There are practical and scientific arguments for this. From a practical point of view, your goal is to get your power training fit in 30-60 minutes. To do this, you must adjust the number of approaches, reps and exercises for each muscle. Scientifically speaking, one single approach simply fails to tire your muscles enough. Without this, muscles will not grow or repair. Also, studies have shown that repeated approaches stimulate the production of more growth hormone and testosterone, which contributes to more efficient growth muscle and fat burning.

In general, you can only do three sets per exercise at a time, and that should work, but sometimes more can be done. For example, if you are doing exercises for large muscle groups: back and legs, then the number of approaches can be more than three. For example, you can do four sets for each exercise, or 12 exercises for each muscle group. The biceps, on the other hand, is a relatively small muscle, and 9 exercises may be enough for it.

Basic principles for choosing the number of approaches:

For experienced:
Large muscle groups: 9-12 approaches per group
Small muscle groups: 6-12 approaches per group

Average level:
Large muscle groups: 6-8 approaches per group
Small muscle groups: 5-6 approaches per group

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Naturally, the quality of nutrition plays an important role for the human body. So, today it is very fashionable to lead healthy image life, in connection with this on the Internet ...

In the previous part of the article: “Muscle building: 10 recommendations. Part 1 "we began to describe important points in building up muscle mass, now let's finish these instructions. Recommendations...

Have a beautiful and fit figure any person desires. Girls want to be slim with spicy curves, and men want to have muscle definition. Achieve results for both sexes ...

Novel - the best novels for big money (c)

Means that it was a long time ago and not true.

I use it all the time :)

Svetlana ... dad called me that ... I am an unplanned child ... I was born when my older brother was only a year old ... seven months old ... Dad called me like mom. And now he always says that he can make a wish at any time)))

Svetlana (light, pure) - name of Slavic origin - from the word<светлая>... This is the female version of the rare male name Svetlan (from the word<светл>). In Greek, the name Photina corresponds to it. This name is called Svetlana at baptism. This name is surprisingly warm, affectionate. Giving it, the parents, as it were, are crowning their little daughter with light. This name sounds like a bright melody.
It became very popular in the 20th century, especially during the Soviet era. Now - in the top ten, second only to the names Elena, Natalia, Olga, Tatiana and Irina. In cities, the frequency of using this name is slowly decreasing, and in rural areas it is growing just as slowly.

Do not try to be like someone else, do not try to seem better or worse, be natural and sincere and

not to be complex because of public opinion

<3 - это сердце, а это сиськи - (. Y .), а это попа- (Y)

Named after Demeter - the goddess of fertility.

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efficiency.

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Another of the most popular questions in strength sports, especially among beginners, is how many reps and sets to do. In order to study it most effectively, you first need to ask yourself a number of other equally important questions, the answers to which will help you understand the basic principles of drawing up a training program - correct and effective. You can arm yourself with the science to help you improve and guide the less experienced in the gym.

And here is the list itself:

• What is your fitness level?
• Body type?
• What are your goals?

Each of them has a direct bearing on the answer, how many approaches and reps you need to do. Let's start with the very first question and analyze each of them in order to better understand its importance and significance.

Your fitness level

This is a very simple question. Do you have any experience with physical activity and strength training in particular? At this stage, you need to clearly define your level: unprepared, beginner, amateur, professional.

If you devoted 45 minutes to training 3 times a week, then you are a beginner. Maybe you visit the gym 4-6 times a week for 45 minutes? Then you are average in bodybuilding (amateur). When you participate in workouts longer than 45 minutes, more than 6 times a week, then you are participating in competitions and considered a professional athlete.

The very green should start with aerobic exercise and some strength training with light weights to prepare their body and mind for more extreme workouts. It is very important to be patient and start small. The most unrestrained run the risk of becoming more familiar with overtraining and injury, after which they are unable or simply without the slightest desire to continue to improve. Training is effective only when the body has time to adapt and recover. Beginners need to work at near-limit intensity to recover from exercise. For the first 3-4 weeks, you should leave the gym feeling that you could have done much more.

Beginners with little bodybuilding experience should stick to high repetitions of 10-15 and 2 sets per muscle group (1-2 exercises per muscle group are mostly basic). It is necessary to create muscle coordination and chemical reactions in tissues. After 3 weeks, it's time to move on to the next step.

