Stop Doing “3 Sets of 12” To Build Muscle (DO THIS INSTEAD!)

Summary

Jeff and Jesse discuss the debate on workout sets and reps, referencing Mike Mentzer's philosophy of one set to failure. Jeff explains that while this high-intensity approach can be effective for muscle hypertrophy, it's not suitable for building strength, endurance, or athletic performance. Emphasizing the importance of individual goals and effort, they argue for starting with minimal effective volume and adjusting based on results. The conversation also highlights the significance of effort, intensity, and proper technique over merely following set rep schemes for optimal growth and performance.

Takeaways

• 💪 Doing a second set is neither necessary nor desirable according to Mike Mentzer.
• 🛑 One set taken to failure can be sufficient for muscle growth.
• 📈 The goal of training should be considered: building muscle, gaining strength, improving endurance, or athletic performance.
• 🔄 Mike Mentzer's approach involves high intensity and reaching true failure in one set.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Beginners need to learn coordination and fundamentals before attempting high intensity, one-set training.
• 🔬 Minimal effective volume can be a more effective strategy than maximal tolerable volume for natural lifters.
• 📉 Starting with fewer sets allows for easier adjustment and monitoring of progress.
• 📊 Effort level and intensity are more important than specific set and rep counts for muscle growth.
• 📚 Current science suggests a broader range of reps (even up to 25-30) can be effective for hypertrophy if effort is maximized.
• 🔁 The importance of performing repetitions with high effort, especially focusing on the stretch position for hypertrophy.

Q & A

Who is the person mentioned in the video advocating for one set to failure?

Mike Mentzer.

What is the main argument presented by Mike Mentzer regarding doing a second set?

Mike Mentzer argues that doing a second set is neither necessary nor desirable because it would make a deeper inroad into recovery ability, negating any potential growth stimulation.

What is Jeff's position on doing multiple sets for muscle growth?

Jeff believes that doing one set to failure, as Mike Mentzer suggests, might not be sufficient for everyone, especially those pursuing strength, endurance, or athletic performance, and that the number of sets should depend on the individual's goals and effort.

Why does Jeff believe one set is not enough for building strength or improving endurance?

Jeff argues that building strength, improving endurance, and becoming a better athlete require more repetitions and practice, which cannot be achieved with just one set.

According to the video, what should be the main goal of a workout?

The main goal of a workout should be to stimulate muscle growth, not just to accumulate volume or achieve a pump.

How does Jeff suggest determining the appropriate number of sets for an individual?

Jeff suggests starting with a low number of sets and putting forth maximum effort to reach failure, then monitoring results and adjusting the number of sets upwards if necessary.

What does Jeff say about the importance of effort in training?

Jeff emphasizes that the effort level, particularly reaching failure, is crucial in creating the stimulus for muscle growth, and it's more important than the specific number of sets or repetitions.

How does Jeff differentiate between maximal tolerable volume and minimal effective volume?

Maximal tolerable volume is the highest amount of workload one can handle and still make gains, while minimal effective volume is the smallest amount of stimulus needed to start seeing progress.

What is the role of steroids in the context of training volume and recovery?

Steroids can give the illusion of having infinite recovery ability, allowing for higher training volumes. For natural lifters, there is a finite amount of recovery, making it important to find the minimal effective volume.

What does Jeff recommend regarding the repetition range for hypertrophy?

Jeff states that hypertrophy can be achieved within a broad range of repetitions, from 6 to 30, as long as the effort is maximal and reaches failure.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Understanding the Value of One Set Training

Jeff and Jesse discuss the concept of doing only one set to failure for building muscle, as advocated by Mike Mentzer. They explore the suitability of this method depending on different fitness goals like strength, endurance, and athletic performance. Jeff emphasizes the importance of goal-setting and explains that one set is not sufficient for goals beyond muscle hypertrophy. They stress the need for high effort and reaching true failure to make the one-set approach effective, especially for natural lifters who need to manage their recovery capabilities.

