How Many Sets do I Really Need to do When Lifting Weights?

There is alot of confusion as to how many sets of a particular weight lifting exercise you really need to do in order to see results. Often, you will see training plans or articles that say to do anywhere from 1 to 8 sets of an exercise, as well as a variety of ranges of repetions, or how many times you do an exercise in each set. The main goal of weight training is to build muscle. This will give you greater strength, a better lean to fat body weight ratio, and a myriad of other health benefits. In order to build muscle, you must use the exercise principals of progression and overload. Put simply, your body will only build muscle if it is progressively presented with weight loads that overload the muscles, forcing them to grow stronger and larger to adapt to the overload. The number of sets that you need to do, and the number of reps in each set, are determined by when you reach the overload point, commonly referred to as when you reach fatigue. If you curl a 10 lb. weight 8 times, and start to fatigue after the 5 th. rep. then you are lifting to fatigue, and thus only need to do one set of 8 reps. When that becomes too easy, then you just move the number of reps up until you become fatigued. Once you reach say 12 reps, then you can move the weight up around 5-10%, and adjust the reps back down to the lower end of the range. Using this method, there is no need to do multiple sets, and a large number of repetitions. This will shorten your workout, and prevent becoming bored with spending too much time training. The exception to this method would be for older adults, adolescents, and those with health issues such as arthritis. For these individuals, using less weight, and a higher number of reps. to reach fatigue is necessary in order to prevent undue stress on the bodies joints. Good Health, Stephen Stern, BS, CPT Common Sense Fitness Personal Training 605 Washington Avenue, North Haven, CT. 06473 203-530-1811 www.comsenfit.com stepstern@comcast.net