Number of sets/exercises

D

Demonic Baboon

New Member
I'm going to start with 15s next week and I'm not sure how many sets I should be doing per body part. I've seen on various parts of the site that the general rule is doing 1-2 sets per exercise (depending on which part of the cycle you're on) at 2 exercises per body part. I was wondering, for muscle groups like the legs and back, should I increase the number of exercises from 2 to 3?

Also, what is your opinion about not doing arms during 15s and instead doing compound exercises that involve the arms for chest, shoulders, and back? I want to take full advantage of HST when I start, and I was just wondering if doing six sets a week of just back, legs, chest, abs, and shoulders was enough to induce to best amount of hypertrophy, especially seeing how my arms are my weakest point.


To give you some background, I've been lifting for a couple years and have had trouble making more than mediocre gains. I've been told the problem is overtraining even though I've never experienced any of the obvious symptoms (joint pain, listlessness, being too tired to train, inability to sleep, etc.)...well, except for the crappy gains part. :confused:
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Hey :)

This is simply another volume thread - that is, "how much volume" is the issue, this tme in the early 10's when the weights are light.

Again, the answer is the same: the amount of volume you should do is the maximum that you can manage. Generally, the answer to volume questions are: Do as much as you can.

Again, for the sake of avoiding confusion, as much as you can means:
1.) You don't go to failure
2.) You don't compromise your ability to train frequently.

So how much volume you do depends on those two things. If you can do 2 sets for each exercise, and you still feel great and you don't feel so tired that you want to delay or avoid your next training workout, then you should do 2 sets. If that's too much, and you find that doing 2 sets of everything makes you dread your next workout because you feel a little fatigued even before you start, then do less.

And remember that this can also depend a lot on how long you've been training. For BB veterans, for example, it might simply not be enough to do 2 sets. If they can do 4 sets of each exercise, and still avoid CNS fatigue and can still train as frequently, then 4 sets should be their target.

Do as much as you can. Don't go crazy though. Be sure you know how to gauge yourself properly.

Regards,
-JV
Click to expand...

Thats a quote from JVROIG.

So far I have stuck to doing 2 sets for every body part and have been making good gains.

Joe G
 
The thing is though, going by how I feel hasn't exactly worked out for me so far. Hell, when I did four-day split I felt like I could do a five, though I never did that. I'm just worried that if I go by my level of fatigue, I'll end up doing 4 sets of everything and just wind up overtraining again.
 
Do what ever you've been doing just break it up over the week.

So if you 've been doing 12 sets for each body part continue to do so, just break it up over the week. IE 4 sets if you are working out 3 days a week, 3 sets if you are working out 4 days a week. No need to make it complicated. ;)

If you were a total newb I would say do 2 sets for 15's, 2 sets for 1st week of 10's and 5's, 1 set for 2nd week of 10's and 5's.
 
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