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Sets and Reps
Adding on to the last article about training splits, I want to give a specific breakdown of how to structure the way you do your workouts once you have a solid split that works for you. For starters, just like the workout split that you have come up with that best suits you, you also need to figure out the correct sets and reps that would help you achieve your desired goal.
Most people have the misconception that if you begin to lift weights, you will become bulky because you are starting a resistance training program. While that is not completely wrong, it tells of the different ways that you can structure a workout and how it will affect you. Most people who want to be lean to compete in a sport or activity will look to have a leaner physique. A lean physique is ideal for an athlete in a very high-intensity sport involving flexibility, agility, a lot of starting and stopping, and quick spurts of power or speed.
The best way to train for a lean physique would be doing a high volume of sets and reps with non-maximal weight. An example would be doing bench press for 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps at a weight of 50%-70% of your max weight with 30-45 seconds of rest between sets. Calisthenics is also another subcategory of training that aligns very much with lean muscle because it incorporates only using body weight as the only form of resistance. Most calisthenics movements and workouts will be done with high reps and high sets and around the same amount of time of rest of 30-45 seconds.
The other side of weight training is lifting for power and strength. Lifting for strength and power involves lifting heavier weights. Lifting heavier weights will result in a fuller or bulkier physique. Training in power or strength will deter you from doing fewer reps and sets. If you are going for a max lift, you will probably only be doing 1-2 reps a set because of the difficulty. If you are training up to your max weight, then you may do anywhere from 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps while lifting 80%-90% of your max lift on days that you aren't lifting for your max.
The reason for this would be you are exerting more energy to lift the heavy weight and will only be able to do a limited number of reps because of the intensity of the workout. The rest periods also change when it comes to lifting for strength and power because it takes the body longer to recover. This means that rest between sets could range from 2-5 minutes.
In next week's article, I will talk about how to structure your workouts inside your training plan.
