How many sets and reps to do on the mass

Beginner athletes are not always sufficiently aware of which programs and types of workouts are most effective for gaining mass. Many beginners are looking for themselves and the answer to the question regarding what range of approaches and repetitions must be performed for mass collection. It makes no sense to establish any framework on your own. It is necessary to rely solely on time-tested and practice-proven research, the recommendations of specialists.

Today it is generally accepted that the optimal number of repetitions in each approach of training for mass collection varies from 8 to 12. This “standard” appeared back in 1954, and was proposed by Ian McQueen, who was not just an English surgeon, but also a bodybuilder. Even after half a century, the relevance of this approach leaves no doubt. According to the results of studies of one of the American universities, in order to build muscle mass, it is necessary to do about 4-6 repetitions.

Over the past decades, a lot of new useful information has been obtained about the features of the processes occurring in the human body, as well as about muscles … Based on half a century of history, we can safely say that the combination of different repetition ranges brings efficiency for mass gain.

The feasibility of undulating periodization

The results of an American study have demonstrated that the strength indicators of athletes who changed the number of repetitions once a week were twice as high as those of those who did not, that is, they were engaged in the same range.

An experiment lasting three weeks , was that the athletes changed the intensity of repetitions every seven days: low, high, medium. Due to undulating periodization, a result was achieved that demonstrates that repetitions have a specific role in muscle growth, but each range has its own separate task.

There are three main rep ranges for weight gain:

• Low – 1 to 5 times. Assumes work with maximum weight and high load on the muscles. This training primarily affects myofibrils – the connecting threads of muscle fibers, contributing to the formation of more of them. The higher the number of myofibrils, the more force can be regenerated by the muscles. The low range is great for increasing strength, which invariably translates into increased volume, although not as much as the medium repetition rate.
• Medium – 6x to 10x. For thirty seconds, the muscles are subjected to a moderate degree of stress. This is why most professionals consider this range to be the most effective in terms of increasing mass. However, working only with this number of repetitions, without resorting to alternation, will cause neither strength nor endurance to develop.
• High – over 11 times. The load on the muscles is much longer than in the low and medium range. This increases the concentration of mitochondria, the energy-producing structures found in muscle tissue. The higher their number, the higher the endurance indicator. During this training, the volume of fluid in the muscle tissue increases, which entails muscle growth. This type of range is most often used to achieve pumping.

Avoiding the adaptation of muscles to a particular approach previously allowed the use of a different number of repetitions when training for weight gain. Today this is not necessary. In order to prevent muscles from adapting, a huge number of methods have been developed, including super and additional sets, failure reps, and much more. Thanks to a variety of techniques, you can choose for yourself the best option for the range that gives the maximum effect of mass gain, and do 8-12 repetitions.

How many approaches do you need to do while doing weight training?

Experienced bodybuilders recommend doing at least three to four approaches for one exercise, which must be performed at least three for each muscle group. Since various exercises are aimed at engaging different parts of muscle groups, due to which growth occurs, it is necessary to do at least 9-12 approaches per workout for each.

Working on the growth of the muscles of the lower extremities differs from the training process of the upper groups of muscles, requires an increase in the number of approaches and repetitions. When training is aimed at gaining leg mass per set, more than 15 repetitions are done. Many professional bodybuilders recommend doing 20 or more reps. Not only the range of the exercise performed increases, but also the number of approaches used. It equals four to five.