specialk12 said:
how many sets would be good for each body part..I don't need the reps, just sets. ON AVERAGE how many sets should I do??
Chest-???
Triceps-???
Biceps-???
quads-???
calvs-???
back-??
hamstrings-???
thanks
i think that between 2-3 sets.
about the repetitions there are 3 groups:
5 repetitions or less:
In weight training, one adage has stood the test of time: To get big, you have to get strong. Taking that to an extreme, many lifters adopt a powerlifting approach, coupling very heavy weights with low reps. Take a look around your gym, and you're likely to find an aspiring bodybuilder or two struggling through sets of squats or bench presses with weights at or near their one-rep maxes.
This method is a sure strength builder, and if you take a close look at any successful powerlifter, you'll notice the added mass in his frame. However, low-rep training has one significant shortcoming: Muscle-fiber stimulation, and thus growth, is correlated closely to the amount of time a muscle is under tension. Short, intense sets of 15 seconds or less will develop strength, but they simply aren't as effective in prodding a muscle to grow as sets of 30 to 60 seconds.
8-12 repetitions
The time-under-tension theory leads us to our third suspect: eight- to 12-rep sets. At a cadence of two seconds on the concentric (lifting) action and two seconds on the eccentric (lowering) movement, your set will end up smack dab in the middle of the optimum 30- to 60-second range.
Why is that range critical? Because when the set lasts longer than a few seconds, the body is forced to rely on the glycolytic-energy system, which leads to the formation of lactic acid. You may think of lactic acid as a bad thing, since it's mistakenly associated with the muscle ache you feel days after a workout, but that soreness is actually a very fleeting reaction that's vital to new muscle-tissue production.
When lactic acid, or lactate, pools in large amounts, it induces a surge in anabolic-hormone levels within the body, including the ultrapotent growth hormone and the big daddy of muscle-building, testosterone. These circulating hormones create a highly anabolic state within the body and if you're after more muscle, that's exactly the state you want to be in.
The increased time under tension also leads to more muscle damage, imperative if you plan on getting larger any time soon. Theoretically, the longer a muscle is contracted, the greater the potential for damage to the tissue.
The moderate-rep range, when coupled with a challenging weight, will also bring about a much-desired condition: the muscle pump. That tight, full feeling under the skin, caused by blood pooling in the muscle, has value beyond its ego-expanding qualities. Studies have demonstrated that the physiological conditions which lead to a pump activate protein synthesis and limit protein breakdown. Thus, more of the protein you eat goes toward muscle construction instead of being burned off for energy. In a scientific twist of good fortune, the fast-twitch fibers appear to be the biggest beneficiaries of this phenomenon.
more then 15 repetitions
If you've ever tried a set of 15 or more reps, you know it can be difficult. If you're unaccustomed to training in this zone, you'll find your muscles fatigue quickly, and 40 pounds starts to feel more like 100 by the final rep.
Sets that stretch past 15 reps, though, have one major drawback: The amount of weight you can handle isn't heavy enough to recruit fast-twitch type-2 muscle fibers. So what, you ask? Simply put, type-2 fibers are where the potential for growth resides, and they respond only to heavy weights at least 75 percent of your one-rep max.
High-rep training is, however, an excellent means of increasing muscular endurance. If you're after sports-specific adaptations such as a throwing arm for softball that can hold out for more than half an inning or legs that will carry you to the finish line of a marathon high reps can help. But if size is paramount, high reps won't get it done, especially if the preponderance of your training lies in this zone.
JUST REMEMBER THAT THIS IS YOUR CALL AND IT DEPENDS ON YOUR GOAL!!!!