Body type

Our bodies are divided into 3 basic shapes: lean, muscular, and full. In fact, they have scientific names, but for a change, let's leave it as it is. Most people who are muscular will benefit most from doing 6-8 reps. Naturally skinny people will benefit from doing only 6 reps. Well, for the last group, full of people, it is better to do 12-20 reps.

To find out how many sets and reps you need to do, you need to decide on goals - they should be achievable and measurable.

There are three important points to consider:

• Strength and endurance cannot be optimally developed at the same time, as they are opposite to each other.
• By developing maximum strength, you increase the potential for maximum endurance.
• Strength takes longer to develop than endurance.

The repetitive continuum has POWER at one end and ENDURANCE at the other. Strength is achieved by doing heavy repetitions in a low range, where 1 rep gives the most strength. Endurance, on the other hand, is achieved by doing reps with low weights in the high range, where the ability to do, for example, 100 push-ups would be a great example of extreme endurance.

1. Strength training consists of 1-5 repetitions per set. This range allows you to use the maximum weight of the weights and perfectly load the muscles. This type of muscle growth is called myofibrillar hypertrophy.
2. When used in the 9-12 set, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is maximized, which causes an increase in muscle volume.
3. Beyond 12 reps, anaerobic endurance is mainly developed and muscle hypertrophy is minimized.
4. Ideally, a muscle-building program should consist of 6-8 reps per set. Such workouts have an excellent balance between myofibrillar (strength) and sarcoplasmic (mass) hypertrophy, develop both types of muscle fibers (fast and slow) and are excellent at raising testosterone levels.
5. To maintain good shape, it is enough to train the whole body 3 times a week, doing 2-3 sets (2 to 3 exercises per muscle group) for 12-15 repetitions. You will get a basic level of fitness, become more experienced and be able to set new, higher goals to achieve.

All of the above figures are generally accepted, well-established and have repeatedly proven their effectiveness in bodybuilding. But science does not stand still and offers us new knowledge about muscles, forcing us to reconsider our views on certain things. And this is true for reps and sets. Therefore, you can talk on this topic for a long time, and study even longer.

This leads to a completely legitimate question - "So what to believe?" Essentially not that important. After all, there are NO USELESS repetitions and approaches! Each person is unique and differently genetically arranged and gifted. Therefore, don't get carried away with theories, focus on intense and varied activities in the gym, experiment and be wrong, because this is how you can find out what works best for you.

How many reps to do in a set is a very important question. The result that you get from the exercises depends on the number of repetitions. In this article I will try to answer this question as accurately as possible. And you will be able to correctly determine the rate of repetitions based on your own goals.

Check out this diagram first. And below I will give all the explanations.

What is the correct number of repetitions?

It all depends on the purpose of the lesson, your age and level of training.

In general, all this is not far from the truth. But when it comes to practice, there are many nuances. And the point, as is often the case, is in the little things. In these very nuances.

First, let's do the following. On the one hand, I propose to clearly separate the different repetition zones. On the other hand, I refuse to clearly distinguish between these zones.

What is a re-maximum?

This indicator will help you better understand the topic. It is usually denoted PM or simply indicate that the weight is 100%.

Repeated maximum Is a specific weight that you can lift only once in a given exercise. Necessarily technically clean (no cheating and other tricks). Adding even 100 g to this weight makes this weight too heavy for you.

If it says that the weight is 90%, then we are talking about a weight that is 0.9 of the repeated maximum. If in the barbell squat your re-maximum is 70 kg, then 90% of that will be 63 kg. Got it? Move on.

The number of repetitions. We clearly divide the zones.

1-3 reps

This number of repetitions increases the one-time strength. Here we use the heaviest weights (90-105% of the maximum, but there are exceptions - somehow I'll tell you about the method of low-repetitive explosive training with small weights). Don't be surprised, 105% is often found in strength training for powerlifting. This is a normal practice that allows athletes to quickly achieve new results.

In this range, such parameters as coordination of movements (an important thing for the development of one-time muscle strength) and innervation of motor units (these are groups of muscle cells innervated by one motor neuron) are powerfully developed.

