Exercise physiology is a young science. A baby! Some of the nuts and bolts understanding we have about how muscles work—stuff that seems absolutely essential—was only discovered after you were born. That’s why academics are so cautious when it comes to definitive statements about anything. This is, of course, in stark contrast to the unwavering confidence of fitness influencers. Obviously, an aggressively attractive person who speaks in certainties has more curb appeal than a chorus of academics chanting, “It depends, it depends, it depends…” like Gregorian monks. This skews public debate.
The evidence is ambiguuuuuooouuuussss
One of the questions that you can google at your peril is how many sets and reps you need for muscle growth. You will, of course, get tight ranges of numbers in response. Maybe it-s 6-8. Or 12-15. You won’t see the numbers 9, 11, 13, or 14, though. Perhaps that’s because the human body doesn’t recognize them. I suspect, however, that it has more to do with some quirk of the bro-science-to-fitness-journalism pipeline.
A recent study sought to answer the question of how many reps you need. Not just for size but also for strength. Rather than put up an Instagram poll, it drew from over 5K participants via 178 randomized trials—all of which included control (non-exercise) groups. It also did a pretty good job of including women (45% of subjects). Want to know what they found?
It all works, friend. All of it.
Healthy adults benefit from strength training—heavy, light, or otherwise. We benefit from training once a week. Twice. Thrice. Whatever. All of the options! We benefit from one set, two sets, a zillion sets, and so on.
Yes, there is some nuance—but less than what you might expect. You can emphasize strength gains by lifting heavier. You can emphasize size by doing more sets. Really all you have to do is show up consistently and to push your boundaries of what you’re doing. In short, you work until things get pretty hard—and then you work a little more. Thanks for attending my Ted Talk.
If you are more detail-oriented, this lack of detail may be disorienting. There’s often a desire to be able to create the optimal Rx for progress. For fitness professionals, there’s most definitely a motivation to push that narrative. “Everything seems to work pretty well,” just doesn’t tick that viral content box. Yet…
This kind of evidence-based confirmation is more than freeing; it asks you for an entirely different kind of discipline: instead of asking for optimal, you interrogate what version of action that you are most likely to take. I say discipline because there’s no easy out here. That’s because your success won’t hang on any tough-to-access parameter. Just don’t fast-track your way to Valhalla by getting crushed under a silly amount of weight.
You have the freedom here to be creative. Eccentric. Freaky-deaky, even. Just as long as you’re keeping things safe and consistent, you will move forward. Most importantly, you can focus on the kind of process that benefits you most. It’s a chance to practice mindfulness. Grit. Curiosity. Whatever you value. The outcomes come along for the ride with your presence.
Certainly, there is room for optimization but it comes after you develop a process you love—not as a replacement for it. That’s pretty refreshing. So, if you haven’t found a version of action that you love yet, get out there and mix it up. Or get in here and mix it up because it is all good and it’s a beautiful day to get a little stronger on your own terms.
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