One of the most common questions I get is – how many sets per exercise should I do, and how many reps per set? While I wish there was a more straightforward answer, it's just not that simple! Luckily, I've done all of the research for you and have years of experience to prove it works. In this episode, I reveal the best number of sets to gain muscle over 45, my favorite rep scheme to get better results, the number of sets you should aim for in your workout, and so much more!

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Topics Covered:

• Specificity in training 
• Muscular strength vs. endurance 
• Myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy 
• A “hard” weight load 
• The ideal amount of reps for women
• Progressive overload
• A prep set 
• My 15-12-10-10 approach
• Adjusting to the demand of an exercise 

Resources Mentioned:

• Listen to the first 18 episodes of Holly Perkins Health Podcast HERE
• Apply for The Body Composition Project HERE 
• Research on fundamentals of resistance training HERE 
• Research on optimum repetitions for the development of strength HERE
• Research on specificity of repetition maximum training zones HERE 
• Research on periodized strength training HERE
• Research on the influence of resistance training volume and periodization HERE
• Research on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy in skeletal muscle HERE
• Research on effects of estrogen on musculoskeletal performance HERE

Follow Me: 

Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkins

Learn more on my website: hollyperkins.com

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitness/

Disclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast is for general interest, education, and entertainment purposes only. The use of information on this podcast or materials or products linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Hear me loud and clear. Anything is better than nothing when it comes to strength training if you're over 45. And if you actually want to see results and improve your strength and muscle quality, it's a bit more complicated than that. As I've always said, there is an art and a science to effective strength training. And today, I've got the science. So keep listening to learn the best sets and reps for strength and muscle improvements for women over 45 Hello, and welcome to Episode 19, I cannot believe it. I love that you're here. Thank you for listening, it really makes all of my hard work and effort worth it. So thank you, thank you.

And please keep the comments and reviews coming because it really helps me to know what you want to hear. And you know what I read every single review for real, that gets posted. And I thought it would be fun to shout out one in particular that I got this week, because it's so original. So thank you to Rach, my 150 for sharing. And I quote, I first came across Holly Perkins years ago after her book lift to get lean, and it broke me out of the cardio burns fat strength training box up women mindset. Now that I'm older, I really appreciate her emphasis on strength training, without adding extra stress on your body. I'm 40. And I love Holly isn't pushing the workouts that make you feel like you'd rather take a cheese grater to your face than do it. I love her podcast and her workouts literally laughed out loud. I was sitting on the couch and was drinking tea and almost spit it out because I thought this review just trumped them all. It was so funny. So thank you, Rach, my 150 for your review. And thank you to everyone who has posted a review and share your feedback. I love all of it. So please keep it coming.

Hey, and I also wanted to make sure that you had the chance to learn about the body composition project, because this is your chance to work with me directly. To help you become more muscle and less fat by summer. The program is almost sold out. I can't believe it. It's sold out way faster than I anticipated. Like for real real. That being said, I am looking for two more women who want to join this incredible group of 22 other women for what will be my best group coaching program of my career, I mean it. You can learn more about the body composition project by visiting Holly perkins.com forward slash body comp on all one word body calm, so that you can watch the info session and submit your application we will be kicking off on March 18 2024. And you'll get the strength, nutrition and cardio programming that shows you actually exactly how to improve your body composition so that you can be more muscle and less fat and create the body that you need to keep up with this crazy life that you love. Again, that's Holly perkins.com forward slash body comp to learn more and apply.

Today's episode is so good. So turn up the volume and let's jump in. If you're like many of the women in my community, you might feel a bit confused about your strength workouts, you might be confused by the number of sets and the number of reps that you should be doing so that you actually become leaner or stronger or even avoid injuries. Do you wonder how many sets per exercise should I do? And how many reps per set? Honestly, I get this question all the time. For real. This might actually be the number one question that I get. So the question is should you do high reps for muscle building? Or low reps for strength? Should all exercises have the same number of reps and sets? These are all great questions and I get it. The truth is it actually is confusing. And that's why there is tons of research on this topic. If you're confused and feel like you're not getting the good results from your strength workouts that you want. This one is just for you, my friend. I've got the research and my personal experience in the field after 30 years directly working with clients in the gym and virtually around the world.

In this episode, you'll learn the best number of repetitions to use during your strength workouts. If you're a woman 45 And up, you'll learn the difference between myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Don't fret. I know that sounds scary. And don't be intimidated by this medical language. I'm going to explain it in simple terms in a minute, you're also going to learn my favorite rep scheme that helps your muscles to prepare for harder work, so that you get better results and the number of sets that you want to aim for any given workout. Because here's the thing, there are a million different approaches to Strength Training and Fitness in general. And some of your success depends on your unique physiology. There's not one way for everyone. I'm not saying that My way is the only way. But I am saying that what you'll learn today is what I have found works best for my clients over 40, especially as you get to 4550 55 and beyond. Here's the deal strength training will change your life, you know it, I know it. And I know that it can be confusing to get it right. All you need to do is promise yourself, you'll commit to a plan. And you'll do it each week. Even if you're not perfect. Just get in the game and learn as you go. Because it's going to be a journey anyway, each week, learn something new and build upon what you know, at this time. Because you're going to be learning for a lifetime, you might think that you could never become strong or fit, or super lean if that's what you want. And hey, I know that's not what everybody wants. But what I have found in this business of coaching women is that many of us have these limiting beliefs around what we could really achieve. So I want you to take a moment and just kind of pause and reflect and visualize. What do you see for yourself down the road? What would you like to be if I could ensure it could happen? And if I could snap my finger and make it happen for you?

