Sets, reps and rest. Leg training program without iron: strengthening, endurance, explosive strength Repeats for 20 repetitions in strength exercises

This is an article on strength sports terminology for beginners.
Sports, like other sciences, have their own terminology. Therefore, many beginners, starting
to training, at first they don’t understand what they want from them. For you to talk with athletes
in the gym in one language I will explain some basic terms:
sets, repetitions, rest between sets, superset, maximum strength, basic exercises,
cardio, free weights...
I will also show you how to record the necessary parameters in the training program.

WHAT ARE SETS AND REPS
Let's say you did 10 barbell squats, then rested for 2 minutes and did
10 more squats, again rested for 2 minutes and did 10 more squats.
In sports language, this means that you did THREE sets of 10 repetitions.
In this example, the rest between sets was 2 minutes, but the rest could be different,
it depends on the purpose and the program used.
The number of approaches and repetitions in each exercise also depends on the purpose of the training.
Additionally, the training program indicates the load for each exercise.
Sign up for sports program looks like that:
Squats with a barbell on the shoulders 3x10/50kg Rest between sets 2 minutes

Note #1
IN English language approaches are called "SET"
That’s why we, too, in the English manner, often call approaches “sets.”
They say: three sets of ten repetitions. Repetitions in English would be "reps" which is short for the word
“repetition” which in translation means repetition, repetition.

Note #2
Previously, in Soviet sports, approaches were sometimes called “series”
So the task sounded like this: four series of 12 repetitions

Note #3
The recording form may vary
In bodybuilding it is most often written like this:
Bench press 3x10/50kg Rest between sets 2 minutes
This means doing three sets of 10 repetitions with a load of 50 kg.
In other types of strength sports, the recording may look like this:
Squats with a barbell on the shoulders 120/3x5 (or 120x3x5)
This means 120 kg for three times in five approaches, the essence is the same, just the order of recording is slightly different.
In addition, in strength sports, the load may be indicated not in kilograms, but as a percentage of the maximum.
For example, like this: Squats with a barbell 80%/3x5 (or 80% x3x5)
This means using a weight of 80% of your maximum and doing five sets of three reps.
You can choose any convenient recording type for yourself. If you take ready-made program, then there should be
it is indicated how approaches and repetitions are designated, what load to use and how much rest between sets
recommended in this program.

WHAT IS A SUPERSET
Superset - performing two different exercises one after another without rest.
You do the first exercise, then immediately the second, and only then rest - this is one superset approach.
Then do the first exercise again and immediately the second - this will be the second set of the superset.
Let's look at an example
Superset for arm muscles:
Exercise No. 1 – Standing barbell curl
Exercise No. 2 – French press with a barbell lying down
Task: 4x10 Rest 2 minutes
How to do it:
First, do the Barbell Curl – 10 reps.
Then immediately without rest “French press” - 10 repetitions.
This will be the first set of the superset!
After this, rest for 2 minutes and do the next set of supersets and so on.

In fact, there is a short break between exercises in a superset while you change the machine
or take another barbell or dumbbells. It is advisable to quickly move from one exercise to another,
so that the break does not exceed 10-15 seconds.

MAXIMUM WEIGHT (ONE-REP MAX)
Maximum weight (maximum strength, one-repetition maximum) is the largest weight that can be
you can raise in this exercise for 1 repetition. In programs it may be designated as “1RM”
When people at the gym ask how much you can bench press, they usually mean how much you can bench press for one rep,
that is, they ask about yours maximum strength.
Attention– for beginners, in the first six months of training, I recommend not lifting Weight Limit
for one repetition (do not go to the maximum as athletes say). Firstly, it takes time to prepare
your ligaments and joints to maximum loads, secondly, you need to master and consolidate a clear exercise technique,
Otherwise, serious injury may occur. Take your time, develop your capabilities gradually.
To find out maximum strength, athletes do “walking”, you also need to be able to do this correctly!
You can’t immediately take and lift the maximum weight... I’ll write more about this in another article.

AND A LITTLE MORE TERMINOLOGY...
Free weights- barbells, dumbbells, weights.
Basic exercises– basic developmental exercises for a specific sport.
In bodybuilding, powerlifting and weightlifting, these are a variety of exercises with a barbell.
Additional information in the article - aka cardio training, aka aerobic training.
These are the following types of exercise: light long running, active walking, aerobics, exercise on an exercise bike,
stepper, etc. Roughly speaking, these are endurance loads of low to moderate power.
Basically, these loads are aimed at burning fat, warming up/warming up, training the heart, and developing endurance.

TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR REAL RESULTS
Friends, so that you do it right, I developed detailed programs training

Each program contains all the necessary instructions and plans for each workout.
Each program is unique - you will train with pleasure and get excellent results.

Want to know what's new on the Athletic Blog?
– and live with sports!

If you go to the gym for a specific purpose, you should adhere to an appropriate training pattern, or in simple terms, a program. And the program implies not only a set of exercises, but also how many approaches to do for mass, endurance, strength or relief, as well as how many repetitions should be in each of these approaches. Depending on what result you want to achieve, these values ​​will differ.

Why follow the rules

Sets and repetitions are an important part of training.

In order to increase the effectiveness of the training and achieve certain results, the entire training process divided into rest and work. Each muscle needs to be worked several times, giving it time to rest. Such cycling is necessary for the muscles to work as efficiently as possible.

If you just take a barbell and do the maximum number of repetitions, it will not bring much effect. Endurance and strength will increase too slowly from such an ineffective waste of the body's physical resources.

If you do, for example, 10 repetitions and move on to the next exercise, there will be no progress either. The only thing you will get is a “preventative” load on the muscles. This approach is only useful if you do exercises in the morning. The goal of this method of doing exercises is to maintain the muscular and circulatory system in a normal state and nothing more.

But the most effective option is to first load the muscle, then give it a rest, repeat this until the desired degree of depletion of its resource. The rest period should allow the muscle to restore its energy reserves for further work. However, if this interval exceeds the time after which the muscle begins to “cool down,” such a break can lead to injury.

Typically the rest lasts from 30 seconds to 4–5 minutes. We’ll tell you later how to individually choose this time for you.

Thus, sets and repetitions are needed to achieve best result from training.

The reps and sets you perform depend on your training goals and training weights accordingly. There is a completely natural logic here: the higher , the fewer repetitions you can do with it.

That's not all: the heavier the weight, the longer you need to rest before doing the next set.

Different goals - different number of repetitions

You need to understand how many sets and repetitions you need to do in different situations.

For example, a bodybuilder must know the number of repetitions for muscle growth, that is, how many repetitions to do for mass (if he is gaining weight), and how many approaches and repetitions to do for relief (if he is drying out).

The number of repetitions per set depends on what you want to get out of your training.

1. To increase strength, usually perform 2-4 repetitions per set. In this case, the weights are taken to be large, close to the maximum.
2. To gain mass, the athlete needs to perform 5-10 repetitions. The working weight will be less than when working on strength, but still quite significant. The number of repetitions per mass should not be large. Often mass and strength gains are designated as separate training sessions. Although force grows along with mass, mass does not always follow force. It happens that a small muscle volume is more effective than pumped up mountains of muscles. You can meet this in your life - it all depends on what the percentage is muscle fibers involved in work.
3. When working on relief or losing weight, it is important to burn a lot of energy from fat. A large number of repetitions with medium and light weights will allow you to do this. Do 15-20 repetitions until your muscles start to burn.

Please note again that for optimal training you need to adequately select working weights. You need to ensure that with this weight you can do exactly the planned number of repetitions. If you can't do even 1 extra repetition, that would be ideal. In practice, this rarely happens, so don’t despair.

It is also worth mentioning how many repetitions are done per mass when increasing the working weight. Everything is simple here. When switching to a new weight, first perform the minimum number of reps in the range with it (that is, 5), and then increase to the maximum (up to 10).

When to increase quantity

There are times when a person participates in competitions where the maximum number of repetitions is required (for example, in CrossFit). Here you need to train for quantity. You will have to forget about how many reps and approaches to do for mass, relief, or anything else.

So, how to increase the number of repetitions. Here are a couple of techniques:

1. First, you need to work for maximum repetitions with good rest. Naturally, in each subsequent approach you will have fewer repetitions than in the previous one.
2. The second technique is various “ladders”. For example, increasing working weight and working to the maximum in quantity. Or you can choose a specific weight and do 50 reps with it. Then increase the weight and do the same number of repetitions. One day there will come a time when your muscles will no longer be able to perform a single repetition.

Approaches

Everything is clear about repetition. But with how many approaches to do, the situation is more complicated.

A set is a continuous exercise. For example, even one repetition can be called a set. When you put the bar down, the approach is over and rest begins. Then, when you start doing the exercise again, the next approach will begin.

