The Importance Of Sets In Your Muscle Building Program

Home
>
Muscle Building & Bodybuilding
>
The Importance Of Sets In Your Muscle Building Program

The Importance Of Sets In Your Muscle Building Program

In an earlier article we looked at how repetitions contribute to the muscle building process, but is the position regarding sets just as clear cut? Unfortunately, the answer to this is no as some experts feel one set to failure is sufficient, whereas others argue that multiple sets are needed to ensure maximum muscle gains.

Research to date suggests that, when using six to eight repetitions to failure at 75-80% 1RM, there is little significant difference between training with single and multiple sets in terms of increasing either strength or muscle size. Any small differences that have been recorded indicate that a single set completed to failure encourages strength gains but subsequent sets have a slightly greater impact on muscle size. What is clear is that the law of diminishing returns applies, so you have to question if the marginal improvements in size justify the extra time and effort expended.

Like everything else in life, bodybuilding does not remain static and several cutting edge experts have redefined the boundaries of achievement. Increasingly, serious athletes are using methods that extend the set beyond the point of failure. This involves forcing the muscle to perform more work despite having experienced failure in the previous rep. In practice, you perform one last forced repetition with the help of a training partner.

This obviously calls for great commitment and high motivation but the rewards include better mass gains thanks to the greater muscular overload. Such intensive training places additional importance on the need to lift with sound technique and to incorporate sufficient recovery time into your muscle building program.

You can find out more about building muscle by visiting the site listed below.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

In The News:

How to gain muscle for skinny guys
Fox News
If you were born skinny, you may not have the potential to gain the bulk of an NFL lineman, but it's completely possible for a skinny guy to put on muscle. The bonus for you is that your body fat levels are naturally low, so when you do gain muscle, ...

TMR Zoo
New Rockin' Refuel® Muscle Builder Launches At GNC® For High-Protein, Low-Carb ...
MarketWatch (press release)
PHOENIX, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Athletes across the country now have a revolutionary way to naturally build muscle and enjoy the great taste of real milk to boot. Rockin' Refuel, from Shamrock Farms, has teamed up with GNC to launch ...
New Rockin' Refuel Muscle Builder For High-Protein, Low-Carb Muscle-BuildingTMR Zoo

all 19 news articles »

How to build muscle in your body with the help of a popular supplement
Gilroy Dispatch
A supplement that's exploded in popularity over the past 20 years, creatine is often used by professional athletes and casual weightlifters alike, in hopes it will enhance their performance and help build muscle. A naturally occurring compound found in ...

and more »

Hardgainerzone.com Reveals Full Body Workout Tips for Hardgainers
SBWire (press release)
Most hardgainers that want to build muscle don't know what a hardgainer exercise program consists. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/22/2012 -- A lot of hardgainers that want to build muscles and gain weight don't know the proper way to do a hardgainer ...

and more »

Hardgainerzone.com Is a New Muscle Building Website Created
SBWire (press release)
Hardgainerzone.com will provide free information on how to build muscle and gain weight which is commonly a difficult task for hardgainers or skinny people. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/22/2012 -- Hardgainer Zone is a new website dedicated to helping ...

TopNews Arab Emirates
High reps with low weights can also build muscle
Atlanta Journal Constitution
By Denise Mann and Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD Want to build up your muscles in time for beach season? High reps with low weights may be the way to go, a new study suggests. "There is nothing magical about heavy weights beyond the fact that they ...
Lighter Weights Can Still Make A Big Fitness DifferenceNPR (blog)
low weights can build musclesPress TV
Light weights build more muscleMSN NZ News
TopNews Arab Emirates -TopNews New Zealand
all 61 news articles »

Men told to pump iron, women to fit in a bikini
Charlotte Observer
Worry more about building muscle than burning fat. Women “focus on working out with low weights and high repetitions, using weights that are significantly lighter than objects they lift all day long, such as children,” fitness trainer Tom Holland wrote ...

and more »

Men's Fitness
High Reps With Low Weights Builds Muscle, Too
WebMD
By Denise Mann April 27, 2012 -- Want to build up your muscles in time for beach season? High reps with low weights may be the way to go, a new study suggests. "There is nothing magical about heavy weights beyond the fact that they make you work hard," ...
Light weights 'better than heavy' for building muscleTelegraph.co.uk
Quick Tip: Build Muscle With Light WeightsMen's Fitness
Muscle Building and Muscle Recovery Scientific Secrets You Need to KnoweMaxHealth
Times of India -Everyday Health
all 12 news articles »

Creatine is not the answer for building muscle in boys
Chicago Daily Herald
There's some evidence that it can help young athletes build muscle mass. And it may improve athletic performance that requires short bursts of muscle activity, such as sprinting or weightlifting. These benefits are established mainly in younger men, ...

and more »

PR Web (press release)
Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer Reviews Of Kyle Leon's The Muscle Maximizer ...
PR Web (press release)
A Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer review shows that Leon's program comes with many components to help one build more muscle. The main component is the customizable nutrition and weight training program. When one enters in their personal information ...

and more »

Google News