At our group physio sessions, we often get asked ‘how many of these am I meant to do? 3 sets of 10?’. The short answer is... it depends.
How a resistance training program looks, depends on the goal. But fundamentally, there should be a balance between the resistance or degree of difficulty and the number of repetitions.
A useful concept is the RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion. It is a 0-10 scale rating how challenging you find a particular exercise. 0 is complete rest, and 10 is working at your absolute maximum intensity. This helps you to modify your training to account for day-to-day fluctuations in your performance (for example, due to fatigue).
What are ‘sets’ and ‘reps’?
Reps refers to repetitions, how many times you repeat the movement of the exercise
Sets refers to doing multiple rounds of a certain number of reps of an exercise per session
Eg: 3 sets of 10 reps. Means repeating the exercise 10 times in a row, resting briefly, doing a second round of 10 reps; having another rest, then doing a third round of 10 reps. Ensure to rest for at least 30-60 seconds between sets.
When working on strength, you should work to around 8-9 RPE. Resistance should be enough to reach fatigue at around 6 reps per set. You should feel as if you can only do 1-2 more reps. 3-5 sets per session.
When working on building muscle size, you should work to around 7-8 RPE. Resistance should be enough to reach fatigue at around 8-12 reps per set. You should feel as if you can only do 2-3 more reps. 3-5 sets per session.
If you can do 12+ reps per set, then you are likely working more on muscular endurance than strength or muscle growth. It is important to gradually increase the difficulty or resistance over time, to ensure continued progress. This is called progressive overload.
It is important to bear in mind that you may need to modify your training when recovering from pain or injury, after a break, or if you are new to resistance training. Ensure you have adequate recovery between sessions (48 hours) and sufficient rest and nutrition for best effect. Guiding you through all these specifics for you and your situation is the special skill we have Physiotherapists!
For further advice on resistance training or a tailored gym program, book in to see one of our OHL Physios by calling 9431 5955 and/or booking online via our Client Portal.
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