The number of repetitions primarily depends upon the weight, height, age and goals of an individual. However, most of the times, it'll depend upon whether we are doing the workout to cut down or to bulk up the mass. So, it is very important to understand the basics of a rep. Let us have a look on the three stages of a repetition.

The repetition can be seen as to lift and lower the weight in a particular and controlled way. If the term ‘set' is not known to you, it is a set of a number of repetitions performed continuously without any break. The number of reps in a set depends upon the goal of the person performing the workout. For an effective workout session, its important to use heavier weights and lower number of reps.

• The first stage of a repetition is the concentric stage. Its target is to lift the weight up, shorten the muscle fibers and pull the bones of the muscles. If the person is using light weights, it will activate a few numbers of fibers in the muscles. On the other side, if the heavier weights are being used it will make the muscles to accept the maximum number of fibers to meet the requirements of a heavy weight stress. It is important to note that the breath should be coming out while going through this stage.

• The second stage is the transition stage. It comes in the middle of a repetition. The delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and the myofibril damage are associated with this stage. While passing through this stage, one should have a pause for one second for the peak muscle contraction. It simulates the maximum possible number of muscle fibers.

• The last stage is called as the eccentric stage. Although most of the bodybuilders don't give importance to it, it is as important as the concentric stage. Out of these three stages, maximum research has been done on this stage. But most of the eccentric oriented workouts result in the muscle stiffness , so it is important to maintain the balance among three stages.

The most difficult part while balancing the three stages is to know that which one really promotes the maximum gain for muscles. This is the thing you can understand by trying different workout techniques for months and years. It is always good to know which workout routine is best suited for you.