One of the most confusing aspects of weight training is figuring out how many reps and sets you should be doing for each exercise.

In general, ectomorphs (skinny guys) can’t do the same number of reps and sets as muscle heads and still gain muscle.

Nor, should they be doing the same number of reps or sets as people whose goal is fat loss.

General Rep Guidelines

1. Never use a weight that you can lift more than 10-12 times.
2. Rep speed should be slow, allowing for a slow and steady  muscle contraction.
3. Isolate the muscle and don’t compensate with other muscle groups (swinging)
4. Increase weight by 5 pound or 2.5 kg increments.
5. Don’t overwork the muscle, muscle needs to be stimulated not destroyed.

Sets

I’ve learned to do multi-variations of exercises instead of just 3-4 sets of the same exercise. For example; instead of 3 sets of curls, I do 1 set of dumbbell curls, 1 set of pull ups, 1 set of isolated curls on the machine. Each works the bicep and surrounding muscles in a slightly different way causing overall increased stimulation.

Once you unlock the key on how to stimulate your muscles for growth instead of just burning calories, there will be no stopping you.

Related Video

This video from the Vince DelMonte workout series discuses how to determine the right number of each one and maximize your results.

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