Personal trainer’s count - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "Personal trainer's count," is a classic example of a straightforward, real-world definition found in many crossword puzzles. It taps into common knowledge from the world of fitness, making it an accessible entry for many solvers.

Clue Analysis

The clue sets a very specific scene: a gym or a workout session.

• "Personal trainer's": This immediately brings to mind exercise, weights, and goal-oriented physical activity.
• "count": This is the action word. What does a trainer count during a workout? They track the number of times an exercise is performed consecutively.

The answer is the common, abbreviated term for these individual movements.

Thinking Approaches

1. Direct Association: The most common approach for a clue like this is simple word association. The phrase "personal trainer" is so strongly linked with the concepts of "sets" and "reps" that the answer often comes to mind immediately.

2. Scenario Visualization: Imagine you're in a workout. The trainer is encouraging you, saying, "Just three more!" Three more what? This mental exercise leads directly to the answer, which is the plural of one of those actions.

3. Checking Crossings: Since the answer is short (four letters), even one or two crossing letters can confirm it instantly. If you have R_P_ or __PS, the answer becomes almost certain.

Background Context

The answer, REPS, is short for repetitions. In the context of strength training and physical exercise, a repetition is one complete motion of a single exercise. For example, one full bicep curl is one rep.

Reps are typically performed in groups called "sets." A common workout instruction might be to perform "3 sets of 10 reps," meaning you do the exercise 10 times, rest, and then repeat that cycle two more times. This terminology is fundamental to fitness culture, which is why it appears so frequently in crosswords.

Conclusion

"Personal trainer's count" is a great example of an easy, definition-based clue. It rewards general knowledge and provides a solid foothold for solvers, helping to build confidence and momentum as they tackle the rest of the grid.

Hints

1. Hint 1: Think about what happens during a workout session.
2. Hint 2: This is something that is often done in sets.
3. Hint 3: It's a shortened term for a specific action in weightlifting or calisthenics.
4. Hint 4: It's short for 'repetitions'.

The answer is REPS.