Heavy weights instantly force the body into optimal positions and exhibit optimal biomechanics.

And motor units are generally a very interesting thing. Pure strength training teaches muscles to use as many motor units as possible at the same time, in one repetition. It is this synchronization that manifests itself as a one-time force.

This method works best for developing white muscle fibers.

4-6 reps

This number of repetitions is performed in sets to develop muscle power and explosive strength (see also). Usually, weights of 80-85% of the re-maximum are used for this.

Sets of 4-6 reps are optimal for developing explosive strength and power of movement. However, this method does not grow records in single repetitions as effectively as training with 90-105%, despite the fact that it also develops white muscle fibers well.

6-8 reps

This is a very convenient and comfortable number of repetitions for building muscle mass. The optimal weight is 70-80% of the re-maximum. I remember that I made the most progress in the barbell squat on this number of repetitions. Higher repetitions resulted in acute oxygen deprivation and premature set termination.

This range is believed to be optimal for the development of myofibrillar muscle hypertrophy. That is, muscle myofibrils (contractile elements of muscle cells) develop (increase in thickness). Basically, white muscle fibers respond well to this number of repetitions.

The range is very good and comfortable. However, it feels like if you "sit" only on it constantly, endurance development does not occur (it literally evaporates) and even an ordinary run for 2-3 km or a couple of rounds in the ring becomes a cruel test for the breath and heart.

9-12 reps

Many people think that this amount is too much for muscle growth and attribute this range to endurance. After all, here we are dealing with weights of the order of 65-70% of the repeated maximum. When training with such weights, red muscle fibers are actively involved in the work.

However, practice and some research have reported significant mass-gaining effects in the 10 to 18 rep range. This contradicts the opinion of strong supporters of pure strength training, aimed at 6-8 reps. Plus, after years of low reps training, 12 or more reps workouts are very uncomfortable. Many athletes confuse this feeling of discomfort with lack of effect.

In the range from 10 to 18 repetitions in the muscles, in fact, there is no active growth of myofibrils in thickness. However, there is a significant increase in sarcoplasmic volume, which directly affects muscle volume and strength endurance. This does not increase one-time muscle contractility, but the functional component significantly increases (the ability to work intensively and for a long time). Therefore, the opinion of convinced supporters can be easily moved and expanded when it comes to muscle growth.

In addition, do not forget that many training parameters affect the growth of muscle mass: (and, accordingly, the number of approaches), increase in working weight, etc.

12-15 reps

It is considered the optimal number for improving muscle shape and definition. Typically weights are used here in the range of 55-65% of the re-maximum. It is mainly the red muscle fibers that work in the muscles.

This range really improves the shape and relief. But a lot also depends on nutrition. If you make it mass-gaining, the mass will grow very well.

15-25 or more reps

According to the conventional wisdom, this is a zone of almost exclusively growth and improvement of their relief. If you work with iron, then with this number of repetitions, weights are used in the region of 55% of the re-maximum and below. In the muscles, almost exclusively red muscle fibers work, which are precisely responsible for endurance. And also for burning fat.

Be sure to keep in mind that this kind of training hits the one-time strength very seriously, quickly reducing it.

It is for this reason that people who practice the so-called healthy lifestyle - regular long running and simple exercises with their own weight for many repetitions, and often radical forms of vegetarianism (God forbid!) Do not like "iron" so much or limit it to a minimum. And completely in vain, by the way! Iron is a very powerful health booster and, unfortunately, the subject of great misconceptions among the older generation ...

Well, we've gone through the entire reasonable rep range for strength training. Now let's see why it is worth moving away from the clear boundaries of these ranges.

The response of muscles and the whole body to these ranges includes different mechanisms and adaptations. And often a certain adaptation begins to manifest itself in one zone, manifests itself as much as possible in another, and sometimes its signs are present in the third, etc. repetition zones. That is, many parameters are not unambiguously associated with a specific number of repetitions.

When it comes to pure strength training at times, then the best way here would be to perform just one-time repetitions with maximum weights. However, even if you train for 6-8 repetitions, the one-time strength will also increase. But not so fast. After all, 6-8 reps are not optimal for this.