05:01

📊 Determining the Optimal Number of Sets

Jeff and Jesse discuss how to determine the right number of sets for muscle growth. Jeff suggests starting with fewer sets and increasing if needed, as it's easier to track progress and adjust. They talk about the inefficiency of starting with too many sets and the difficulties in determining whether to increase or decrease volume. They also introduce the importance of effort and intensity in training, emphasizing the need for a scientific approach to find the minimal effective volume.

10:01

🔢 The Role of Repetitions and Effort in Training

Jeff and Jesse shift their focus to repetitions, noting that recent science has shown a broader range of effective rep counts for hypertrophy than previously thought. They highlight the necessity of high effort, regardless of rep range, to achieve muscle growth. Jeff discusses the importance of the stretch position in exercises for hypertrophy and cautions against focusing solely on stretch-based exercises. The key takeaway is that effort and intensity are crucial, and the right amount of reps should be guided by the effort level.

🏋️ Effort Over Sets and Reps for Effective Training

Jeff explains that the effort level should guide the number of sets and reps in a workout, not the other way around. He criticizes the common practice of letting sets and reps dictate effort, arguing that it's more effective to focus on high-intensity effort and adjust volume accordingly. Jeff reiterates the importance of starting with fewer sets and increasing as needed. He concludes with a clip from Mike Mentzer emphasizing that the intensity of effort is the most important factor for optimal results.

Keywords

💡Sets

A 'set' in weight training refers to a group of repetitions performed sequentially without rest. The video discusses the debate on the optimal number of sets for muscle growth, referencing Mike Mentzer's advocacy for a single high-intensity set versus multiple sets.

💡Reps

Short for 'repetitions,' reps are the number of times an exercise is performed in a row within a set. The video explores how the number of reps, combined with the intensity of effort, impacts muscle hypertrophy and strength training.

💡Intensity of Effort

This refers to the level of exertion put into each set or rep. High intensity is emphasized as crucial for muscle growth, with the video quoting Mike Mentzer on the importance of maximal effort to failure in each set.

💡Failure

Training to 'failure' means performing reps until you can no longer complete a repetition with good form. The video highlights the importance of reaching failure to stimulate muscle growth, as advocated by Mike Mentzer.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle size achieved through exercise. The video discusses different training methods and their effectiveness in promoting hypertrophy, focusing on the role of intensity and volume.

💡Volume

In weight training, 'volume' refers to the total amount of weight lifted, often calculated as sets times reps times weight. The video contrasts the concepts of minimal effective volume versus maximal tolerable volume for muscle growth.

💡Minimal Effective Dose

This concept involves finding the least amount of exercise needed to achieve desired results. The video discusses how starting with a lower volume and gradually increasing can be a strategic approach to muscle growth.

💡Recovery

Recovery refers to the process of muscles repairing and growing stronger after exercise. The video mentions that insufficient recovery can negate the benefits of additional sets, a key point in Mentzer's training philosophy.

💡Stretch Position

The stretch position is the part of an exercise where the muscle is elongated. The video talks about the importance of this position for hypertrophy, as it combines muscle tension with additional load.

💡Steroids

Steroids are performance-enhancing drugs that can artificially increase muscle growth and recovery. The video contrasts the training capacity of natural lifters with those who use steroids, emphasizing realistic expectations for natural trainees.

Highlights

Doing a second set is neither necessary nor desirable; it would be the biggest mistake you could make.

Mike Mentzer advocated for one set all out to failure, emphasizing maximum effort.

Different goals require different training methods; one set to failure is not suitable for strength, endurance, or athletic performance.

The importance of defining your goal before choosing a training method.

Mike Mentzer's high-intensity training involves going beyond failure to maximize effort.

Starting with a minimal effective volume is suggested, especially for natural lifters.

Beginners should focus on learning movement coordination and fundamentals before attempting high-intensity training.

Determining the right number of sets involves starting low and monitoring results, then increasing if needed.

Repetitions for hypertrophy can be effective across a broad range, not limited to 8-12 reps.

Effort is crucial, regardless of the repetition range used for hypertrophy.

High effort and intensity are key to stimulating muscle growth, not just the number of sets or reps.

Effort should be the guiding factor in training, not sets and reps.

Avoid letting predefined sets and reps dictate your effort level.

