Rep Max Runner

Build muscle in all areas and slice body fat in 4 weeks with high-intensity, varying load rest-pause intervals.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 27, 2023

If you’re going to invest your time and energy in a workout program, you want to get the best possible results, right? Well, I have just the plan to help you maximize your ROI in the gym.

I’ll explain…

Lock in Your Results by Locking in Intensity

Most training programs, whether designed by me or not, rely on you to provide the needed intensity to get results. If you don’t put in the intensity, you can’t expect maximum results. But how do you know if you’re putting in enough intensity?

Workouts generally involve a rep range and a prescribed number of sets for each exercise. For example, on the bench press, you may do 3 sets of 10 reps. But how intense were those 10 reps? Some days you may give it your all on those 3 sets, while other days you’re fatigued or sick or “unmotivated” and give it far less than your best.

Here’s an idea: How about a program that picks the rep range but guarantees you’ll put in the intensity needed for the desired results?

I call it my Rep Max Runner program – “RM Runner” for short.

Trio of RMs for Max Gains

The RM Runner program is made up of three different “sub-systems”: the 5 to 10 System (a.k.a., 5RM Runner), the 10 to 20 System (10RM Runner), and the 15 to 50 System (15RM Runner). The three protocols are similar in that they use specifically timed rest-pause intervals, yet they’re very different in terms of the training stimulus provided.

#1 Resistance and Rest

The first number in each system’s name – 5, 10, or 15 – represents the amount of weight you’ll use, expressed as a rep maximum (RM). So, the 5 to 10 System uses a weight that limits you to 5 reps (your 5RM); the 10 to 20 System uses a weight that limits you to 10 reps (10RM); the 15 to 50 System uses a weight that allows you to complete 15 reps (15RM).

This first number also represents how long your rest periods will be within each round of the system: 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 15 seconds.

#2 Rep Totals

The second number – 10, 20, 50 – refers to how many total reps you’ll complete per round with that weight on each exercise. You’ll do two rounds per exercise for 5 to 10 and 10 to 20, and only one round for 15 to 50.

Here are specific guidelines to follow for each system:

5 to 10 System

Pick a weight that limits you to 5 reps on a given exercise (i.e., your 5-rep max, or 5RM). After you complete the first 5 reps, rest for 5 seconds, then complete 1 rep. Rest another 5 seconds, then complete another rep. Keep doing this until you’ve completed 10 reps total.

Rest 1-2 minutes, then repeat the 10-rep cycle one more time with the same weight. However, if you have less than one year of training experience, do only one round. In fact, even if you have more than one year of experience you may want to stick to one round.

You shouldn’t be able to complete 5 reps initially on the second round. You’ll likely fail at around 4 reps, since you’ll be fatigued from the first round. Continue as described above – resting 5 seconds and doing 1 reps – until you complete another round of 10 full reps. If you can’t complete a rep after 5 seconds with proper form, rest as long as you need to get it done.

Round 1 should look like this:

5 reps, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep (10 reps completed)

Rest 1-2 minutes.

Round 2 will probably look more like this:

4 reps, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep, rest 5 seconds
1 rep (10 reps completed)

Time Block: A typical round of 5 to 10 takes around 1 minute to complete.

10 to 20 System

Pick a weight you can do for 10 reps – your 10RM. After doing the initial 10 reps (just like you did 5 reps in the previous protocol), rest 10 seconds and do as many reps as you can again until reaching muscle failure. Continue resting for 10 seconds after reaching failure until you’ve completed 20 reps total for the exercise.

Do 2 rounds/sets in this manner, with 1-2 minutes rest between sets. And again, those with less than one year of training experience, do only one round.

Round 1 may look something like this:

10 reps, rest 10 seconds
5 reps, rest 10 seconds
3 reps, rest 10 seconds
2 reps (20 reps completed)

Rest 1-2 minutes.

Round 2 may look something like this:

8 reps, rest 10 seconds
4 reps, rest 10 seconds
3 reps, rest 10 seconds
3 reps, rest 10 seconds
2 reps (20 reps completed)

If you can complete 10 or more reps on the initial set of round 2, the weight you started with in Round 1 is too light. Make a note of that so you can go heavier on that exercise the next time you do the 10 to 20 System.

Time Block: A typical round of 10 to 20 takes around 2 minutes to complete.

15 to 50 System

Pick a weight you can do 15 reps with on the exercise – your 15RM. After completing the first 15 reps, rest 15 seconds, then continue doing reps until hitting muscle failure. Continue resting for 15 seconds each time you hit failure until you’ve completed 50 reps total. This is essentially one long rest-pause set, as 15 seconds is a typical break period when doing rest-pauses.

If your reps fall below 5 at any point during the round, you can increase the rest up to 30 seconds.

With the 15 to 50 technique, you only need to do one set. After doing

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