Re: full body program - one rep percentage

"Tom Anderson" <twic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.64.0811211144310.20555@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 20 Nov 2008, Steve Freides wrote:

"Tom Anderson" <twic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.64.0811202032320.31413@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 20 Nov 2008, Steve Freides wrote:

"Tom Anderson" <twic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote

I recall reading some research that showed that doing three sets
was
only ~25% better at building strength than two sets, and that more
than three was no better than three. Hence, two sets. There was
also
some research that showed that supplementing low-to-medium rep
sets
with even just one high-rep led to improved gains, which is why
i've
mixed that in where i really need it.

That's not true for an experienced strength trainee - volume is
king,
and workouts like 10 or more sets of 2-3 reps are quite common.
While said study may have been done according to its own rules, my
suspicion is that the participants were not experienced lifters or,
if they were, they hadn't done any serious strength training.

You're right - for people at that end of the game, micro-sets are
the
way.

Nothing "micro" about them, IMHO. If you goal is the biggest number
for
a single rep, then training 2-3 reps makes a lot of sense.

You have to be really quite 'experienced', though, right?

No. Anyone can, e.g., try Pavel's "Power To The People!" program:
deadlift and overhead press, 2 sets of 5 each lift, 5 days a week.
No experience needed. It's how I started lifting freeweights after a
few years of machines. I gradually, over the course of a month or
two, gave up the machines and did the 2 exercise x 2 sets x 5 reps
thing - worked great for me. More important, the few years of
machines didn't do anything to prepare me - could have started this
program cold because I gained zero strength/mass/anything from my
work on machines.

That's atypical. There's a fairly substantial body of research that
shows that larger numbers of reps are optimal for strength gain in
less-trained lifters, so i don't think your experience necessarily
makes the basis for good advice for the general man in the street.

I think you miss the basic point - 5 is the number PTP considers to be
ideal for new lifters but, more to the point, 5 is the number considered
the maximum for strength-focused work. More than 5 reps is simply not
necessary for strength in any large, compound movement. Rest periods
can be shortened to accomplish different goals. Experienced trainees
may work with only triples, doubles, or even singles, but 5 is plenty.

Put another way, I don't think there is anything one accomplishes,
strength or otherwise, with 3 sets of 10 that isn't better done with 6
sets of 5. More, not less, hypertrophy can be achieved because more
weight can be used.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com


.

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