Effort-based training helps eliminate guesswork and ensures sufficient stimulus for growth.

Mike Mentzer emphasized that intensity of effort is the most important factor for optimal results.

Transcripts

[Video clip] Doing a second set is neither  necessary nor desirable. In fact, it would be the  

biggest mistake you could make. [End clip] (Jeff) Well, damn, I'm guilty of at  

least two sets. (Jesse) Me too.  

(Jeff) All right, so let's talk about sets  and reps today. Because I think there is a  

lot that we need to learn. And that for you  who don't know, that's Mike Mentzer, and he  

was a proponent of one set all out to failure and  that was your workout. Like that was it. You did  

one set, you did a couple warm up sets, you did  one working set. Is there any value to that for  

you specifically? Because if there is, then  I think maybe are we all screwing it up?  

(Jesse) I hope not. (Jeff) Are we doing too many sets  

and reps? All right, well let's talk about it. So,  first of all, you got to ask yourself what is your  

goal. Because it has to all start from a goal.  And most people have a goal of building muscle.  

I'd say that's predominantly why a lot of people  want to lift weights, right? But there are others  

that are pursuing strength with a priority, or  they're athletes trying to improve performance,  

right? Or they're trying to improve  endurance. In all of those cases,  

none of these would be the proper recommendation  for me for doing Mike Mentzer style training.  

(Jesse) Right. (Jeff) One set is  

not going to cut it when you're trying to build  strength, when you're trying to improve endurance,  

when you're trying to become a better athlete.  You need more repetitions, you need more practice,  

you need more fine tuning of the mechanics of  what you're doing. So that's not who this is for.  

However, again, most of us are sitting here trying  to improve our muscle size and hypertrophy. Now I  

want to go back to that clip, and I want you to  listen very carefully. You heard the first seven  

seconds of it. Listen very carefully to what Mike  says in the next 20 seconds, it's just 27 seconds  

long. All right. Let me play this clip for you  again. Listen very carefully to what he says.  

[Video clip] Doing a second set is neither  necessary nor desirable. In fact, it would be  

the biggest mistake you can make. Because insofar  that you train at all, you make an inroad. Well,  

some people might say, might say, well, Mike, if I  do a second set, maybe I'll get a little bit more  

growth stimulation. But then I point out whatever  little bit extra growth stimulation, you made a  

doubly deeper recovery ability, so that negates  any greater growth stimulation. [End clip]  

(Jeff) So where does that leave you? Well,  I think there's a lot of merit to that. See,  

when Mike trained, he was advocating extremely  high intensity efforts. The reason why you  

could do one set in heavy-duty style training  was because the effort level was something of  

which you really don't ever put forth in any other  workout. It's high, high, high effort. The highest  

effort you could, you could exert. (Jesse) Balls out you would say?  

(Jeff) Balls out. Absolutely. You know, and  then some. And basically, making sure that  

you're reaching failure for sure, and sometimes  even beyond failure by having a pre-exhaust  

exercise right into a compound and going all the  way to failure. Okay. So, what does that do? Well,  

it forces us to have to ask a question. And that  is a lot of us confuse two different ends of the  

spectrum here. And is the goal of your workout  to find the maximal tolerable volume that you  

can handle, right, or workload that you can handle  and still make gains. Or as Mike would want you to  

do instead, is it to find the minimal effective  volume? Like what does that minimal stimulus that  

you can find that allows you to start to see  additional progress in this case in the form  

of new muscle gains? And if you're not using  steroids, this is a key point, because a lot of  

the guys you get your information from, they're  using steroids, and they want you to think that  

there is this infinite amount of recovery that you  have. There is not. If you're a natural lifter,  

there is not. You have a defined amount, okay. So,  you need to find that defined amount. I think when  

you're trying to determine the number of sets, it  makes a little bit of sense here to start low.  

(Jesse) Yeah. (Jeff) Because if you start  

low and you give as much of an effort as you can,  I'm not saying rank beginners go out and do this.  

