How Many Sets?

When you hit the gym, how many sets of each exercise do you do? Are you the kind of person that sticks with one exercise and performs A LOT of sets of that some movement, or do you do a couple of sets of five or six different movements? Do you know which will lead to the best results? According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, more is better…

5 is Better Than 3 is Better Than 1

Nearly fifty men participated in this study, none of which had any prior resistance training experience. They were total gym n00bs, making them the perfect test subjects! They were divided into four groups:

• 1 Set
• 3 Sets
• 5 Sets
• Control group

They worked out just three times per week, but continued the program for six months. At the end of the six months, here were the results:

• The strength (both upper and lower body) of the 5 Set group improved noticeably over the 3 Set group, which in turn improved noticeably over the 1 Set group.
• The endurance of the 5 Set group improved noticeably over the other two groups.

To put it plainly, the more the merrier! Not only did their strength improve, but the 5 Set group saw the greatest amount of growth in their elbow flexor muscles. This means that their forearms grew larger and stronger as a result of the exercise. If you want the best results, go for 5 sets of each exercise! Featured Image Source: www.superiorsupplementmfg.com