So, the number of approaches is also selected individually. It will be very good if you find your own minimum. That is, such a number of approaches for each exercise that will not allow you to degrade into muscularly, and even better, it will give you the opportunity to grow further.

• So, what to do to grow muscle mass: perform 3-4 approaches, not counting the warm-up ones.
• The same number of approaches should be done to lose weight. Warm-up in this case can be comprehensive for the whole body before starting the workout.
• And to increase strength, it is better to perform a couple more approaches.

As you noticed, the number of repetitions decreases, and the approaches increase.

Rest time between exercises

The standards say to rest for 45, 60, 90 seconds. But blindly following your stopwatch is stupid. Of course, from an anatomical point of view, all people are similar, and their bodies function in the same way. But every person has his own physical characteristics. This manifests itself in differences in recovery time, speed of mass gain, and strength. Thus, we are all similar, but still different.

Your task is to develop your own time limits based on the standards.

The standards are:

• To gain muscle, rest for 60–90 seconds.
• To lose weight, try to rest for a minimum amount of time.
• And when you work on strength, you can rest for three or five minutes. Be guided by your feelings. It is important to allow the muscles to recover, but to begin the next approach before they cool down.

Based on these numbers, be guided by your feelings. If after the next rest you cannot do even 2-3 repetitions, although 10 were planned, you took heavy weight or simply had very little rest.

For a beginner or an athlete after an injury

After long break or when a person first comes to work out in the gym, you need to train in an easy mode. This means not only light weights, but also a reduced number of approaches.

Beginners who come to lift iron for the first time are recommended to start with two approaches for each exercise. You can immediately do as many repetitions as required.

Experienced athletes themselves know what is best after a break, so there is no point in recommending anything to them. If you don’t have enough experience to decide on this, do two approaches in the first workout, three in the next and then according to the usual program.

By the way, in a warm state, muscles do not feel damage so well. A muscle fiber rupture will only become clear when your muscle “cools down.” Until this point, other than minor discomfort, you may not feel anything.

This phenomenon is dangerous when you decide to do several additional approaches. The muscle is torn and damaged. During training, naturally, you cannot notice this. Therefore, a fanatical race for the number of approaches is dangerous to health. Monitoring will help you protect yourself own body– if you can no longer perform 1 repetition correctly, it’s time to finish.

In other words, choose the number of approaches and repetitions based not only on your goals, but also on your physical condition and well-being.

Training method "10 sets of 10 reps" has been used in bodybuilding for years to overcome plateaus and gain lean muscle mass. The method has been used with great success by famous bodybuilders from the past, such as Vince Gironda, as well as Dave Draper and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even today, many elite trainers, such as Charles Poliquin, are proponents of this technique and use it to Olympic athletes when they need rapid increase pure muscle mass. I myself have been convinced of its effectiveness more than once. this method. He never stopped producing great results.

The 10 sets of 10 reps workout has been time-tested and proven to be the best at increasing mass by exhausting muscle fibers. To succeed in this technique, you need to choose the right exercises and weight. Rest between sets should last no more than a minute., otherwise all efforts will be simply useless.

The goal of the program is to use the same weight for all 10 sets, and perform 10 reps on each set.. You will notice that as fatigue sets in, the sets become increasingly difficult. You may not be able to complete all 10 sets of 10 reps. If this is the case, then start reducing the weight as soon as you do a set of less than ten reps. Once you've completed all 10 sets and all 10 reps of each, it's time to increase the weight.

How many exercises should you use in a 10 sets of 10 reps program? Is there a need to use other exercises if you have done 1 exercise using the “10 sets of 10 repetitions” method? It is worth including a second exercise for large muscle groups, but it should be more of an isolation exercise, and be performed with 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Training program “10 sets of 10 reps”

Superset

• Barbell squats 10 sets of 10 reps (no rest)
• Leg curls 10 sets of 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset

• Leg extension 3 sets of 10-12 reps (no rest)
• Deadlift on straight legs 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Standing calf raises 10 sets of 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Barbell rows to the chin 10 sets of 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Bent-over dumbbell flyes 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset

• Barbell curls 10 sets of 10 reps (no rest)
• Dips 10 sets of 10 reps (1 minute rest)

NOTE: When starting a superset, you perform 10 reps on the first exercise, then immediately, without rest, perform 10 reps on the second exercise. Now rest for 1 minute. This counts as 1 approach. Once you complete all 10 sets, move on to the next superset.

• WORKOUT #1 - Monday and Thursday
• WORKOUT #2 - Tuesday and Friday
• WORKOUT #3 - Wednesday and Saturday

However, this training frequency is best suited for endomorphs, people with slow metabolisms and a faster recovery process.