Rank beginners need to learn coordination of a  movement, they need to learn the fundamentals of  

lifting. They need to get a good base of training  underneath them. But once you become a novice  

lifter, if you're trying to gain muscle size,  if you put forth that maximum intensity and you  

reach a point of failure, true failure on the set,  you've a removed all the guesswork of whether or  

not you've gone intense enough, right? You're not  leaving reps in reserve. Which is funny because  

most of the reps and reserve guys are no longer  reps in reserve, they're all advocating failure  

now or in the last set, right, they've kind of  come that way. But you're not trying to figure  

that part of the equation out because you've  gone to the finish line, you've reached that end  

point. You do that and you monitor your results.  And there's always a place, as Mike would say,  

that you can go from there and that is up. (Jesse) Yeah.  

(Jeff) If one didn't work, you know where to  go. You go to two or you go to three, right.  

(Jesse) Maybe four. (Jeff) Or maybe four. But you, you  

don't know if you start at eight sets and you're  not really getting results. Do you go up to nine  

or down to seven? Do you go down to six? Do you  go down to five? Do you go up to 12? Like you're  

sort of stuck in an area where you have a lot less  of a scientific ability to go through a process  

to get to the point where you need to be. (Jesse) You'd be wasting your time going up  

and down as opposed to just going up. (Jeff) Yeah, you go up. Again, it's just,  

I'm just throwing it out there as a, as an  effective place for people to start when they're  

trying to determine how many sets is right for  me. Right. The next thing I think we have to talk  

about though is repetitions too. (Jesse) Yup.  

(Jeff) Because in his training, Mike  would say somewhere between six and 12,  

six and 10, six and 12. That's the weight that  you choose, that you're going to take all the  

way to failure. What is the right repetition  range? I think one thing that science has  

taught us of late is that that is a hell of  a lot more broad than we once thought.  

(Jesse) Yup. (Jeff) It doesn't necessarily  

have to be in a specific range, eight to 12 for  hypertrophy or three to five for strength. Look at  

those that are seeking hypertrophy, you can do it  at many different rep ranges. As a matter of fact,  

you could do it all the way up to 25 repetitions,  30 repetitions. But guess what's needed there?  

What's needed, Jesse? (Jesse) Effort.  

(Jeff) You need to be able to deliver that  balls out, as Jesse said, to failure approach  

to training in order to create the stimulus  that gives you that minimal effective dose. Now,  

the maximal tolerable volume is not necessarily  that different from minimally effective, because  

they could kind of blend a little bit, they could  overlap. And the way that happens is the ball is  

out all the way to failure approach, says, yes,  here's my best effort. Did I reach did I provide  

enough of a stimulus for growth? Great. What if a  submaximal effort, plus another submaximal effort,  

plus another submaximal effort gets you to the  same point as the maximal effort? And I think  

we've actually seen that a little bit in studies.  We've seen that one in the tank, two in the tank,  

if it's truly two a one or two rep and reserve  effort level, because most of the time it's not,  

it's people are overestimating how much effort  they're putting forth. But if it's truly one or  

two in the tank that you can still get the types  of gains you could by going to failure. Well,  

again, the accumulation of a few of those  sets could equal out to what you might see  

in terms of the stimulus you get from the one  overall set. So, then it's like, what's the  

determination factor for you whether you're going  to go balls out for one or more, more sets? Well,  

a lot of it has to come down to time. (Jesse) Mm-hmm.  

(Jeff) A lot of it comes down to your ability to  handle discomfort because that really high effort,  

high intensity workout demands a high level of  effort. And again, as you become more experienced,  

it might be even a little bit more than that  because your body can tolerate more, so you really  

need to push yourself. I find, though, that guys  that have a lot of experience with lifting kind of  

enjoy that effort at some point, right? (Jesse) Yeah.  

(Jeff) They start to actually like it, right?  But don't fall in love with that effort,  

because the goal of being in the gym is  to stimulate and then get out and go grow.  

