Three to four sets of eight to 10 reps is a good range, Trink says. Start off closer to 3×10 (three sets of ten reps, which is about the same as you were lifting before) and every six to eight weeks, subtract reps and add sets. “The lower-rep range will force your muscles to adapt to the heavier weight,” Dell says.
By far the most common wisdom dispensed to newbie lifters is the “3x10” rule. This holds that regardless of whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start.
Yes, performing 3 sets of 10-15 reps for each exercise can be effective for gaining muscle, especially if you're using an appropriate weight that challenges you. Here are some key points to consider: Volume and Intensity: The total volume (sets × reps) is important for muscle growth.
The 6-12-25 Protocol is a powerhouse training protocol that harnesses the intensity of giant sets to pack high-volume work into a short period. By targeting one muscle group or body part per set, this method takes you through three different exercises with minimal rest, hitting 6, 12, and 25 reps in quick succession.
The rule that both NSCA and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend is the “2-for-2 rule.” After a few workout sessions, you can increase the weight for a certain exercise once you can perform two more repetitions beyond your repetition goal for the last set for two weeks in a row.
5×5 means you do five sets of five reps with the same weight. These are “straight sets” or “sets across”. On the Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press and Barbell Row you do 5×5. Say you Squat 5×5 225lb (total weight including the bar, because you lift it).
Start with your lighter sets, and you could set yourself up to pre-fatigue your muscles before your lifts, therefore hindering your performance. Starting with heavier lifts, therefore – when your muscles are fresh – is key to hitting higher strength numbers and potentially gaining more muscle.
Up to 30% of your muscle's size is attributed to the sarcoplasm, so focusing on this type of hypertrophy helps build overall size (i.e., increased cross-sectional area of the muscle). If you're looking to get bigger: Target a rep range of 6 – 12 reps per set. Aim for 3-5 sets.
Resistance training for muscle gain
Resistance training promotes muscle growth. Examples of resistance training include the use of free weights, weight machines, your own body weight or resistance bands. Suggestions include: Train just two or three times per week to give your muscles time to recover.
"Muscle pump" is really just fitness slang for a phenomenon called transient hypertrophy. Hypertrophy refers to the growth of a muscle, and transient means it's only temporary.
Referring to a more recent systematic review, it found: The best hypertrophy results came from 30-40 sets per muscle per week. A minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week. Somewhere around 10-20 sets per week still delivered good hypertrophy results.
'As a rough guide, you want to be two reps from failure whenever you finish a set,' George says. 'The easiest way to check if you need to up your weights is to track your reps. ' The first, and most obvious, indication you're ready to ramp up the weight is when the load starts to feel too easy to lift.
Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.
Medium vs. Heavy Weights. For beginners, Ben recommends trying five to 10 pounds for light weights, 10 to 20 pounds for medium weights, and 15 to 30 pounds for heavy weights—or simply starting with five-pound weights for each exercise and working up from there.
If you are looking to increase your muscular endurance you should be lifting lighter weights for more reps (12+) (Baechle & Earle, 2019). If you are looking to lose fat, then you are looking to lift light to mid weight for higher reps (10-15) (Tuminello, 2014).
The average Incline Dumbbell Bench Press weight for a male lifter is 87 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Incline Dumbbell Bench Press? Male beginners should aim to lift 41 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.
Downtime between workouts (whether you're lifting, doing cardio or training for a sport) is when our bodies have a chance to actually build muscle. Strenuous workouts cause muscle breakdown, while rest allows our bodies to build it back up.
It means when we are looking at 6, 12, 24, we are looking at 24 being the most important set. We are setting up our nervous system and muscular system to be as successful as possible with our set of 24. We want to use as heavy a weight as possible for all 24 reps.
It is more common do do multiple sets, especially if you are interested in building muscular endurance or muscular strength. For example, if you are trying to build muscle in your chest, you might do 3 sets of 10 repetitions of a chest press.
“The main benefit of this model, and why everyone is talking about it, is that it's such a well-rounded approach. The ranges come with different effects—in the set of six, you're lifting a heavier weight, bringing strength. The set of 12 brings muscle building, the set of 25 creates endurance and helps fat loss.”
The 5/3/1 Method Training Cycle
Week one: For each workout, perform three sets of five reps (three x five) of one lifting exercise. So for example, on Monday, do three x five of bench presses, Wednesday three x five of squats, Friday three x five of shoulder presses, and Saturday three x five of deadlifts.
Look straight ahead, and keep your back straight, your chest out, and your shoulders back. This helps keep your upper back straight while having a slight arch in your lower back. Slowly lift by straightening your hips and knees (not your back). Keep your back straight, and don't twist as you lift.
The case for evening workouts
In addition, oxygen uptake kinetics — your body's ability to take in oxygen and deliver it to the working tissues and the tissues' ability to use the oxygen — are more favorable in the evening, allowing for more efficient fuel use during exercise.