"There's the right choice, but it's not THE MOST you can do. The most is (just) what you can RECOVER from" - i really needed to hear that so much. Thank you!
I do 3 deliberate hard sets per week. Anything more and I can't recover and I'll have elbow tendonitis etc. I have been training for 14 years and push decent #'s for my body weight. Workouts are short and sweet and I still manage to add weight to the bar every session thanks to micro loading plates. Such is life of an advanced trainee.
@@sudwivedi1 As long as I hit RPE 8 - 10 then I'm happy to move on to the next exercise. I workout M W F... Example for quads... M front squats 3 to 5 reps W belt squats 6 to 8 reps F ssb split squats 10 to 12 reps 1 set each but man is each set brutal.
I use T. E. N. S. and eliminated my elbow tendinitis all together. Working the forearm is essential as well. When it comes back I do a few days of therapy and it dissapears again. It was so bad I couldn't even push a car door open without pain before T. E. N. S. and bulletproofing my elbow Hope one of you guys find relief with this!
if I understood well: less rest between sets is the density of the training; more reps, less intensity (because probably less weight); more sets is more volume; going to failure is intensity, as well as putting more weight and doing short (less reps), but heavier sets.
Intensity = amount of time between sets & how many reps you perform. Volume = sets per week often, but can also be the amount sets x reps x weight per week. Frequency = how often you workout each week
I do 30-35 sets per body part per week, aiming for 6-8reps for chest, back, shoulders, but 10-12reps for biceps, triceps and legs. I go until failure every set but after every workout I never feel soreness and actually feel like I haven’t done enough even though when I’m at the gym I’m pushing as much as I can. Anyone have similar experience or any advice if I should do more/less sets, different amount of reps? I’m trying to build muscle mass as well as strength.
The number of reps you perform can be from 5 all the way to 30 reps as long as your training close to, or to absolute muscular failure. I prefer to work in a 6-12, 5-10 rep range. Because doing more higher reps cause other factors that can limit your muscular and strength output like your cardiovascular endurance and muscle fatigue. But on the other side 30-35 weekly sets is way too much volume to be doing per body part per week. Even if you don't physically feel "drained" from doing that amount of volume. I would prefer you to really dile down on the weekly volume and focus more on intensity and technique, working in a full range of motion. Soreness is only a limited feeling and usually after 3-4 weeks of consistent training regardless of how much volume or how high of an intensity you perform, muscle soreness will not be prevalent, at least noticeably. Building muscle is an extremely slow process especially for natural trainees. That does not mean that you have not made significant progress. As long as you are able to progressively overload at least every 2-4 weeks with weight, reps, or time under tension then you are definitely making progress. I also once had the mentally that more is better. Back at a time when I was doing at least 20-24 sets per week and was not being able to progressively overload and see a change in my strength and physique at all. But when I significantly reduced the amount of volume I was performing and focused more on proper form, time under tension, and training close to or to absolute true failure(0-2RIR) I've made significant progress. And honestly, if you are able to do that amount of volume for a body part in general. I would 100% claim that you are not training nearly as hard as you think you are. Please take my advice and work in 7-16 weekly sets per week; some muscles needing a little more volume due to their slow twitch fibers and others not needing as nearly as much as most would think. Just always remember that muscles grow during the recovery phase. If your constantly breaking them down all the time with bad dieting, sleep, hydration and much more. You will not see progress AT ALL!. - Side Note: I'm a student studying resistance training and hypertrophy and a bodybuilder. Not saying you in particular, but most people copy the mentality and routine of the "top-notch" bodybuilders and powerlifters that we all know today such as Arnold, Ronnie, Tom, Jay, and much more. However, these people have way above average genetics and were extremely enhanced lifters(not to degrade them). Most people are natural lifters who's main life is not bodybuilding. So It's best to keep a realistic mindset and training style.
Also since you've done so much volume over the week's you've been training, I assume you have unnoticeably accumulated significant amounts of fatigue. I would prefer you to take a deload week off from the gym to be physically and mentally ready. If you decide to take the advice given, just want to help others.
@@nathanharrison4116 hey mate thanks for the tips and advice, much appreciated. Since I posted this I have changed up my schedule and routine. I’ve never copied someone else’s routine or workout plan as I need to focus on my own strengths and weaknesses and yes of course I don’t have the genetics of a superhuman like Arnold or Ronnie. I’m still doing 25 sets per muscle per week, but over a 3 day routine so I’m hitting each muscle every 4th day to allow time to recover. You can claim that I am not training as hard as I can but I can confidently tell you that I am pushing to my limits each and every session. I have a diploma and bachelors degree in health science and clinical sciences and while it may not be specifically to sport or ‘body building’, I am very aware of how the body operates. This is not to say I’m arguing with you but to say I agree with you and can understand where your coming from so you don’t need to use any layman’s terms. If your interested I’d actually like to talk to you if you have any socials. I don’t have anyone to speak to about this kind of stuff and would love a different point of view and if you’d like I can share my own as wepp
@@RJ.Lifts. Yeah man totally, I'm not against how anyone trains. Everyone is different and responds differently to resistance training. I would tell most people that being optimal is not necessarily the go-to for gains as long as your choosing exercises that target the muscle that you want to target and training like your mother's life depends on it. You will definitely make significant gains and progress. Just adjust your workout for what fits best for you. Alot of people can overcomplicate resistance training but as long as you train hard and have fun you will see progress and I hope you make the best gains in the world.
