Stop Doing “3 Sets of 12” To Build Muscle (DO THIS INSTEAD!)

One of the most important parts of any workout program are the sets and reps and how you are performing your exercises. When the goal is to build muscle, how many sets and reps you do matters - a lot. Of course, the answer to this question lies not in some random recommendation but rather in asking the right questions to get you the exact answer that’s right for you.

First, you need to clarify what the main goal of your training actually is. If you are training to be a better athlete, training for strength or maybe even endurance, then any low volume minimal sets approach is going to be ineffective in the long run. If however, your goal is to build muscle and get bigger then you definitely need to take a look at the type of volume that you are performing in your workouts.

Here however, it begs the question of how much effort are you willing or able to put forth in your workouts?

This is huge.

There is some confusion around whether the goal of any workout is to find the maximum amount of work that your body can tolerate beyond which you are no longer able to make gains or to find the bare minimum effective dose of training that creates a positive stimulus for growth. If you choose the former, you may quickly find that you cross that threshold into impaired recovery and stalled muscle gains if perhaps you have a stressful week, string of bad night’s sleep or even particularly high volume workout.

On the other hand, if the minimum stimulus is achieved at a lower dose and you ensure that you maintain the ability to properly recover from it - only to be able to ensure that you come back to the next workout with just as much energy and ability to put forth that maximum effort needed to reach the minimum threshold once again - then you are likely to experience much faster muscle gains.

This philosophy was one that Mike Mentzer employed with his Heavy Duty training. I have been a proponent of aspects of heavy duty training while being critical of others for years now. What I believe Mike got right however was that when training natural, the amount of volume you perform in your workouts must be carefully monitored if you want to see continued progress.

You simply do not have the ability to ignore recovery like steroid users do since you don’t have the same biological responses to training.

That said, one of the drawbacks to Mike Mentzer’s training was that many people are unable to bring adequate intensity to their workouts to perform just one set and get a positive result. It is for this reason that people will extend their workouts to more sets and more reps. Sometimes performing up to 20 sets or more in a single workout - even devoted at times to one single muscle group.

If you are a novice (not a rank beginner) then it might make sense for you to take a new approach to finding what specific number of sets and reps is best to grow muscle for you. This is most easily achieved by performing one set to absolute failure. Many of the people who once advocated training with reps in reserve are now somehow all pushing failure. If you decide to train this way and do not see the results you are looking for you can always logically increase to two sets and re-monitor. If you are doing many more sets you wouldn’t necessarily know if the next adjustment should be up or down and you could be wasting time in your pursuit.

Is one set to failure right for everybody?

Definitely not if you struggle putting forth a maximum effort. And the good news here is that it seems that lower effort bouts strung together are potentially capable of creating as good of an end result in muscle growth albeit at the expense of much more time spent and volume.

The bottom line is, rather than constructing your entire training around a specific number of sets and reps figure out the effort that you are capable of consistently bringing with you to the gym and putting into your workouts. From there, adapt your volumes and frequency to fit the effort and you will find the exact number that is best suited to you.

For more ways to make sure that you are getting the most out of your workouts, be sure to stay tuned to this channel are remember to subscribe above so that you never miss another video from a physical therapist with a pro sports background as a PT and strength coach.

[athleanx]

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[josephmoore]

At this point every time I hear someone say doing set/rep scheme X doesn't work or is a waste, I stop listening. Everything works if you train hard, nothing works if you don't.

[NeoGhk]

Your chosen goal is important. I'm pushing 60, after more than 8 years of training in gyms, I know that I'm not going to compete in Mr. Olympia, so I go slow in weights and in reps. Injuries at any age is a major setback.
And no one will tell you that until you experience an injury yourself. Pushing the limit on a daily basis has its gain but it is not without a cost.

[AbdulGhani-vmoq]

I do the 'failure to train' method.

