How many reps should I do?

Choose the right "rep range" and choose the type of body you want...

A rep, or "repetition," occurs every time you move a weight from a starting position to a finishing position. A rep on the bench press occurs when the barbell is lifted off the chest and then returned. You perform a certain number of reps in each "set" you do when weight training.

So how many reps should you do? It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish...

If your goal is to tighten and tone your muscles you should shoot for 10-20 reps per set. If your goal is to build more muscle, you should keep the reps in the 6-10 range for each set. Obviously, higher reps require lower weight. Lower reps allow you to stress the muscles more with much heavier weight.

The key is to choose weights that cause you to reach your "failure point" (where you can't lift the weight anymore) right around the 20-rep mark (for toning) or the 10-rep mark (for muscle building). If you can easily do more reps you're not using a heavy enough weight. This is especially important for building muscle.