Strength Training: How Many Exercises and Sets Do I Perform?

There is a way around this: to use compound multi-joint movements; as these offer the most beneficial muscle stimulation needed for lean muscle growth and metabolism improvement in the shortest period of time. In other words, we can train many muscles simultaneously and use our energy more efficiently.

Compound exercises are much more functional and superior to isolation exercises and promote natural movement of your joints. Heavier loads can also be lifted using these exercises. Some benefits are:

* More functional
* Higher muscle activation
* Higher hormonal release
* Less stress on joints; better reduction of injury
* Examples of compound multi-joint movements include dips, squats, bench press, and chin-ups
* Performing 3-4 exercises with high intensity during a high intensity strength-training workout are what most people are capable of .

All the main muscle groups are thoroughly exercised with these exercises and they have an overall growth effect on the body as a whole. This is a total body workout.

After rest and recuperation is allowed to take place, at the next exercise session if you can push out a few more reps then you will have become stronger. This will create more muscle growth. You’ll have more lean muscle and a higher metabolism.

It only takes one of these workouts to target the entire major support muscles of the body. Exercises should be chosen from the more complex and challenging to the less complex and challenging. Remember, as you get stronger in your upper body exercises (dips, Bench Press and Lat Pull downs), you will also add size to your shoulders as well as to your upper arms.

There is no need to train the arms and shoulders with isolation exercises.

Did you know that current research shows that performing one set per exercise is as beneficial as multiple set workouts? If you think that volume training (multiple sets) is more effective then you may have been misinformed.

The latest research shows that single set training may be as beneficial as multiple set training. By performing only one set, you can decrease the chances of over training as well as save valuable energy for other exercises completed during that particular workout.

So all you need to do is ONE SET only of each strength training exercise. This is accomplished by performing as many repetitions as you possibly can. This is controversial, but single sets are just as effective as multiple sets in increasing strength, muscle size and power.

After performing one complete set to total failure, it should be just about impossible to generate the same force and intensity for another complete set of the same exercise. If you’re able to generate the same force and intensity for this second set then it is pretty obvious that not enough effort has been put into the 1st set.

If you give each set per exercise 100% effort (for example you cannot move the bar after the last rep) then there will be no more requirement for further muscle stimulation on that specific exercise.

Multiple sets can be used in the following circumstances.

. The initial stages of learning a new exercise.

. During rehabilitation

When it comes to gains in strength, remember it is the intensity that is important, not the volume. One warm up set of 50% of maximal weight can be done for 5-10 repetitions to oil the joints for the big work set that is to follow. After completing a set, and when your breathing has returned to normal proceed to the next exercise. There is no time limit here: just what you feel comfortable with, be it 3 or 5 minutes, etc.

Looking for explosion? Intensity is more important than habitual repetition.