[LittleBpaulmuller-Owners]

0:50 Goal
2:20 High Effort
3:50 # of sets
5:40 # of reps
8:40 ROM
10:40 Your effort guides the right amount of set and rep (Your Intensity dictates the amount of Volume you need)

[Braveheartman]

I’m 64 and know all about the old school bodybuilders. What I’ve found is mixing things up is what works best for me. Sometimes many sets, sometimes only a few, sometimes negatives or supersets, sometimes not….change a few exercises every 6 months or so. Our bodies respond to work and overload by trying to “adapt” to it. You don’t want your body to adapt, so keep changing things up.
That’s mainly what I’ve learned from almost 50 years of training w weights.

[DavidVenti]

After 4 recent foot surgeries and 1 8 hour leg bypass surgery since the end of December, I finally started lifting weights again too get my strength back - I'm 48 & i got a infection in my foot and by the time I got to the hospital, it was really bad & thank God I didn't lose it- I didn't realize how serious it was - Im so thankful, Jeff for you're video's, although im not lifting super heavy yet, I can feel my strength coming back - Always love you're Videos Jeff - Thank you !

[raymondserfontein]

Person A said 3 sets of 10-20 reps, Person B said 1 set trained to failiure. IDK what to do anymore, so I'm just going to start following my own head. Truth is, it seems none of these people know the answer to the question. It's all just noise. I'm so tired of being confused by conflicting reports. Time to get off YouTube and get my muscles working.

[brandonpoole]

I dunno. I’ve always done 3 sets of 10 reps, sometimes 6 sets depending on the exercise, and I went from a lean 6’ tall, 155 lb guy to a ripped 6’ tall guy weighing 198 lbs. It’s fun to debate and ponder the pros & cons of this or that, but I think the key word here is EFFORT. Set a goal, stick to it, stay consistent, and listen to your body. I was in the army for several years so my training was and still is built around 50/50 strength and endurance. My PT test scores were usually 5 or so points from the max of 300 because I sucked at sit-ups due to the biomechanics of having a long upper torso. Most everyone trains for self-improvement, not a Mr. Olympia title. Set/rep range aside, training with purpose, determination, consistency, and function of movement will take you further than any fad or currently hyped trends ever will. Hell, just having an encouraging workout buddy will likely elicit more progress/gains than any number of knowledgable articles or videos ever could.

Just my 2 cents.

[donf]

Some days I wake up, take a long look in the mirror, and then brush my teeth to failure.

[Iksvomid]

Clicked so fast I got gains on my finger! 🎉

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[davesitarski]

I’ve started this style since you introduced it, through Mikes videos. It has worked for me. I am stronger, increased the weights. I’m in and out in 45 minutes. For the past 45 years I trained the traditional way I was taught. 3 to 4 sets adding weight. Now at 68 years old I have found a great work out. My thanks to you Jeff for bringing this to me. Thanks, you’re the best.!

[shaneh]

I've been training for 26 years. I've done every rep and set scheme at one point or another. And I've taken almost every PED there is. At my biggest I was 250. At my most lean I was 198. I'm 5'11'' for reference. And none of the aforementioned had anything to do with it. It was all about my diet. FOOD sculpts a body more than anything.

[pallecla]

Don't overthink it.... Just get to the gym and lift!!

[sunriseboy]

I'm 75 in a couple of months, and use MM's stuff to great advantage.
Warm up set. One 'big' set to failure around 6-10. Three or four days recovery.
I'm now able to do pullups, pushups and whatever no dramas.
Sensible approach, sensible awareness, good food, plenty of sleep.
Thanks to Mike Mentzer for his inspiration, and thanks to Jeff for keeping this stuff moving.

[carnivorous_vegan]

I'd say Mike is about 90% right about bodybuilding principles. I've experienced it myself, a large amount of growth even after 7 years of lifting as soon as I cut down the volume, and focused purely on slow, controlled, intensity.

[ilyakuryakin]

Must also consider higher risk of injury to joints and tendons at maximal effort, or aggravation of existing injuries.

[willievaughn]

Absolutely, I want this body to last until it can't through training. Health first to me, then rewards. You're an excellent teacher and trainer Sir, I highly respect you. Thank you.

[t-impact]

I adopted his strategy with slight variations, it’s the best I’ve ever been doing in the gym ❤❤❤