What would that look like? Because I'm here to tell you that you can. It's possible, I realize you might not think it's possible. But I'm in the business of possibility. And I know it's possible for you. If you've never achieved your best body or your best body composition yet, how could you ever know it's possible? Follow some of your doubt simply comes from the fact that you haven't achieved it yet. And that's what this podcast is about helping you to take the steps so that down the road, you can achieve your best. Because I promise if you take action on any of the things that I teach, and you stick with it, you're going to be two steps ahead. So just keep going.

Yesterday I was at the gym, and I love watching other people work out I'm obsessed with it. I think it's partially why I'm so good at watching people move and I'm good at helping them really get their technique right. In many ways. I like to think of myself as like a movement expert. And lately, I'm seeing a trend in the gym that I love. And that is women of all ages and sizes. Going after it in the gym, I am seeing women doing some really advanced things very sophisticated, very intelligently and really well. And many of them are using some really impressive weight loads. With good technique. It is really gratifying to see it because I feel like in some small way I like to think that I contributed to where we are in the world and the progress that we're seeing in the gym. I remember back to like 2008 And I remember taking an honest assessment of the industry and the trends that I was seeing in the gyms around the country at the time, I was working with new balance, and I was traveling a lot and I got to see a lot of what's happening out there in fitness. And it was a very different landscape. Back then there were fewer women lifting weights, and those who were weren't hitting deadlift and hip thrusts and squats like they are today. The women are going for it. And it is really exciting. And I'm also seeing probably the other half I would say, of women who are in the weight section, doing their best. But I can see that they are uncertain and a bit intimidated. And here's what I'm seeing in regards to how these two different, I guess, demographics, if you will conduct their workouts and their actual sets, the ones who are really going for it, are truly failing on their last reps, like they are working hard, and you can see it, meaning I can see that they're using weight loads, where they literally cannot do another rep.

And then the other group of women, who appears to be, let's say, a bit more uncertain, is completing their sets such that the last repetition of the set looks pretty much the same as the very first rep. And now listen, I've been in this business of people, for 30 years, for real my entire career going way back to when I was a wee baby in college, I've been working one on one with people, I'm in the people business. And I'm in the business of understanding people and seeing what's going on for them internally, and how they're interpreting what's going on internally to how they express it in movement and in the gym. And you know what? I'm really good at it at the risk of sounding all, you know, overconfident. So what I see in the women who appear to be uncertain, is that most likely what's happening for them is that they have this idea that you should do X number of reps for a set, it's like they saw a post on social media that said, you should be doing 15 reps for three sets. So she's picking up a weight load and completing those 12 or 15 reps, as was suggested to her. To me, it looks deliberate, as though she does have intention as though she does have a plan. But that she believes her job is to simply complete a certain number of reps without understanding that the number of reps is a secret code for how much weight you're supposed to be using.

So in other words, if your program tells you to do 15 reps, this could look like you picking up a weight load where you can do 15 reps. That makes sense, right? quite logical, honestly. And if your program tells you to do, let's say 10 reps, you're probably going to pick up a heavier weight, right. So the rep scheme is the secret code for the intensity of the weight load that you should be attempting higher reps means you'll have to use a lower weight load get it, if you're trying to do 15 reps, you've got to use a lighter weight load than what you would do, let's say at eight reps. And lower reps means that you could use a heavier weight load. The most common mistake I see is not understanding that the rep scheme of your program tells you how hard you should be working. It's not arbitrary. And there isn't a magical number of reps. That is right. So it's not like 15 reps is better than 12, or 15 reps is not better than eight reps and 12 reps is not better than 30. It's simply a difference in programming and philosophy. And as I've talked about here, before, several times, the variables in your workout should reflect your goal. This is called specificity and training. And if you're new around here, make sure that you go back and listen to the first 10 episodes of my podcast because I walk you through 10 basic tenants or principles that we believe around here.

So specificity in training means the specific programming variables determine the outcome. So for example, think of it this way. If you want to become a golfer, you wouldn't take Tai Chi classes, right? Or if you wanted to run a marathon, you probably wouldn't take tennis classes. The body responds to the stimulus You give it, it's specific. And for today's conversation, that means understanding the difference between muscular strength, and muscular hypertrophy versus muscular endurance. Those are three very different things. In case this is a new conversation for you, the word hypertrophy is the technical medical jargon for an increase in a muscles size. Now, don't get all scared when you hear the word hypertrophy and things think that it's going to mean you're going to get all big and bulky, because it's nearly impossible to grow bigger muscles by accident. So when we talk about building bigger muscles, or hypertrophy, we might be talking about incremental increases in size and my friend, you want it you're not going to get big and bulky by accident, I promise is specially if you're 45 or older. And also, it's important to know that getting stronger does not necessarily mean your muscles will become bigger. Do you know that it's not synonymous, and bigger muscles are not necessarily stronger muscles. That's crazy, right? You can witness this difference by observing power lifters versus bodybuilders who compete for a visual aesthetic. power lifters won't win any awards in a bikini, and physique. competitors aren't necessarily the strongest in the gym. This is specificity. Getting your reps right for your goal is important. So that you get the results that you want.

