Many bodybuilders particularly the novices are at a loss in determining what number of reps and sets will give them the best results in terms of developing and growing the body strength and the muscle mass. Indeed it is a question that many people ask. What combination of sets and reps is effective for the best body composition? Let us start of with reps.
Reps. The optimal number of repetitions that is advised for both mean and women with respect to the final and heavy sets is 4-6. Note that we are talking about the final sets and as such we are not talking about the warm-up and the acclimation sets.
There is only one way in which the body muscles are able to grow bigger and faster and this is only through progressive overload training. From a factual vantage point it is known that the muscles' growth is a function of the resistance that is applied. As such you will need to always ensure that you gradually add to the weights that you use in training. The heavier the weights that you employ in training the bigger and stronger the muscles will be.
By using lower reps you are basically telling your muscles that it is time to recruit more groups of muscle fiber so as to be able to match the challenge that you and your weights are posing. As more fibers are summoned so does the size of the muscles. For the ladies there is no need to worry since lower reps will act by tending not to bulk you up but instead toning and strengthening your muscles more. How does one know if they are doing the right number of reps at a certain weight? Well basically the concept is that if you are able to do 8-10 reps the weight is too light and if you cannot do more than 4 reps then the weight is too heavy. You can use the 8-10 reps for warm-ups.
Sets. As for the sets, again the heavy sets, it is advised that one sticks to 1-3, three at most. As you train with the chosen weight and at the right pace then you will see the point of this statement. The mantra behind weightlifting for bodybuilding maintains that the overload is what counts most for muscle gain rather than the number of sets. Your guiding principle should be not to destroy the muscles but rather to stimulate them into growing more.
This is the best approach compared even to the use of lighter weights and many sets. Case in point, the bicep curls. The best way to do these is by first doing a thorough warm up and then when the body is sufficiently warm do the curls in two intense sets of 4-6 repetitions each. The exercise will be satisfactorily done. This will be enough and you may move to the next type of exercise on your training roster.
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