I would suggest splitting the upper and lower. Although I workout from a 15-25 volume standard for functional fitness. Depending on your goals. I would decrease days and increase rest ratio/active recovery
I've never understood the whole #of sets per body part per week. If I do 6 sets of dips and 4 sets of pushups, is that then 10 sets total for chest and triceps?
Yeah this seems very unclear. Clearly an overhead press or a bench press are hitting the triceps pretty damn hard, though most will agree you will be leaving gains on the table doing no direct tricep work. But how should you think about the compound movement’s contribution to your set quota? They insinuate here they just treat them separately… Most people do not have the time to throw down even close to an additional 12-18 sets weekly for biceps, triceps, forearms, calves, traps, etc.
There is no answer yet. But it's quite adequate to count every indirect close to failure set as 0.5. So doing 3 bench press, 3 dips, 3 standing press and 3 pushdowns we get 0.5×(3+3+3) + 3 ~ 7-8 sets for triceps
@@ybrbnf333 It highly depends. Dips is one of the hardest exercises for triceps and def. Count as 1.0x. So is a chinup or neutral grip pullup for biceps. Overhead Press is barely a 0.5x in my book or a row or pullup with pronated grip. Personally I go by EMG measures and range of motion and it serves me well.
"There's the right choice, but it's not THE MOST you can do. The most is (just) what you can RECOVER from" - i really needed to hear that so much. Thank you!
Mike Mentzer left the chat
I do 3 deliberate hard sets per week. Anything more and I can't recover and I'll have elbow tendonitis etc. I have been training for 14 years and push decent #'s for my body weight. Workouts are short and sweet and I still manage to add weight to the bar every session thanks to micro loading plates. Such is life of an advanced trainee.
I also notice elbow tendinitis when increasing volume - at what percentage of your max do you perform your hard sets ??
@@sudwivedi1 As long as I hit RPE 8 - 10 then I'm happy to move on to the next exercise. I workout M W F... Example for quads...
M front squats 3 to 5 reps
W belt squats 6 to 8 reps
F ssb split squats 10 to 12 reps
1 set each but man is each set brutal.
I use T. E. N. S. and eliminated my elbow tendinitis all together. Working the forearm is essential as well.
When it comes back I do a few days of therapy and it dissapears again. It was so bad I couldn't even push a car door open without pain before T. E. N. S. and bulletproofing my elbow
Hope one of you guys find relief with this!
Hard set is not mean to heavy set
@@mentalpower0 ok? Lol
mev to mrv... thank you dr mike
This is so true. Everyone wants a magic number. Its different for us all. And it changes with age also
Huge range based on genetics. More slow touch dominant muscles need more than fast twitch dominant muscles. Everybody's fiber ratio is different.
Could you guys explain “intensity” please.
Does it mean less rest between sets?
Does it mean more reps?
More sets?
Going to failure?
if I understood well: less rest between sets is the density of the training;
more reps, less intensity (because probably less weight);
more sets is more volume;
going to failure is intensity, as well as putting more weight and doing short (less reps), but heavier sets.
Intensity = amount of time between sets & how many reps you perform. Volume = sets per week often, but can also be the amount sets x reps x weight per week. Frequency = how often you workout each week
I do 30-35 sets per body part per week, aiming for 6-8reps for chest, back, shoulders, but 10-12reps for biceps, triceps and legs. I go until failure every set but after every workout I never feel soreness and actually feel like I haven’t done enough even though when I’m at the gym I’m pushing as much as I can. Anyone have similar experience or any advice if I should do more/less sets, different amount of reps? I’m trying to build muscle mass as well as strength.
The number of reps you perform can be from 5 all the way to 30 reps as long as your training close to, or to absolute muscular failure. I prefer to work in a 6-12, 5-10 rep range. Because doing more higher reps cause other factors that can limit your muscular and strength output like your cardiovascular endurance and muscle fatigue. But on the other side 30-35 weekly sets is way too much volume to be doing per body part per week. Even if you don't physically feel "drained" from doing that amount of volume. I would prefer you to really dile down on the weekly volume and focus more on intensity and technique, working in a full range of motion. Soreness is only a limited feeling and usually after 3-4 weeks of consistent training regardless of how much volume or how high of an intensity you perform, muscle soreness will not be prevalent, at least noticeably. Building muscle is an extremely slow process especially for natural trainees. That does not mean that you have not made significant progress. As long as you are able to progressively overload at least every 2-4 weeks with weight, reps, or time under tension then you are definitely making progress. I also once had the mentally that more is better. Back at a time when I was doing at least 20-24 sets per week and was not being able to progressively overload and see a change in my strength and physique at all. But when I significantly reduced the amount of volume I was performing and focused more on proper form, time under tension, and training close to or to absolute true failure(0-2RIR) I've made significant progress. And honestly, if you are able to do that amount of volume for a body part in general. I would 100% claim that you are not training nearly as hard as you think you are. Please take my advice and work in 7-16 weekly sets per week; some muscles needing a little more volume due to their slow twitch fibers and others not needing as nearly as much as most would think. Just always remember that muscles grow during the recovery phase. If your constantly breaking them down all the time with bad dieting, sleep, hydration and much more. You will not see progress AT ALL!.
