
build more muscle mass even quicker
Is it better to do 3 or 5 sets?
The debate has raged for years, which option is the best? High set or low set?
The decision could help you progress faster or cause you to grow slower.
Mike Mentzer might have made his point about needing recovery time especially for the average fitness person.But was he right about the low set approach he suggested.
Your pro bodybuilders of the 60s & 70s went with the high set approach grinding it out week after week. And those guys had thick quality muscle conditioning. Along with super strength and many were also cardio super heros too.Such as Arnolds side-kick Franco Columbo. That guy was a super hero with the capacity for strength and cardio even being able to blow up water bottles with his bare hands! Wow!
Is doing 5 sets too much?
The choice is after all yours to make and all depends on your personal fitness goals, it is important to take your age into consideration. And you need to make sure that your dietary needs are catered for. It is important to make sure that you are recovering from your workouts and that you are getting stronger and better conditioned over time with your training.
Benefits of 5 sets per exercise
Using 5 sets per exercise in bodybuilding can offer several benefits, particularly for those looking to maximize muscle growth and strength. Here are some key advantages:
1. Increased Volume
Higher training volume can lead to greater muscle hypertrophy. By doing 5 sets, you increase the total work done per muscle group, which can promote muscle growth.
2. Enhanced Muscle Endurance
Performing more sets can improve muscle endurance, allowing you to lift heavier weights for longer periods.
3. Better Technique and Form
With more sets, you have the opportunity to practice and refine your technique, ensuring you perform each exercise with proper form and reducing the risk of injury.
4. Progressive Overload
5 sets allow for progressive overload, a key principle in muscle building. By gradually increasing the weight or reps, you continually challenge your muscles to grow stronger.
5. Targeted Muscle Activation
More sets enable you to target specific muscle groups more effectively, ensuring that you’re working each muscle to its full potential.
6. Variety in Training
You can incorporate different variations of an exercise within the 5 sets, keeping your workouts diverse and preventing plateaus.
7. Increased Caloric Burn
Higher volume workouts can increase the number of calories burned during and after your workout, contributing to fat loss and lean muscle gain.
8. Mental Toughness
Enduring through 5 sets can help build mental resilience and discipline, which are crucial for long-term fitness success.
Incorporating 5 sets per exercise can be an effective strategy for bodybuilders aiming to enhance their results. Have you tried using this approach in your workouts?
10 facts in support of 5 bodybuilding sets per exercise: Some people favour one or the other, but whatever the preference here are some cool solid facts for high sets.
- You need to do at least 5 sets to have the right volume of training to fully stimulate all your muscle fibres. More than 5 sets and your risk over-training.
- 5 sets per exercise which is a total of 15 sets per body part. Gives you the right amount of exercises to work all the areas of a body part. Upper and lower back, outside sweep of the lats
- The maximum amount of weight you can handle for all five sets stimulates the muscles and makes them grow.
- Five sets also turn your workout into a fat burning workout and a muscle building workout all in one. Giving you the fitness edge to get you into great shape.
- Five sets give your body a fitness conditioning experience that low set workouts can’t match.
- The best bodybuilder in the world Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as (in my opinion) the greatest most aesthetic bodybuilders from the early years of bodybuilding all followed 5 sets per exercise. They were also the bodybuilders with the best symmetry and most amazing strength to ever grace the bodybuilding scene.
- From study results those who followed 5 sets per exercise gained more strength, endurance, and muscle than other groups which did 1-3 sets.
- Hypertrophy occurs when there is progressive overload of your muscles over time. Five sets give you the edge that is just the right volume to exert your muscles and push you to progress to overload your workout.
- The reality check- When considering 5 sets per exercise you need to also be aware of this fact: Diet is the key- You still need to make sure that your diet is on track, and you are getting the optimal nutrients and enough protein to be able to cope with training 5 sets per exercise.
- Any workout you do could easily become an overtraining issue if you do not get serious with your diet. And make sure that it compliments your workouts.
Advice: Even though This article advises 5 sets per exercise, always make sure you get the advice of a trained doctor before starting exercise & if you choose to do 5 sets use your own planning to build up to 5 sets over a period of time if necessary.
Whatever routine and sets you choose from make sure you are making progress and if your not then change the routine you are following.
My Recommended fitness book read- Encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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