When it comes to weight lifting the majority of lifters have one goal; build muscle.
This is a process that will take months to initially see results, but the athlete must stay patient and follow their routine.
People who are new often want to know if there is an ideal number of sets to gain muscle.
The simple answer is no, but in a round about way.
When people are trying to build muscle they need to confuse their bodies.
By lifting heavy weight for lower sets, the body will become conditioned to pushing the heavy weight in quick bursts for a few sets.
Typically lifters in the bulking phase will do between three and five reps for two or three sets.
This is great to push the body beyond what it believes is possible.
It also allows the muscles to really pump and expand en route to where the lifter wants to be goal wise.
The lower sets will allow them to keep adding substantially more weight each set, as they are basically maxing out on the final set.
Many lifters also do force reps on their last set.
Force reps are where the person puts on a certain amount of weight, beyond what they would typically lift and the spotter will assist them in returning the bar to the starting position.
Another strategy is to do the rep as slow as possible, again with the assistance of a spotter, as this will probably end in a failed rep.
By lowering the bar as slowly as possible, the lifter is accomplishing two things.
The first thing is they are building muscle, as the majority of gains are made from the muscles learning to control the movement and maintain a certain pace.
The second thing this accomplishes is that the person will learn the explosive movement that is used to return the bar to the rack.
It is important to get the whole body, especially the core involved in every lift to achieve the maximum gains.
With that being said, lifters will need to change up their routine on occasion.
They are going to hit a plateau if they continue to lift heavy weight for a few sets.
They will typically switch up and do a few burn out lifts or lift a lesser amount for around 25 to 30 reps.
This allows the muscles to sort of stretch out and increases their level of endurance.
This is a process that will take months to initially see results, but the athlete must stay patient and follow their routine.
People who are new often want to know if there is an ideal number of sets to gain muscle.
The simple answer is no, but in a round about way.
When people are trying to build muscle they need to confuse their bodies.
By lifting heavy weight for lower sets, the body will become conditioned to pushing the heavy weight in quick bursts for a few sets.
Typically lifters in the bulking phase will do between three and five reps for two or three sets.
This is great to push the body beyond what it believes is possible.
It also allows the muscles to really pump and expand en route to where the lifter wants to be goal wise.
The lower sets will allow them to keep adding substantially more weight each set, as they are basically maxing out on the final set.
Many lifters also do force reps on their last set.
Force reps are where the person puts on a certain amount of weight, beyond what they would typically lift and the spotter will assist them in returning the bar to the starting position.
Another strategy is to do the rep as slow as possible, again with the assistance of a spotter, as this will probably end in a failed rep.
By lowering the bar as slowly as possible, the lifter is accomplishing two things.
The first thing is they are building muscle, as the majority of gains are made from the muscles learning to control the movement and maintain a certain pace.
The second thing this accomplishes is that the person will learn the explosive movement that is used to return the bar to the rack.
It is important to get the whole body, especially the core involved in every lift to achieve the maximum gains.
With that being said, lifters will need to change up their routine on occasion.
They are going to hit a plateau if they continue to lift heavy weight for a few sets.
They will typically switch up and do a few burn out lifts or lift a lesser amount for around 25 to 30 reps.
This allows the muscles to sort of stretch out and increases their level of endurance.