The OPTIMAL Number of Sets in a Workout

[dominicdecoco]

Important factor not considered: sometimes I don’t wanna leave the gym because I have nothing else to do so I just keep repping out😂

[orionsimerl]

Did 14 sets for biceps yesterday, good thing it wasnt 15 I'd have wasted my time.

[CornFed_]

I’ve found that doing 3 sets of biceps, 3 times per week is the sweet spot. Rest periods are between 24-48 hours, depending on my lifting days. 9 sets total per week has seemed like the sweet spot though.

[TXGTPS]

I got so happy when he said 3 and 9. Everyone says 5 and 10. I do everything in 3s. Can't help it. 3 is just a superior number... because science. Thank you, Dr. Mike, for validating my compulsive tendencies.

[MilanVoorhees]

Six sets per session, twice a week, to failure on third set

[SB_]

Above 6-7 sets for a muscle to failure in session will have diminishing returns due to fatigue

[rawcrazycomrade]

It's like cooking bread after baking it. It's toast

[mrfluckoff]

A lot of back work also stimulates biceps, so doing a ton of rows or something then doing only a couple sets of biceps is fine, especially for novice or early intermediate lifters.

[NOMATfull]

Would be great having a video about different groups of muscle, how many sets per week is optimal 😮

[jasonmiller]

I’m a huge fan of these videos I take all the advice you give and put it to work and seeing gains for the first time in years and I just hit 48 yrs old …. Thank you

[okplqco]

Raw to well done and training cold with enjoyable temperature so you flourish is an expansion on what you've said, good piece of knowledge please expand

[erwinr]

I mean sure for biceps. But at the same time if you do them in a pull workout with chinups, sup rows you have blown them up regardless without actually wanting to target them.

[SlipperySlade]

Question for Dr Mike that I’ve never seen explicitly addressed: what is a working set for a muscle?

Are pull-ups (where biceps are a secondary mover) a working set for biceps? Are rows? Are face pulls?

Obviously all working sets aren’t the same; but would each of these be, say, equal to half of a set of curls r.e. biceps working sets? If I did all of the above -curls, and that was 12 sets, would a set of curls at the end be junk volume?

[jeffreystark]

If you can't get it done in 3 sets, you're not training hard enough.-Dorian Yates, 2003 I.F.B.B.Hall of Fame inductee, 6X Mr.O.

[slendydie]

I do 9 or 12 sessions depending on how I'm feeling but the biceps are THE only muscle that would recover fast enough to do 3 sessions per week with that volume. I still do only 2 sessions tho.

[dontmindme]

I think i get the idea of it now. Lower amount of sets you probably will go harder and actually train to failure at least on the last set of a exercise

[cd]

He doesn’t blink, he just closes his eyes too hard sometimes

[VictoriaStobbie]

3-4 sets, per session for each exercise doing 4 sessions a week.

[-po]

"Hold my Beer" - Rich Piana.

[dodoz]

6 working sets here every other day, with 1 warm up set per exercise. 2 exercises (supinated incline bench assisted db curls and leaning hammers). Last set to absolute failure with some swinging/cheat reps to make my arms feel like they're gonna explode/I start making uncontrollable noises. Been working out great so far, just enough time to recover it seems.