For those who don’t know the gym vocabulary, a repetition, also called a rep, is one movement execution of an exercise. A set is a group of repetitions. These two parameters depends on your objective, your genetics, and your body situation at the moment.
I used to do 4 sets of 10 reps at the beginning, which helped me develop my muscular structure, but I started being bored of doing 4 sets and working only for hypertrophy. I didn’t understand why this number of reps, this number of sets, so I want to share my knowledge and studies to have more arguments.
First, we need to know that 1RM is the maximum weight you can move properly one time for an exercise. There are many ways to estimate it, but the simplest way is to use one of those “1RM calculator” websites.
For the number of sets, we may refer on the graphic below. We can see that the number of reps depend on what abilities we want to develop.
STRENGTH
A low repetition scheme with heavy loads →
From 1 to 5 repetitions per set with 80% to 100% of 1RM for 3-5 sets optimizes strength development.
HYPERTROPHY
A moderate repetition scheme with moderate loads →
From 8 to 12 repetitions per set with 60% to 80% of 1RM for optimizes hypertrophic gains.
ENDURANCE
A high repetition scheme with light loads →
15+ repetitions per set with loads below 60% of 1RM optimizes local muscular endurance improvements.
EXPLOSIVENESS/SPEED
A low repetition scheme with light loads or unloaded →
From 1 to 5 repetitions for 3-5 sets optimizes speed development.
The most important is to prioritize quality over quantity. No fatigue, only high intention.
Other ways may also develop your speed, strength, etc. But it won’t be as effective as the range above. We should adapt the number of sets to the fatigue and the number of exercises we do in a gym session. Always prioritize quality over quantity. There is an exception for hypertrophy, where muscle fatigue induces greater development, but it is more used by bodybuilders.
I hope this post helped you and that you learned something interesting. If you have any questions, you can always ask me by mail or on my Instagram, cpsportsdevelopment. For programs, you can also contact me.
Soon there will be on my website programs offers for each quality; by the time stay active, see you soon, and have a good day.