Because the growing happens outside the gym, and  you have to understand. That is where Mike was,  

right? The growth happens outside in the gym is  a simulation. And when you think of it that way,  

it's not about just sticking around to get  a pump and doing all the things you're doing  

there, because you are creating a further  inroad to that, to your recovery in your,  

in your pursuit. Now there's also a little bit of  focus on now, I say a little bit, there's a lot of  

bit of focus on how we do our repetitions. Because  not just how many repetitions and how many sets,  

but what about the consideration to how  you're doing your repetitions? And there's  

a lot of focus right now being placed on  the minimal portion of the range of motion,  

like the stretch position of an exercise. And I've  gone into this in another video, and I'll go into  

it again in more depth here. We're going to find  that there's a lot to learn, and a lot of what's  

being said right now is an incomplete picture. Much more research is going to be done here.  

That's going to wind up proving to you  that don't start throwing out the rest  

of the range of motion just yet. Especially if  you're interested in strength and athleticism,  

you don't do that. But as far as the hypertrophy  benefits of the stretch position, the stretch  

position is the terminal portion of an eccentric  or elongation of a muscle. And we know that  

that in and of itself is a stimulus for  growth. So, the terminal portion of it,  

the part where you're stretched, applies a tension  in and of itself because it's stretched.  

(Jesse) Yeah. (Jeff) But then you add the extra load there,  

you've got two stimulus for, for growth. Of course  it's going to work, it's always worked. But the  

effort of the partial repetitions, oftentimes  occurring after the set's been taken to failure,  

is just leading more towards supporting that kind  of lower set volume where it's like, go hard,  

go heavy, and ensure that you've reached failure  by doing a few partial repetitions because you  

can't get the concentric anymore. (Jesse) Yeah.  

(Jeff) You can only get a few partials  with some additional eccentric overload  

or stretch there. Now to take it so far as  to start recommending only stretch based  

exercises and literally saying that what is  it called? The face away curl stretch?  

(Jesse) Uh, Face Away Cable Curls. (Jeff) Like a like one of these deals.  

(Jesse) Yeah. (Jeff) Is a, is a better exercise for  

hypertrophy for the biceps than a heavy barbell  curl with a focus on a slow eccentric. I'm not  

ready to go there yet, and I don't think we're  ever going to wind up, you know, validating that  

that's a superior approach. When they start  putting those two things head-to-head and  

performing those with the same level of effort and  intensity to failure, I don't think you're going  

to find that to be the case. But, when you look  at your training, you have to ask yourself what is  

the right amount of effort that's going to guide  you to the right amount of reps for you? See,  

we start programs, and this is very important,  we start programs and programing our own workouts  

with the sets and the reps in mind. It's the  guiding factor and then we work around that.  

What I'm saying is the effort level that you're  comfortable exerting, because it requires a very  

high level or a lesser level, that will dictate  the types of volumes you need in your workouts.  

And you can work towards these volumes and modify  them based on the results that you're seeing. You  

can come down, you can go up. But when you take  that high intensity approach, the only way to go  

from there if it's not working is up. (Jesse) Yeah.  

(Jeff) Right. And that's, and that's a little  easier progression for people to make. But stop  

letting sets and reps be the guiding factor,  it's a big mistake. When it's all about sets  

and reps first, and then you're like adapting your  effort to the sets and reps. If you haven't seen  

my video on 3 Sets of 12 is Killing Your Gains,  or three sets of 12 is kind of a major problem  

when you're training. That was what I talked about  was like, you're -- you are adapting your effort  

even within a given set to make sure you reach  12, when I don't really give a shit whether you  

reach 12. You might have started with three  sets of 12 in mind and wound up hitting 12,  

9 and 10 or something in your reps. As long as the  effort was there, it doesn't matter necessarily  

what the rep count was. It starts with effort. Now I want to summarize this all and kind of leave  

you guys with one final video here. This  was something that Mike Mentzer said in one  

of these TikTok clips or something like that.  One of the very few things you find on TikTok  

that's valuable. Here's what he said. I'll  let us play out to his clip. In the meantime,  

guys, make sure you subscribe and turn  on notifications. That being said,  

here's Mike. He's kind of saying everything  I'm just saying here. It's worth a listen.  

[Video clip] For optimal results, the single  most important factor is intensity of effort. The  

results, you realize, will be totally dependent  on the energy you put forth. [End clip]