How many reps and sets should I be doing?
Ahhhh. One of the most popular questions I get as a personal trainer. I call it the infamous “how many” question.
Good thing is that the answer is simple.
It varies based on what your goals are.
For example, if you’re someone who’s looking to lose weight and get toned, there’s a good chance you’ll be doing things in the 15-20 rep range and doing 4-5 sets depending on the workout. The reason for this is going to be because higher reps usually leads to increased heart rate and light tearing of your muscle fibers. This leads to an increase in calories burned and will give you that ”toned” look.
Now if you’re someone who’s “skinny” and wants to build muscle mass, your sets and reps will look much different. You may do 8-10 reps with a little heavier weight which allows deeper rips in your muscle fibers. This will lead to more muscle growth. You may also do 4-5 sets however, a lot of the time people in this category do 6-8 sets with only a few really difficult reps per set. This is a super effective way of training if you’re looking to grow.
As you can see, it all depends on your goals.
Now don’t think that you HAVE to do high reps and sets to lose weight. You can very well do more weight, less reps, and more sets and still lose weight. This is a BIG misconception. Think about it logically. Yes you may make deeper tears into the muscle fibers allowing them to grow, but if you account for rest times in-between sets along with what type of training you’re doing (HIIT, circuit, supersets etc.), you can definitely still lose weight this way. Cardio plays a big role as well.
They both can work for what you’re trying to accomplish, however know the difference!
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