Mesomorphs (people who naturally have lean muscle mass and a low percentage subcutaneous fat) should be done this program in the following way:

• WORKOUT #1 - day 1
• Rest - day 2
• WORKOUT #2 - day 3
• Rest - day 4
• WORKOUT #3 - day 5
• start the cycle again with WORKOUT #1 - day 6

In this sequence, each muscle group is pumped once every 5 days. This program also provides good recovery for those of you who work or study a lot and cannot afford to be in the gym 6 days a week.

For ectomorphs and hard gainers (people with fast metabolisms who have difficulty gaining muscle mass), it is best to train every other day. If it is not possible to train on weekends, then you should stick to the classic 3-day option - training on even or odd days of the week.

When to change

Once you've completed each workout 6 times, it's time to make some changes. Namely: start using heavier weights and fewer sets. The “5 sets of 5 reps” program is perfect.

Remember, to get the most out of this program, you must eat well! Training provides the spark for muscle growth, while food provides us with the raw materials needed to achieve results. The most interesting and useful materials with fundamental information about nutrition:

Rest and recovery

remember, that muscle mass grows only when you rest, and not when you are in the gym. So make sure you get your 8 hours or at least 7 hours of sleep and make up for the lost hours by sleeping in on the weekends. By ignoring your rest needs, you condemn yourself to chronically low energy levels and contribute to a hormonal environment that increases the hormone cortisol (breaks down muscle) and decreases testosterone (produces muscle).

For getting additional information For information on how much sleep you need, what steps to take to ensure a good night's sleep and illnesses caused by sleep disorders, take a look at the following articles:

If you are ready to change your training routine, give this program a chance and as long as your nutrition, supplements and rest are in order, it will not let you down and will give you what you are looking for.

This is not a very common misconception, but nevertheless, I want to discuss it.

This is partly true and therefore there is a trap waiting for beginners here.

The fact is that 20 times per approach is effective only if the athlete gives his all for this one approach, but does not cross the line of overtraining.

And this fine line is very difficult to grasp.

If you don’t train enough, the effectiveness of the exercise decreases sharply and you can consider that the training was wasted.

If you overtrain a little, then your caring comrades will simply carry you out of the gym, pale, exhausted, exhausted and vomiting.

Adherents (fans) of squats 20 times per approach place buckets throughout the gym so that they don’t have to run far when they want to puke from overtraining after a set. And it's not a joke.

Therefore, I do not advise any novice athletes to try this recommendation on themselves. There is a 99% chance you will develop a strong aversion to squats and deadlifts.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that one of the now “fashionable” guru of amateur bodybuilding, Stuart McRobert (author of the books “Think!”, “Think-2”, “Hands of Titan”, etc.) especially actively insists on these 20 reps of squats and deadlifts. .), whose books have been actively distributed throughout Russia over the past 8-10 years.

I suggest we take a closer look at McRobert himself and think about whether we can trust his advice.

Who is this “fashionable” guru, and what can he do? What results did he achieve?

Let's look into this issue because it is quite important. Agree, it is stupid to read a book, for example, on the craft of a bricklayer, written by a person who does not know how to lay a brick wall of a garage.

Fortunately, the book “Think!” provides better results Stuart McRobert. They are. Bench press – 120kg, squat – 160kg and deadlift– 200kg. In total this gives 120 + 160 + 200 = 480kg.

Unfortunately, it is not indicated in the book own weight Stewart, but we can roughly estimate it ourselves.

He writes that he is 175 cm tall and using his method he has gained 25 kg of muscle. Thus, even if initially, with his height of 175 cm, he was a skinny 60-kilogram dystrophic person, then having gained 25 kg of muscle, he reached a mass of 60 + 25 = 85 kg. And most likely 90-95kg. But let's stop at a minimum of 85 kg.

So, what does all this mean and why all these calculations and assumptions?.. This is necessary in order to move the conversation to the more familiar plane of sports categories and titles. These, of course, are purely our, Russian standards, but let's look at Stewart's results from this side. At least out of interest.

Below I provide a table of powerlifting standards for men (the sum of three exercises is indicated).

Hi all. Welcome to the blog without lies and falsehood, bodybuilding in its purest form. In today's episode, we'll talk about how many sets to do in bodybuilding exercises. The topic itself is very important, because it comes first in any training complex.

Before we begin to delve into this issue, I would like to tell you for the youngest inhabitants gym, what exactly is the approach? (and the difference between approach and repetition, just in case).

