How does one do 2~3 sets of the same rep? (while reaching failure)

[mellie]

Something about me:

I am out of shape. (not horribly, but noticeable)

Been strength training in the gym for the last few months (not a fan of cardio)

I have never been able to accomplish these two things at the same time -

A) Push a set to failure / near failure AND B) Maintain the same rep.

I have tried to lengthen my rest time, eat a light snack before workouts, caffeine - doesn't seem to affect the result much.

Am I doing something wrong?

P.S. I am not talking about something like 10/10/8, or 8/7/6.
It is more like 10/6, or 8/3/3.

 

[angelofhearts]

@mellie Stop pushing to failure. Of course a follow on set isn't going to reach the same rep if you're going to failure on a prior set.

 

[mellie]

@angelofhearts Make sense, and I do compensate for it sometimes.

But I thought the point of failure is muscle growth.
If I avoid it to achieve same rep, isn't it just as "ineffective" as same rep with bad form?

 

[angelofhearts]

@mellie Muscles grow either way. There was a fairly recent study that showed going to failure may actually limit growth.

 

[mellie]

@angelofhearts Alrighty then.
Less worrying from me.

 

[angelofhearts]

@mellie https://mennohenselmans.com/skeleta...ining-repetition-maximums-relative-intensity/

Short version. The non failure group gained more strength AND more size overall.

 

[marissa22]

@mellie I'll try to explain with an anecdote of what I do for my bench press.

My goal for bench press is 5x5. Once I can do 5x5 plus a clean 6th rep, I add 5 pounds as my new rep weight. After adding I usually end up failing again somewhere around the 4th - 5th set. My goal then becomes to re-achieve my 5x5. Then I start focusing on that clean bonus rep again. Then I add 5 more pounds. Then repeat. It usually takes me about 3 weeks to go from adding weight to pushing that bonus rep again.

Hitting failure on your reps is a good indicator that you are in the ballpark for pushing your limits and that is the weight you should be focusing on, as long as you are increasing your reps at that weight with some consistency while maintaining a good form.

This also creates a nice tempo for progressive overload without going too far, too fast. Progress is slow and steady which works perfectly for me because I have nowhere to be as far as exercise goals or deadlines. Hopefully that makes sense and helps answer your question.

Don't worry about trying to fail out on the last rep of the set.

 

[mellie]

@marissa22 Appreciate the long reply.

Not sure if it too relevant to my inquiry, but I will keep this infor in mind when I can successfully do multiple set of the same rep.

 

[kota]

@mellie You don't have to maintain the same reps, if you're going till failure especially if you're not in good shape you will be doing less reps, and that's okay. Generally 8-15 is considered good. You can also just lower the weight a bit if you're not able to do enough reps, and that won't cause you to not gain muscle because you're doing a lower rep then what your maximum is

 

[mellie]

@kota Thanks.

I just never seem anywhere online that says progressively less rep per set is acceptable.

 

[tod64]

@mellie Don't go to failure, 2-3 reps from failure is fine. I suggest documenting your reps and increasing the number of reps or weight on your next workout. For example I write down. Bench press 70lbs 15, 13, 13. Next workout I'll increase the weight or number of reps.

 

[mellie]

@tod64 I use an app to track my progress.

I wouldn't be as worried if my reps is similar to 15/13/13, they are more like 10/6/3.

 

[tod64]

@mellie Got it. That's way too much weight. Ideally you hit between 6-30 reps with 2-3 left in reserve. Sets in that range produce very similar results.

If you go above 30 you're not exactly challenging your muscles enough for them to grow. And if you can't reach 6 reps you're not doing an efficient amount of reps for that same growth. You're also much more likely to not be able to lift that much weight properly, improper form could result in injury taking you away from the gym.

 

[mellie]

@tod64 I have been working with 3 solutions.

A) I adjust my first few set's rep, such that they don't reach failure, but meaning I can finish my last set, of at least 4, reaching failure.
(So, instead of 10/6/3, it looks like 8/6/5)

B) I will still push for failure on every rep, but I lower the weight per set.
(So, instead of 10 * 30 lbs, 6 * 30 lbs, 3 * 30 lbs, I will go with 10 * 30 lbs, 10 " 25 lbs, 10 * 20 lbs)

C) 50% dropset after each set.
It will be more sets, which will compensate for the lack of meaningful rep at the end.

Thoughts?

(I don't think I have improper forms, as I focus quite hard on it. But I do lack that "mind-body connection" thing.)

 

[tod64]

@mellie A) On the right path. Try to hit at least 6 with 2 on every set.

B) Personally I go to failure every once in a while to set a record for myself and to help me make better stopping points in future sets.

C) This is a great way to shake things up! It'll help when you're trying to break a plateau.

(I don't doubt you've got proper form, I hope it didn't come across that way. Going to failure just has an increased risk of losing that form.)

 

[harko]

@mellie There are so many ways to load you're not doing it wrong. If you want more standard sets with equal weight and reps you're just going too heavy. Just back off the weight until you find a weight where you can get 3-4 sets at the desired weight. When I stall on progress with something like 3 sets 8-12 reps I might switch things up and go heavier working on my max weight and reps and dropping the weight for successive sets. So if I've stalled I might work on my 5-8 rep max. So maybe I'll bench 225x7 after that I'll try again and maybe get 225x4, after that I'll drop down to 185 and do some volume sets in the 12-15 rep range. A lot of it is experimenting and seeing what works for you. You also want to do your research and make sure you're not too far off base.

 

[mellie]

@harko "If you want more standard sets with equal weight and reps you're just going too heavy."

If I go lighter and still push to failure, my set would look like 16/8/4.

Appreciate the infor on mixing up to suit personal need.

 

[harko]

@mellie You might just experiment with finding what your 3x8 max is and work on pushing that. Usually your second set won't drop off 50% like that. So pick a weight stop at 8 reps on set 1, see what you get on set 2 and 3. If you get 3x8 you could even do a 4th or 5th set for that day just to get in extra volume but bump up the weight 5-10lbs (depending on the lift) the next workout. Eventually you should reach an equilibrium where you're getting something like 8,8,5 or even 8,7,5 and then you push that a few weeks and once you're at 8,8,8 you increase the weight again. One thing I've learned is that if I stall on a lift for 2-3 weeks it's time to try a different approach.