Well today I decided to try and finish off my baking, it has been a very busy morning, but very successful.
Most of it is to give away as Christmas gifts for my neighbors, I am feeling very tired today and look forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, we have decided to go to breakfast with the Scottish side of the family, they meet each Saturday and we try to make it every couple of months.
I went to the gym this morning and did an hour on the elliptical machine and will try to do some extra work out down stairs this afternoon, once I catch my breath.
I have been enjoying the Christmas movies, I record them the night before and watched one while I was baking.
The last of the article:
Now that
you know what the optimal volume range is for each muscle group and body part
on a per workout and per week basis, you’re probably also wondering how to
break this down into sets and reps per exercise. Well, let’s find out…
How Many Sets & Reps
Should You Do Per Exercise Each Workout?
At this
point you should have a pretty good understanding of why properly planning your
weight training volume (the amount of sets, reps and
exercises you do) is so important.
And, you
should also be familiar with what I consider to be the optimal volume range for most people, which is the
total amount of reps you should do for each muscle group per workout and per
week.
From
here, the next logical step is to break this optimal amount of volume down in
terms of how many sets and reps you should do per exercise each workout.
So, let’s
do just that.
How Many Sets And Reps Should I Do Per Exercise?
Simple.
You should do exactly enough to allow you to fall within the optimal volume range for each muscle group.
Honestly,
as long as that happens, then exactly how you divide your volume up among
exercises becomes a little less important.
Of
course, that’s just the quick and simple answer. You’re probably going to want
to know the most common and all around proven ways of doing it. So, here we go…
The Most Common Set And Rep Combinations For An
Exercise
Below are
the most commonly used and prescribed combinations of sets and reps you could
do per exercise along with the total amount of volume each one produces.
Also
included is the level of intensity each rep range falls into as
well as what fitness goal that combination of
sets/reps/volume is most ideal for.
- 8 sets x 3 reps = 24 reps
High intensity.
Most ideal for strength related goals. - 6 sets x 4 reps = 24 reps
High intensity.
Most ideal for strength related goals. - 3 sets x 5 reps = 15 reps
High intensity.
Most ideal for strength related goals. - 5 sets x 5 reps = 25
reps
High to moderate intensity.
Most ideal for strength goals, but also suited for building muscle. - 4 sets x 6 reps = 24 reps
High to moderate intensity.
Equally ideal for increasing strength and building muscle. - 3 sets x 8 reps = 24 reps
Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for increasing strength. - 4 sets x 8 reps = 32 reps
Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for increasing strength. - 3 sets x 10 reps = 30 reps
Moderate intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for muscular endurance. - 4 sets x 10 reps = 40 reps
Moderate to low intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance. - 2 sets x 12 reps = 24 reps
Moderate to low intensity.
Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance. - 3 sets x 12 reps = 36 reps
Moderate to low intensity.
Equally ideal for building muscle and improving muscle endurance. - 2 sets x 15 reps = 30 reps
Low intensity. Most ideal for muscle endurance, but also suited for building muscle. - 2 sets x 20 reps = 40 reps
Low intensity. Most ideal for muscle endurance.
As you
can see, based on your specific goal and what rep range is most ideal for it, you have quite a few set/rep
combinations to choose from for each exercise you do.
As you
can also probably tell, there are a few principles these very different
combinations have in common. The 2 most worth noting are:
- The fewer reps you are doing per set, the more sets you do. And, the more reps you do per set, the fewer sets you do. While this isn’t an absolute rule, it is what should be happening the majority of the time.
- The total volume being done per exercise is pretty similar despite the different amount of sets/reps being used. For example, 10 of the 13 popular combinations shown above produce between 20-36 reps total. The take home message? Most of the time, that’s probably how much volume you should end up doing per exercise.
How To Put This Information Into Action
Alright,
so you now know the most popular and proven combinations of sets and reps that
can be used for an exercise.
In order
to put this information into action, you need to apply it to your optimal
training intensity, volume and frequency.
A Practical Example
Let’s
take an example person named PersonA.
Let’s
pretend PersonA is an intermediate or advanced trainee whose primary goal is
building muscle (or really anything related to improving the way their body
looks rather than performs).