Separately, it is worth remembering training for relief, when you need to "burn" extra pounds. It seems like you just have to do a lot of reps here. And that's not necessary!

There are many training methods that allow you to burn fat quickly by exercising with relatively high weights and low reps (8-12). We are talking about methods such as, etc.

How many reps do you need?

If you are a beginner (bad shape and no training experience, plus, possibly, extra pounds)

Do simple bodyweight exercises for 15 reps or more. Try to increase this number to 40-50 or more. Examples of exercises: squats, forward bends, etc.

If you are a beginner (training less than 3-6 months)

Do strength exercises for 12-15 repetitions. Try to gradually increase your working weight.

If you have an average level of training (train from 6 to 12 months)

You should consider periodizing your workouts. This is a simple alternation of sets of exercises with different numbers of repetitions. You will definitely benefit from 6-8, 12-15, and 15-25 reps. And it would be better to divide them into different sets of exercises performed in different months of the year.

If you have extra pounds (but you are somehow mobile)

Start practicing high-rep, simple bodyweight exercises. Do 20-40 or more squats per set. Do many bends (20 or more per set). It is this method that has proven itself perfectly in my training.

If you are underweight or an ectomorph (and already have at least 3 months of experience)

Practice in sets of 4-6 or 6-8 reps. This will allow you to build muscle and gain weight as quickly as possible. No push-ups and running will help here. What is needed is strength training and very satisfying food. And get plenty of rest between sets. The workout will be longer, but the "meat" will grow effectively.

If you are over 50 years old

It is recommended not to use low repetitions (1-6) in training. More precisely, it should be used rarely, as a peak workout once every 2-4 weeks. Nevertheless, it is not worth giving up strength training at all. During the year you should have 2-3 complexes for 1-2 months with the number of repetitions from 6 to 10. This is extremely important precisely because of the age when muscle mass is actively lost, and with it the rest of health.

I wish you successful classes! Questions and comments are welcome.

If you go to the gym for a specific purpose, you should stick to the appropriate workout routine, or simply a program. And the program implies not only a set of exercises, but also how many approaches to do for mass, endurance, strength or relief, as well as how many repetitions should be in each of these approaches. These values ​​will differ depending on what result you want to achieve.

Why follow the rules

Sets and reps are an important part of your workout.

In order to increase the effectiveness of training, to achieve certain results, the entire training process is divided into rest and work. Each muscle needs to be worked out several times, while giving it time to rest. This cycling is necessary in order for the muscles to work as efficiently as possible.

If you just grab a barbell and do the maximum number of repetitions, it will not bring much effect. Endurance and strength will increase too slowly from such an ineffective waste of the body's physical resources.

If you do, for example, 10 repetitions and move on to the next exercise, there will be no progress either. The only thing you get is a "preventive" load on the muscles. This approach is only useful if you exercise in the morning. The task of this method of doing exercises is to maintain the muscular and circulatory system in a normal state and no more.

But the most effective option is to first load the muscle, then give it a rest, repeat this to the desired degree of development of its resource. Resting time should allow the muscle to replenish its energy reserves for further work. However, if this interval exceeds the time after which the muscle begins to "cool down", such a break can lead to injury.

The rest usually lasts from 30 seconds to 4-5 minutes. How to individually choose this time for you - we will tell you later.

Thus, sets and reps are needed to get the best results from your workouts.

The repetitions and sets performed depend on the goals of your training and, accordingly, the training weights. This is a completely natural logic: the higher, the fewer repetitions you can do with it.

That's not all: the more weight, the longer you need to rest to make the next set.

Different goals - different number of repetitions

You need to understand how many sets and reps you need to do in different situations.

For example, a bodybuilder should know the number of repetitions for muscle growth, that is, how many reps to do on the mass (if he is gaining weight), and how many approaches and reps to do on the relief (if he is drying).

The number of repetitions in the approach depends on what you want to get as a result of training.

