Hi all,
I’m trying some very low rep sets at max weight for a few weeks. If I’m only doing 1 or 2 reps per set, do I need to do a lot of sets to get enough volume? Or, is it still good to just do 4-5 sets?
Thanks in advance.
The more working sets you do per session, the more time your body will need to recover before you can do that exercise/body part again in that rep range.
So if you do 10 sets of 2 reps for working sets, you’ll need 4-7 days for that muscle group(s) to recover. If you only do 1-2 working sets, they should be ready to work again in 1-3 days. Which route you choose depends on what kind of split you’re following, and how often you can make it to the gym.
Great info. Makes perfect sense. I have a little cross-over of muscle groups just because it is almost impossible not to. But I only really focus on a particular muscle group once per week. (Monday Legs, Tuesday Bench/Triceps, Thursday posterior chain/pulling, Friday Abs+)
So it sounds like I should be doing 5+ sets… 5 to 7 is about where I feel like the muscles are basically done, so this all adds up.
there’s a very important variable known as training experience. the longer someone trains for strength, the more efficient and less sets are needed to achieve strength gains. I, personally, only need to work up to one set of 1-2 reps and then do a back off rep set. I then rest an entire week before hitting a max attempt again. with my years of lifting experience i find that i can put forth maximum effort in that one set.
when i was a beginner and even into intermediate levels i physically couldn’t put everything into a max attempt. as a result, i had to do more sets.
before anyone starts an arguement, let me state that this is through my own experience and not from some study that i’ve read or read on the interwebz. Therefore, this is only my opinion.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
there’s a very important variable known as training experience. the longer someone trains for strength, the more efficient and less sets are needed to achieve strength gains. I, personally, only need to work up to one set of 1-2 reps and then do a back off rep set. I then rest an entire week before hitting a max attempt again. with my years of lifting experience i find that i can put forth maximum effort in that one set.
when i was a beginner and even into intermediate levels i physically couldn’t put everything into a max attempt. as a result, i had to do more sets.
before anyone starts an arguement, let me state that this is through my own experience and not from some study that i’ve read or read on the interwebz. Therefore, this is only my opinion. [/quote]
You are 900 billion percent correct. Beginnrs need more volume because their efficiency of movement sucks. They are not coordinated enough to activate every fiber possible on just one rep. The more experience you gain lifting heavy weights, the more coordinated you become, thus the more energy that is used on one max set becuase the movement is using every muscle and every fiber in that muscle as much as it possibly can.
Funny thing is, this has been proven in some studies so anyone that argues with you has either 1. never been strong or 2. is an idiot.
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
there’s a very important variable known as training experience. the longer someone trains for strength, the more efficient and less sets are needed to achieve strength gains.
I, personally, only need to work up to one set of 1-2 reps and then do a back off rep set. I then rest an entire week before hitting a max attempt again. with my years of lifting experience i find that i can put forth maximum effort in that one set.
when i was a beginner and even into intermediate levels i physically couldn’t put everything into a max attempt. as a result, i had to do more sets.
before anyone starts an arguement, let me state that this is through my own experience and not from some study that i’ve read or read on the interwebz. Therefore, this is only my opinion. [/quote]
You are 900 billion percent correct. Beginnrs need more volume because their efficiency of movement sucks. They are not coordinated enough to activate every fiber possible on just one rep.
The more experience you gain lifting heavy weights, the more coordinated you become, thus the more energy that is used on one max set becuase the movement is using every muscle and every fiber in that muscle as much as it possibly can.
Funny thing is, this has been proven in some studies so anyone that argues with you has either 1. never been strong or 2. is an idiot.[/quote]
i do believe you and i were separated at birth. we seem to have come to a lot of the same conclusions.
i’ve found that i’ve conditioned myself to activate so many muscle fibers during a max attempt that i can actually push myself to actually tear a muscle. when i perform pin presses from my weak spot, if i’m not careful i can actually feel the muscle fibers tearing.
It’s my belief that this is the reason some seasoned lifters tear muscles. they’ve learned to fire so many fibers with so much force that at times it’s just too much for the muscle.
i guess this may put the notion that the body can withstand much more than the mind can into question.
as for people questioning these things… most would fall into both categories. that’s why i really do my best to stay out of internet arguments.
So you simply trained like every other beginner and this is how you came to be able to fire your muscle’s so well??
becasue i would like to get to your level, given many years are neeeded. do you have any old programs u used or would 5/3/1 be fine??
[quote]aussieboi66 wrote:
So you simply trained like every other beginner and this is how you came to be able to fire your muscle’s so well??
becasue i would like to get to your level, given many years are neeeded. do you have any old programs u used or would 5/3/1 be fine?? [/quote]
basically… it’s a case of time under the bar. the longer you lift and learn to strain, you will become more efficient.
i’ve never followed a fancy program. for the most part i’ve just used linear progression of weights while also picking lifts that work my weak points and then accessory work thrown in. very basic, simple stuff. I also keep track of PR’s and attempt to set new rep or weight PR’s each session.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
[quote]aussieboi66 wrote:
So you simply trained like every other beginner and this is how you came to be able to fire your muscle’s so well??
becasue i would like to get to your level, given many years are neeeded. do you have any old programs u used or would 5/3/1 be fine?? [/quote]
basically… it’s a case of time under the bar. the longer you lift and learn to strain, you will become more efficient.
i’ve never followed a fancy program. for the most part i’ve just used linear progression of weights while also picking lifts that work my weak points and then accessory work thrown in. very basic, simple stuff. I also keep track of PR’s and attempt to set new rep or weight PR’s each session.
[/quote]
Do you keep track of every single exercise, or just the main ones?
[quote]forbes wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
[quote]aussieboi66 wrote:
So you simply trained like every other beginner and this is how you came to be able to fire your muscle’s so well??
becasue i would like to get to your level, given many years are neeeded. do you have any old programs u used or would 5/3/1 be fine?? [/quote]
basically… it’s a case of time under the bar. the longer you lift and learn to strain, you will become more efficient.
i’ve never followed a fancy program. for the most part i’ve just used linear progression of weights while also picking lifts that work my weak points and then accessory work thrown in. very basic, simple stuff. I also keep track of PR’s and attempt to set new rep or weight PR’s each session.
[/quote]
Do you keep track of every single exercise, or just the main ones?[/quote]
no… just the ME stuff and some of the more important accessory things. machine lifts, definitely not. if you’ve even seen my training log i post “some x some” on many of my accessory lift since i’m really only going for a good pump on those.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i do believe you and i were separated at birth.
[/quote]
If this were true, my bench would be much better. haha.
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i do believe you and i were separated at birth.
[/quote]
If this were true, my bench would be much better. haha. [/quote]
and my deadlift higher.