How Many Sets and Reps Should I Do?

You’re at the gym, ready to start your next workout, but you don’t know how many sets and reps you should be doing on each exercise. You’re not alone! Many people have questions about how many sets and reps they should do, or whether they should do more sets or more reps instead of less of each—and the answers might surprise you! Here’s what you need to know about how many sets and reps you should be doing at the gym, so you can get fit faster and see better results from your workouts.

Aim for quality over quantity

If your goal is to build muscle, the perfect number of sets you do depends on a few factors. If you're new to working out and have a lot of weight to gain, performing 5-10 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise should do the trick. If you're more experienced with exercise, try 4-5 sets for 8-12 reps per exercise. Another factor that affects how many sets is intensity: if you're lifting heavy weights at 100% of your max effort for an extended period of time, 1 set might be enough.

Train each muscle group twice per week

Due to the training frequency needed to trigger new growth, each muscle group should be trained at least twice per week, with some pushing for three training sessions per week. When deciding on an amount of sets or reps to perform for any given exercise, it’s best to take into account a few factors. For beginners or anyone looking to start out lighter than they usually would, try using 1-3 sets of 12-20 repetitions (depending on what your goal is). For more advanced exercisers who are past the beginner phase, try doing 4-6 sets of 8-12 reps (again depending on what your goal is). In terms of how many weeks in a row you should train without taking any time off, Dr. John Berardi recommends not training for more than 6 consecutive days. Beyond that length of time, cortisol levels will begin to rise and this can lead to decreased performance as well as decreased testosterone levels if you're not careful. For even greater gains, consider following his advice by cycling between periods of high intensity workouts followed by low intensity workouts every 2-3 weeks.

Focus on compound movements

One of the biggest mistakes that I see is people who, out of concern for their joints or not wanting to feel like they're working hard, don't use heavy weights with compound movements. This should be avoided. Heavy weight compound movements have many benefits such as increasing your metabolism, strengthening connective tissue throughout your body and increasing bone density which can help decrease the risk of osteoporosis.

Compound exercises (think squats, deadlifts, overhead press) are essential because they work multiple muscles at once to tone muscle without causing too much wear and tear on any individual group.

Use a full range of motion when lifting weights

After you learn how to do a certain exercise properly, remember these two things: 

-A full range of motion will not only strengthen the muscles around your joints (which helps prevent injury) but also helps to hit the muscle fibers that cause the most growth. So instead of stopping short on an exercise because it feels easier to do so, use a full range of motion. 

-Try to stay in control throughout each set, executing slow controlled movements with maximal effort. Your technique might suffer at first if you're not used to this type of training - but that's normal as long as your technique is sound. Just make sure that you always prioritize using good form over going for more reps or weight with each set.

Consider your training schedule as well as goals

If you want to gain muscle, there is a specific range you should adhere to. For instance, those looking for hypertrophy should do at least 3-4 sets per muscle group with 8-12 repetitions in order to achieve significant muscle growth. If, on the other hand, you are looking for endurance and some strength gains, you will want to do about 8 sets of each muscle group with 15 repetitions or less. But be careful not to overdo it because this could lead to burnout or injuries.

Add variety with supersets and drop sets

Supersets are one way to add variety to your workout. Not only can they decrease the amount of time spent in the gym, they also provide a unique challenge for muscles that will have an entirely different set of motor units activated. For example, you could do biceps curls and triceps extensions during a single superset. While this is just one example, there are countless possibilities for pairings that can be used to stimulate muscle fibers from a new angle.

Drop sets are another way to keep your muscles challenged as well as help reduce the volume of exercises performed per muscle group by providing intense training for a specific muscle group with reps at failure, followed by an additional set with decreased weight where you perform another round of reps until failure. One great example would be to use three sets of barbell bench presses, each set getting progressively heavier. After completing a last round of reps until failure, then drop down about 15% in weight and continue performing reps until failure. So if you were using 225 pounds on the bench press for 10-12 repetitions in each set, you would then drop down to 195 pounds on a bench press while doing 10-12 more repetitions (drop sets).

Use intensity techniques to boost results faster

Another way to get in great shape quickly is by taking a fast track. If you're trying to get ripped in just a few short months, there are certain techniques that you can use. One of the best ways to do this is by doing high-intensity workouts. Training this way increases the amount of fat you'll burn at rest, 24 hours a day. Plus, it allows for quicker recovery between sessions so you don't have to drag yourself into the gym everyday for 3 hours at a time.

# Intensity Techniques To Boost Results Faster 

# Get In Great Shape Quickly 

# Find The Best Workout Routine For YOU Everyone has their own unique routine but when getting ready for a new workout plan, it's always important to find what's right for you. Are you someone who likes to exercise every single day? Or maybe someone who only wants to workout twice per week. Maybe you love interval training and your idea of fun includes a 400 meter dash followed by 100 pushups? Maybe cardio only works if it's on an elliptical machine in front of your favorite TV show?

Get the most out of rest periods between sets

When you're training for muscle growth, you want to focus on shorter rest periods between sets. This means that your rests should be around 60-90 seconds in length. The body responds most to the stimulus of lifting weights while there is still a bit of lactate buildup in the muscles. Resting too long can allow blood flow to return too quickly and decrease how much force your muscles are capable of producing. For strength gains, however, it's wise to rest about 2 minutes before starting another set.