Based on
PersonA’s experience level and goal, they previously learned:
- Their ideal frequency is to train each muscle group about twice per week.
- Their ideal rep range is 5-12 reps per set.
- Their ideal volume is 30-60 reps per big muscle group per workout (half that for smaller muscle groups), with about 2 workouts per week for each muscle group (since that’s their optimal frequency).
Now,
based on this, a chest workout for PersonA could potentially break down like
this:
- Bench Press: 4 sets of 6 reps (24 total reps)
- Dumbbell Flyes: 2 sets of 12 reps (24 total reps)
- Total Volume Done For Chest During This Workout: 48 reps
In this
example, PersonA chose to do 2 exercises. For both exercises, the set/rep
combination they picked has them working in their optimal intensity range
(which is 5-12 reps per set for this example person).
And,
these 2 set/rep combinations also combined to put them right in the middle of
their optimal volume range per workout (which in this example was 30-60 reps
for bigger muscle groups).
This
amount of volume (or whatever amount of volume is optimal for you, your goal,
your experience level, and your training frequency) could have been reached
just the same using various other set/rep combinations from that list above as
well as a different amount of exercises.
This was
just one example of how to do it.
(If this
was at all confusing, don’t worry. It will make perfect sense when you see the
sample workout routines later on.)
What’s Next?
Now that
you know how to apply your optimal amount of volume to the exercises you do,
it’s time to actually figure out what exercises you’re going to be doing. Let’s
get to it…
Selecting Weight Training Exercises For Your Workout Routine
At this point you should know what weight training frequency is most ideal for you and have selected a workout schedule that suits that frequency.You should have also figured out how many reps to do per set for your goal, and planned how much volume (total amount of sets, reps and exercises) you’re going to do each workout for each muscle group.
With all of that out of the way, the last big step in creating your weight training routine is exercise selection.
So, here’s a question. Which weight training exercises should you use in your workout routine?
It’s really not that complicated of a question, but it’s one a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to answer. There’s just so many different exercises to choose from, it can make things a little confusing if you don’t fully understand what you’re looking for.
So, let’s clear up all of that confusion right now.
The 4 Different Ways To Categorize Weight Training Exercises
The way I see it, there are 4 different ways weight training exercises can be categorized. And, each different way brings up a whole new set of important details that you will need to know to ensure your workout routine has the best exercise selection possible.Let’s now go through those categories one-by-one and see how each will affect your selection process.
1. Free Weight Exercises, Body Weight Exercises, and Machines
One of the simplest ways to categorize an exercise is by the type of equipment it requires.Meaning, is it done using free weights, your own body weight, or some type of machine. Depending on your exact goal and weight training experience level, one may be more ideal for you than the other.
2. Compound Exercises and Isolation Exercises
Another simple way to categorize weight training exercises is by how it trains your body.Specifically, does it target more than 1 major muscle group at a time (compound), or does it target just one muscle group by itself (isolation)?
Once again, depending on your exact goal, one type of exercise is definitely more ideal for you than the other. Plus, the more muscle groups an exercise targets, the more attention you need to pay to how it affects your planned amount of volume/frequency for those additional muscle groups.
3. The Different Movement Patterns
Now here’s something a lot of people are going to be unfamiliar with, and it’s a big part of the reason why injuries occur so frequently among people who workout regularly.Selecting weight training exercises based on their specific movement pattern (horizontal push or pull, vertical push or pull, etc.) isn’t just useful for the effectiveness of your workout routine, it’s a flat out requirement if you want to avoid imbalances and injuries.
4. Body Parts and Muscle Groups
And last but not least, we have the most common way of categorizing weight training exercises, which is simply by which muscle group/body part that exercise targets.This is unfortunately the only category most people pay any significant attention to (it is useful for obvious reasons), but for the best results possible, it really needs to be used in conjunction with the other 3 I just mentioned.
Let’s Begin The Exercise Selection Process…
So, without further ado, let’s go through each category in detail and figure out exactly which weight training exercises are best for you, your body, your experience level, and your goal. Let’s start here…
Now that
you know which weight training frequency is best for you, it’s time to pick a
workout split that best fits this ideal frequency as well as your schedule and
training preference. Here we go…
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