How Many Sets Should You Do?

I have previously discussed factors to consider when deciding what rep range to use in your training. This week we will look at how many sets you should be doing. It is essential to not fall into the same trap a lot of other Glasgow personal trainers do by just having clients do 3 sets on each exercise before moving on. Just as with rep ranges, set numbers are tied to your goals so more thought is required to get the best session and the best results. More sets per exercise means greater volume which necessitates lower intensity.

You should also consider how many sets per movement you intend to do. While bench press and shoulder press are different exercises they are both upper body push movements so use some of the same muscles. Multiple exercises from the same movement group will greatly limit the intensity you can use with each one. So if you are trying to develop maximum strength it is important to limit the total number of sets on each movement type so you can train at a high enough intensity to accomplish your goal.
The total volume of your training becomes more important if you want to build muscle so to do this you need to drop your intensity a bit and perform a few more sets.

Another important consideration is how long you have to train. If you are pushed for time and can only afford 30 minutes in the gym there is no point planning to do lots of sets. In this situation you are almost forced into making the sets you have time to do more intense by lifting heavier weights. I really believe that intensity trumps volume when training. You only need to look at the training programs of elite sportspeople to realise this. Their lives revolve around training yet will all this priority given to training they do not spend all day training. Their training is all about the quality of the work, not the quantity and you should adopt this mindset.

If you are training for strength you should be limiting the number of work sets you use to 2 or 3 and work to the higher intensity rep ranges (2 or 3 reps) on few main exercises (2 or 3), to do the opposite dilutes the focus of your training. The same is true of muscle building yet I constantly see people shying away form intensity in favour of volume. While there is a balance to be struck between I always wonder how much faster people would progress if they were not always saving themselves for the last rep of the session.

Iain Smith (MPhil/CSCS) owns Standout Gym, an independent warehouse gym in Glasgow, focusing on weight loss. He offers small group training as an affordable alternative to Glasgow personal training. Iain is a former international decathlete with 17 years coaching experience. www.standoutgym.com.