And so, repetitions are when you start doing the exercises and count how many times you perform the movement. And an approach (aka a series, a shortened set) is when you have completed the required number of repetitions and finished the movement (well, for example, you did 10 biceps curls and lowered them), this is 1 approach (series), this means that you did 1 set of 10 reps.

If you rest for 1 minute and do it all over again (i.e. do 10 reps and lower the bar), that will be set 2. Those. you have already made 2 trips. Do you understand?

I hope I explained it clearly, now let’s move on to another question: how many approaches should you perform per workout, how many approaches should you do for each muscle group in order to have maximum benefit in the form of muscle growth?

The questions are very confusing, there is misinformation everywhere... one says that 1-2 sets to failure will be enough, another says 5-6 are needed, the third is making up something else... Everyone has their own opinion, and who is right, where the hell come on, the truth?

There are athletes for whom 1-2 approaches are enough, while for others even 5 approaches will not be enough.

This whole thing depends on:

• genetics
• psyche

I'll explain why this is so. For some athletes, it’s easier psychologically to tune in and perform one high-quality approach, instead of 5, well, let’s say, haphazardly. I usually notice this among advanced athletes, because beginners are not capable of such a return.

Warm-up approaches

In any case, you will have to perform warm-up approaches, of course, if you do not want to get injured and say goodbye to a long time. Our muscles and ligaments need to be warmed up before heavy exercise in the gym.

Moreover, warm-up sets prepare your psyche for maximum training.

So, no matter what anyone tells you, tough fighters don’t warm up, etc. This is a misconception; any athlete warms up when working with huge weights.

Personally, I performed both the maximum and minimum number of approaches, after which I decided to settle on the golden middle.

The golden mean: this is 3-4 working approaches, after 2-3 warm-ups in the first exercise (quite enough). Let's see what it looks like in practice on a flat bench press.

Let's say your working weight is 80 kg X 8 repetitions.

So the golden mean looks like this:

• Warm-up with an empty bar (20kg) is mandatory (we always start with an empty bar)
• 40kgX12 – warm-up
• 60kgX10 - 2nd approach warm-up again
• 70kgX8 - 3rd approach (introductory warm-up)
• 80kgХ6-12 — 1st worker
• 80kgХ6-12 — 2nd worker
• 80kg X 6-12 3rd worker

We do warm-up approaches with light weights and a high number of repetitions.

This is done in order to prepare your muscles for the maximum working weights in the exercise.

After which comes the introductory approach, and finally the working approach, which is also the most important.

As a rule, when the athlete is still fresh, it is in this first approach that one should try to regularly increase the working weights (progress the load).

You can read more about the progression of the load in the main articles:

• (here at the very beginning it is described step by step and explained how to use safe methods of progression, i.e. increasing weights and repetitions, this is a must read).
• (here again we talk about these same safe methods, but also about an unsafe method of load progression, for professionals).
• (here it is explained in principle why progression is needed, how to carry it out, etc., but not as detailed as in the first and second articles).

The second working approach stimulates muscle development, it is also strength-based, the only thing is that most likely you will not be able to do the same number of repetitions as in the first, because your muscles are already tired.

And finally, the 3rd working approach: here it is more than likely that you will do even fewer repetitions than in the previous (2nd) one.

I think that in the following exercises on the same chest, there is no need to warm up.

Because our muscles are already warmed up and even more than tired.

But, if you feel that it is necessary (just in case, so to speak), then one will be enough.

For example: if your 2nd exercise according to the plan is incline bench press, your maximum is 80kgX8 then:

• 60kgX6-8 – warm-up
• 80kgХ6-12- 1st worker
• 80kgХ6-12 — 2nd worker
• 80kgХ6-12 – 3rd worker

Why are several working approaches performed?

A novice athlete will not be able to achieve 100% returns from one approach to an exercise.

Moreover, even more advanced athletes will not be able to do this.

Because you still feel your muscles very poorly, you simply cannot make them work as they should. This is why you have a chance in several approaches, unlike just one.

Only professional bodybuilders are capable of such output, but even they never perform so few approaches, because they often train according to highly intense schemes (the so-called).

This training method is very useful (golden mean). Perhaps someday in the future you will discover the maximum effective complex strength exercises.

But not now, that time has not yet come. All successful athletes who are now into a limited number of approaches (and there are very few of them) or those who use a huge number of approaches started with simple methods training. You can’t just jump in over your head. Start small and achieve big things.