Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

208 Elite Physique
for short periods given the empirical evidence from bodybuilders. More total sets
per week per muscle group will also add variety to your training.
The number of sets is most often inversely related to repetitions, with 2 sets
being the minimum per muscle group per workout for hypertrophy (Krieger
2010). Put another way, 2 sets of 30 repetitions is effective for muscle growth if
the sets are taken to momentary muscular failure, while 2 sets of 3 repetitions is
not sufficient. From a practical standpoint, lower repetitions with heavy loads
(e.g., 3-5 repetitions with 85 percent of 1RM) work well for the core of your fullbody
circuit. Sets of 30 repetitions serve as an intense finisher for lagging muscle
What Exercises and Programs Are Best
for Your Experience Level?
Many fitness experts classify lifters as beginner, intermediate, or advanced. And if
there are beginner and advanced lifters, there must also be exercises and programs
that are appropriate for one but not the other. For example, some say beginners
should perform more repetitions per set because they have a harder time recruiting
motor units.
After 25 years in this industry, I’ve realized those terms are too arbitrary, and it
makes little sense to design programs around them. In my experience, 3 to 5 repetitions
per set is optimal for building maximal strength, regardless of the person’s
experience. And 6 to 12 repetitions work well to stimulate hypertrophy for virtually
anyone.
One seemingly logical difference between the two is the number of sets per exercise.
Beginners can often do more sets and still manage fatigue because it’s harder
for them to recruit the largest motor units. An inexperienced lifter might need four or
five sets to reach the same level of fatigue an advanced lifter could achieve with two
or three. If that experienced lifter knows they’re doing five sets, they’ll strategically
manage their fatigue by holding back on the first few and pushing themselves on
the final ones. Thus, it probably makes more sense to designate those opening sets
as warm-ups, with the goal of conserving the advanced lifter’s strength for maximal
efforts on the others.
Another genuine difference is that beginners quickly increase their muscular
fitness in their first few months of training. They can often add repetitions or load
to every set of every exercise from one workout to the next. Meanwhile, the most
experienced trainees have to fight for every additional rep or plate.
But that doesn’t necessarily change things from a programming perspective. It
just means the least experienced lifters can increase their load or repetitions faster
than the most experienced. To me, the primary differences between beginner and
advanced programs come down to two factors:
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The technical skill required for a given movement. For example, a one-leg deadlift
is usually much more difficult for a beginner than an advanced lifter.
The speed of movement. Most trainees can jump or do a push-up, but jump
squats and clap push-ups are best reserved for advanced athletes.
This goes back to the movement progression covered in chapter 3: First develop
movement competence, then build strength, then build power. If an exercise requires
relatively high skill or speed, save it for the later stages of a program. But if it’s a
more basic movement for strength or hypertrophy, you can use it at any and every
stage. The exercise may look the same from the outside. What changes is the training
effect the individual lifter derives from it, based on motor unit recruitment, the
amount of tension on the muscles, and the accumulated level of fatigue.