1. To increase strength, usually 2-4 reps are performed per set. In this case, the weights are taken large, close to the maximum.
2. To gain weight, the athlete must perform 5-10 repetitions. The working weight will be less than when working for strength, but still quite significant. The number of repetitions per weight should not be large. Mass and strength gains are often referred to as separate trainings. Although the force grows after the mass, but the mass follows the force - not always. It happens that a small muscle volume is more effective than pumped up mountains of muscles. You can meet this in your life - it all depends on what percentage of muscle fibers are involved in the work.
3. When working on relief or losing weight, it is important to burn a lot of energy from fat. A large number of repetitions with medium and light weights will allow you to do this. Do 15-20 reps until your muscles start burning.

Note again that for optimal training, you need to choose working weights appropriately. You need to ensure that with this weight you can do exactly the planned number of repetitions. If you can't do even 1 extra rep, that would be perfect. In practice, this rarely happens, so don't despair.

It is worth mentioning how many repetitions are done per mass with an increase in working weight. Everything is simple here. When switching to a new weight, first perform with it the minimum number of times in the range (that is, 5), and then increase to the maximum (up to 10).

When to increase the amount

There are times when a person participates in competitions where the maximum number of repetitions is required (for example, in CrossFit). Here you need to train precisely for the quantity. You will have to forget about how many reps and approaches to mass, relief or whatever.

So, how to increase the number of repetitions. Here are a couple of techniques:

1. First, you need to work out as many reps as possible with good rest. Naturally, in each next approach you will have fewer repetitions than in the previous one.
2. The second technique is various "ladders". For example, an increase in working weight and work at maximum quantity. Or you can choose a specific weight and do 50 reps with it. Then increase the weight and do the same reps. One day the moment will come when your muscles can no longer perform a single repetition.

Approaches

Everything is clear about repetitions. But with how many approaches it is more difficult to do.

The approach is to do the exercise continuously. For example, even a single repetition can be called an approach. When you put down the barbell, the approach is over, rest has begun. Then, when you start doing the exercise again, the next approach will begin.

So, the number of approaches is also selected individually. It will be very good if you find your own minimum. That is, such a number of approaches for each exercise, which will not allow you to degrade muscularly, and even better - will give you the opportunity to grow further.

• So, what to do to grow muscle mass: perform 3-4 approaches, not counting warm-ups.
• The same number of approaches you need to do to lose weight. The warm-up in this case can be complex for the whole body before starting the workout.
• And to increase strength, it is better to complete a couple of approaches more.

As you can see, the number of repetitions decreases, and the number of sets increases.

Rest time between exercises

The standards tell you to rest 45, 60, 90 seconds. But blindly following your stopwatch is stupid. Of course, from an anatomical point of view, all humans are similar and their bodies function in the same way. But after all, each person has his own physical characteristics. This is manifested in the difference in recovery time, rate of mass gain, strength. Thus, we are all alike, but still different.

Your task is to work out your own time limits based on the standards.

The standards are:

• Rest for 60–90 seconds to gain weight.
• For weight loss, try to rest the minimum amount of time.
• And when you work for strength, you can rest for three and five minutes. Be guided by your feelings. It is important to allow the muscles to recover, but at the same time start the next set before they "cool down".

Based on these numbers, be guided by your feelings. If after the next rest you cannot do even 2-3 repetitions, although 10 are planned, you have taken a heavy weight or simply have had very little rest.

For a beginner or athlete after an injury

After a long break or when a person first comes to work out in the gym, you need to train in an easy mode. This means not only light weights, but also a reduced number of approaches.

For beginners who first came to lift iron, it is recommended to start with two approaches for each exercise. You can immediately do as many repetitions as necessary.

Experienced athletes after the break themselves know what is best, so there is no point in recommending something to them. If you do not have enough experience to decide on this, do also two approaches in the first workout, three in the next, and then - according to the usual program.

By the way, in a warmed-up state, the muscles do not feel damage so well. The rupture of the muscle fiber will clearly identify itself only when your muscle "cools". Until this moment, apart from minor discomfort, you may not feel anything.

This phenomenon is dangerous when you decide to do several additional approaches. The muscle is torn, damaged. During training, of course, you cannot notice this. Therefore, a fanatical race for the number of approaches is dangerous to health. Observing your own body will help you to protect yourself - if you can no longer perform 1 repetition correctly, it's time to finish.

In other words, choose the number of approaches and reps based not only on goals, but also on your physical condition and well-being.