter weights, so you won’t be able to push your max lift strength as much as you can during traditional training.
  2. 2
    You might need longer to recover. Myo-reps are intense, and they push your muscles to the limit. Because of that, you might feel more muscle soreness after a myo-rep session, and it may take a few days to fully recover. [18]
    • You’re also pushing your cardiovascular system, so you might feel more fatigued overall—not just in the muscles you worked.
  3. 3
    You may have an increased risk of injury. It can be hard to maintain proper form during myo-reps because you’re pushing yourself to the point of fatigue. Using improper form during an exercise is a big risk factor for being injured during a workout, so myo-reps could potentially pose a higher injury risk than traditional training. [19]
    • Because of the intensity of myo-reps, most trainers recommend adding myo-reps to a workout every few weeks rather than integrating them into a daily workout plan.
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Section 6 of 8:

Sample Bench-Press Workout with Myo-Reps

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  1. Try myo-reps with your next bench-press workout. This may be easier if you do them on a chest-press machine. Here's an example of what your workout might look like:
What to Do How to Do It
Activation set Start with a set of 15 bench presses
Rest-pause Rest for about 10–15 seconds or 3–5 deep breaths
Mini-set Do a mini-set of 4 more bench presses
Rest-pause Rest again for 10–15 seconds or 3–5 deep breaths
Repeat Continue until you do 5 mini-sets or can’t complete 4 reps in a mini-set
Section 7 of 8:

Sample One-Week Plan with Myo-Reps

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  1. Mix myo-reps in a few days a week. Don't do myo-reps on every exercise—that level of intensity can be hard to sustain, and it's probably not the most effective way to build strength. Here's an example of a week-long workout routine that includes myo-reps:

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Day Workout
Day 1: Upper body Do an upper-body routine that includes exercises like bench presses and rows. Add myo-reps to one of your lifts or presses.
Day 2: Lower body Add myo-rep squats to a routine of lunges, high knees, and leg lifts.
Day 3: Rest day If you work out at all, focus on low-impact activities like yoga or cycling. Do not include myo-reps.
Day 4: Balanced Do a full-body workout that includes cardio, upper body, lower body, arms, and legs. Add myo-reps to lifts or presses.
Day 5: Rest day If you work out at all, focus on low-impact activities like yoga or cycling. Do not include myo-reps.
Day 6: Cardio Focus on high-energy exercises like running or biking without incorporating myo-reps.
Day 7: Rest day If you work out at all, focus on low-impact activities like yoga or cycling. Do not include myo-reps.
Section 8 of 8:

FAQs

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  1. Traditional training is probably more effective than myo-reps, but myo-reps can be a good way to get in a strength-training workout when you don’t have much time.
  2. 2
    Do myo-reps count as a full set? The mini-sets in a myo-rep are performed after a shorter rest period than you would take in a traditional training session, so they may be roughly equivalent to a full set.
  3. 3
    Can you do myo-reps every day? Myo-reps are very intense—they push you to the point of fatigue and often require longer recovery times. Because of that, it’s probably best to do myo-reps every few weeks instead of every day. [20]
  4. Myo-reps are a variation of rest-pause and are similar to drop sets and supersets, but there are slight differences from each one:
    • Rest-pause : Do an activation set, rest for a few seconds, then do another set of as many reps as possible. In myo-reps, you do mini-sets with a specific number of reps in each one. [21]
    • Drop-set : Do an initial set of as many reps as you can until you reach muscle fatigue. Then, lower the weight and do another set of as many reps as you can. Drop the weight a total of 2 to 3 times. [22]
    • Super sets : Do a full set of one exercise, like a lat pulldown. Immediately after that, go into a new exercise that works another muscle group, like a leg extension. Rest for 2 minutes, then repeat for 4 sets of each exercise. [23]
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      Warnings

      • If you start to feel pain during myo-reps (or any workout), stop right away and give your body time to recover.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.biolayne.com/article/15-how-to-perform-myo-reps
      2. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      3. ↑ https://help.biolayne.com/article/15-how-to-perform-myo-reps
      4. ↑ https://help.biolayne.com/article/15-how-to-perform-myo-reps
      5. ↑ https://help.biolayne.com/article/15-how-to-perform-myo-reps
      6. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      7. ↑ https://www.fitnessacademy.com/myo-reps/
      8. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      9. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      1. ↑ https://petersenpt.com/advanced-upper-body-micro-workout
      2. ↑ https://petersenpt.com/advanced-upper-body-micro-workout
      3. ↑ https://strongman.org/training/myo-reps/
      4. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      5. ↑ https://www.fitnessacademy.com/myo-reps/
      6. ↑ https://strongman.org/training/myo-reps/
      7. ↑ https://petersenpt.com/advanced-upper-body-micro-workout
      8. ↑ https://strongman.org/training/myo-reps/
      9. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      10. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      11. ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/fitness/workouts/myo-reps
      12. ↑ https://vitruve.fit/blog/rest-pause-training-method-for-strength-muscle/
      13. ↑ https://blog.nasm.org/drop-sets-for-gains-why-this-lifting-format-works
      14. ↑ https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/419

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