- Side Note: I'm a student studying resistance training and hypertrophy and a bodybuilder. Not saying you in particular, but most people copy the mentality and routine of the "top-notch" bodybuilders and powerlifters that we all know today such as Arnold, Ronnie, Tom, Jay, and much more. However, these people have way above average genetics and were extremely enhanced lifters(not to degrade them). Most people are natural lifters who's main life is not bodybuilding. So It's best to keep a realistic mindset and training style.
Also since you've done so much volume over the week's you've been training, I assume you have unnoticeably accumulated significant amounts of fatigue. I would prefer you to take a deload week off from the gym to be physically and mentally ready. If you decide to take the advice given, just want to help others.
@@nathanharrison4116 hey mate thanks for the tips and advice, much appreciated. Since I posted this I have changed up my schedule and routine. I’ve never copied someone else’s routine or workout plan as I need to focus on my own strengths and weaknesses and yes of course I don’t have the genetics of a superhuman like Arnold or Ronnie. I’m still doing 25 sets per muscle per week, but over a 3 day routine so I’m hitting each muscle every 4th day to allow time to recover. You can claim that I am not training as hard as I can but I can confidently tell you that I am pushing to my limits each and every session. I have a diploma and bachelors degree in health science and clinical sciences and while it may not be specifically to sport or ‘body building’, I am very aware of how the body operates. This is not to say I’m arguing with you but to say I agree with you and can understand where your coming from so you don’t need to use any layman’s terms. If your interested I’d actually like to talk to you if you have any socials. I don’t have anyone to speak to about this kind of stuff and would love a different point of view and if you’d like I can share my own as wepp
@@RJ.Lifts. Yeah man totally, I'm not against how anyone trains. Everyone is different and responds differently to resistance training. I would tell most people that being optimal is not necessarily the go-to for gains as long as your choosing exercises that target the muscle that you want to target and training like your mother's life depends on it. You will definitely make significant gains and progress. Just adjust your workout for what fits best for you. Alot of people can overcomplicate resistance training but as long as you train hard and have fun you will see progress and I hope you make the best gains in the world.
I’m no pro but it sounds like you aren’t lifting heavy enough weights
Would doing inverted rows and pull ups be considered as working the same muscle group?
Your lats and biceps are involved in both exercises, but you are working in different planes of motion, so it's good to do both.
@@davidrobertson6803 thanks man! That’s what I was thinking but I still had some doubt.
10 sets a week lol I go to 0 RIR (not failure) and I don’t make progress if I do more than 4-8 sets a week.
Thanks guys! Very helpful
Reaching up to 100 reps or more per muscle group a week is good enough.
Is 20 sets each full body workout, 3 times a week too much volume?
I would suggest splitting the upper and lower. Although I workout from a 15-25 volume standard for functional fitness. Depending on your goals. I would decrease days and increase rest ratio/active recovery
each body part 2 times a week. 4 exercises 4 sets each
😂
@@mentalpower0 Loser
😂
😂
Why are we laughin' I do the same?
I've never understood the whole #of sets per body part per week. If I do 6 sets of dips and 4 sets of pushups, is that then 10 sets total for chest and triceps?
Yeah this seems very unclear. Clearly an overhead press or a bench press are hitting the triceps pretty damn hard, though most will agree you will be leaving gains on the table doing no direct tricep work. But how should you think about the compound movement’s contribution to your set quota? They insinuate here they just treat them separately… Most people do not have the time to throw down even close to an additional 12-18 sets weekly for biceps, triceps, forearms, calves, traps, etc.
There is no answer yet. But it's quite adequate to count every indirect close to failure set as 0.5. So doing 3 bench press, 3 dips, 3 standing press and 3 pushdowns we get 0.5×(3+3+3) + 3 ~ 7-8 sets for triceps
@@ybrbnf333 It highly depends. Dips is one of the hardest exercises for triceps and def. Count as 1.0x. So is a chinup or neutral grip pullup for biceps. Overhead Press is barely a 0.5x in my book or a row or pullup with pronated grip.
Personally I go by EMG measures and range of motion and it serves me well.
.
Bro... just lift
I know right?? How the fuck are you supposed to figure that out with how slow progress is.
First to comment! 🥰