If your aim is hypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
While three sets of twelve can be an effective method for building muscle, it may not be optimal for everyone. Consider your specific goals, adjust the volume and intensity as needed, and ensure you're following a well-rounded program that includes progressive overload.
But here's the truth: your muscles don't care about numbers; they care about fatigue, tension, and stimulation. 🔹 Why ``3 Sets of 12'' Isn't Enough If you stop at 12 when you still have more in the tank, you're missing out on the most important reps--those that actually trigger muscle growth.
The 3 3 3 exercise routine is a structured workout plan designed to improve strength and endurance through its unique approach of repetition and sets. This method focuses on performing exercises in sets of three, with each set consisting of three different workouts, repeated three times.
Want to grow your muscles as big as possible? Just go for the tried and proven classic, right? 4 sets of 12 reps, four or five exercises muscle group.
Is it better to do 3 or 4 sets per exercise? According to The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), 2-3 sets of 12 to 20+ reps will help build muscular endurance, while 3-6 sets of 6-12 reps will build muscular hypertrophy and 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps will build muscular power.
TO RECAP, aim for 3-5 sets in the following rep rangers per exercise based on your goals: Endurance: 12+ reps per set. Hypertrophy (bigger muscles): 6-12 reps per set. Strength (dense, powerful muscle): 1-5 reps per set.
The 30-60-90 interval training workout consists of three sets with three intervals. The first set includes three intervals of 30 seconds, followed by three intervals of 60 seconds and three intervals of 90 seconds. After each interval, rest for the length of the interval.
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.
If you're trying to improve your overall health and wellness, three to five workouts per week should be sufficient. However, if you're looking to add muscle mass or improve your athletic performance, you may need to increase your gym time to five or six days per week.
Strength-training workouts that employ low weights and high reps are good for your heart and lungs as well as building muscles. This includes high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, which entail alternating between pushing your body hard and taking short breaks.
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.
One of the key factors in muscle growth and strength development is the intensity of the workouts. The 3x12 approach often locks individuals into a specific weight range, potentially neglecting the benefits of training with heavier weights at lower repetitions or lighter weights at higher repetitions.
Three studies demonstrate that high-volume and very high-volume routines are likely to result in similar increases in strength and hypertrophy. Specifically, these studies suggest that 3 - 12 sets/muscle group/session (3-27 sets/muscle group/week) may result in similar increases in strength, hypertrophy, and power .
Doing too many reps or sets can backfire
After six, the benefits then appear to plateau, and working more will eventually lead to smaller and smaller additional gains, the research indicates, although muscle response can vary in different people.
Experienced fitness expert and author, Steven Farmer, explains how the 90/10 Fitness program—in which you get 90 percent of your results from just focusing on the 10 percent that matter—is the only way anyone should train, especially in a world with a million things that person needs to be doing.
According to their research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the optimal length of exercise per week is: minimum of 5 to 10 hours of moderate physical activity (42 minutes to an hour and 25 minutes daily) minimum 2 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours of vigorous physical activity (21-42 minutes daily)
The 5/3/1 method is a four-week cycle that requires four workouts per week. Each workout session centers on one core lift: the bench press, squat, deadlift, or shoulder press. The rep scheme is as follows: Week one: For each workout, perform three sets of five reps (three x five) of one lifting exercise.
It's called 80/20 training—essentially, doing light workouts 80 percent of the time and pushing yourself at a challenging level 20 percent of the time.
What is the 5x5 workout? There are a few iterations of the 5x5 workout, but they all involve doing five sets of five reps of compound exercises. Hamlin suggests the following rules and programming: Rest breaks: Rest between each set for two to three minutes, depending on the intensity and how you feel.
1: Rerack your weights. This is the most fundamental rule of gym etiquette. Leaving the plates on a barbell after you finish your sets forces the person after you to waste time and energy and is just plain annoying.
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. The scheme mostly works, especially if you're just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning.
WHAT IS HYPERTROPHY? Muscle hypertrophy (known simply as hypertrophy) is an increase in the size of a muscle, or its cross- sectional area attributed to an increase in the size and/ or number of myofibrils (actin and myosin) within a given muscle fiber.
Train like a bodybuilder: If you're looking to maximize muscle size, target 8-12 reps per set (on average) and choose multijoint movements like the bench press, squat, overhead press, bent-over row, and deadlift, which recruit more total muscle mass than single-joint moves, thus allowing you to lift heavier weights.