When you're over 45, your estrogen is beginning to either fluctuate or decline. And I realized that you might not feel that way. But statistically, it's accurate. And of course, if you're postmenopausal, your estrogen is very, very low. Now it's not zero, but it's way lower than it was when you were 25. We know from research that estrogen has a number of important metabolic effects on muscle and mitochondrial function. Okay, that's a flashback to high school science. As your estrogen declines, it gets harder and harder and harder to maintain and improve the muscle that you have. Additionally, fatigue is a very common symptom for women as estrogen declines. I would imagine you could agree with that. Because the majority of women in my community that come to me and talk to me Tell me this, as we get around that pre postmenopausal stage, the fatigue really sets in and let me tell you, it's real. So some of this could be because of the decrease in mitochondrial activity, because mitochondria are the powerhouse and the energy source for all of your cells. Now, this could become a very complex conversation, and I'm going to leave that for the hormone experts.

Suffice it to say that with a decline in estrogen comes a decline in energy. In general, it stinks. I know. But it's one of the reasons why I teach the principles that I teach, because I've got a solution for you put a pin in this topic for a moment, we'll come back to it later. So you won't hear this very often, but there are two kinds of muscle hypertrophy. Again, if you're new hypertrophy just means that the muscle is getting bigger. So there's two kinds of muscle hypertrophy. And when I learned this, it just blows me away that I don't see anybody talking about it in the fitness industry. So myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs when the actual muscle fibers increase in size because of an increase in the number of myofibrils. So a muscle is kind of like a muscle within a muscle within a muscle, sort of It's a series of these fibers. And this is the type of hypertrophy women over 45 want, because it's associated with more muscle and strength improvements. This is very different from the second type of hypertrophy, which is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, where the volume of the fluid in the muscle cell increases with no actual increase in strength. In general, higher repetition ranges support that ladder hypertrophy sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, think of it like swelling, that's kind of what it is. And the lower rep ranges at higher weight loads is associated with myofibrillar hypertrophy, the first kind, the kind that we want.

Now, in truth, both kinds of hypertrophy happen at any given time, you can't isolate one over the other, they're happening at the same time in any kind of a proper progressive resistance program. But through programming, we can emphasize one type of muscle building more than the other. And this is why I'm a fan of the 10 to 12 rep range for women, so that you actually build more quality muscle and strength, and you build the muscle that lasts, I am a bigger fan of programming to support myofibrillar hypertrophy. Now listen up, because this is important. What's key here is that number one, you must be using weight loads were the last two repetitions of the 10 to 12, that I'm suggesting are hard. And number two, you're not just using any weight load and counting out 12 reps because Holly Perkins said to do 10 to 12 reps. And three, this is technically considered a moderate rep range. This is not a high rep range. And this is not a low rep range, high reps is 15. And above and low reps is considered below 85284 to six. And once you've got some experience, and you're certain that your technique is excellent, you can even start using weight loads where eight repetitions is hard. So technically, I really find the sweet spot for women to be between eight and 12. But start between 10 and 12. Now, a note on what hard means it's important. Hard means that you use a weight load, where follow along the first two

to three reps are comfortable in any given set, and your technique is perfection. Then, as the reps continue, each rep gets harder so that your technique starts to break down. So rep number five has better technique than Rep Number six, and so on until the last two reps, let's call it reps, number nine and 10 or reps number 11 and 12 are really hard and your technique is breaking down such that it's only about 70% Perfect. So if Rep Number one, two and three are 100%, perfect, by the time you get to 1011 or 12, you've lost your technique. When you do it this way, you're nearly assured to see results from your workouts. And this is where a lot of women go wrong. And yes, it's a bit of trial and error in the beginning for you to learn what your weight loads are for the various exercises, so that you're using a weight load where those last two repetitions are hard. Now, let's go back to that energy conversation out there. in internet land and social media circuses. You're gonna hear people say that you should use higher reps for hypertrophy. And some fitness people think that this means that 10 reps or more. Okay, the problem that I have with this is that number one, these higher rep ranges or this kind of nondescript use of the phrase higher rep ranges tends to promote muscular endurance more than muscular strength and hypertrophy. And this requires more energy. Doing 15 or more reps is just more tiring in a given set than doing a set of 10 because it takes more time and more repetitions per set to do 15 or 20 or 30 reps. So if you're someone like me who struggles with fatigue, you may find that sets of 10 reps is more productive, because you're not you won't be systemically fatigued from the workout. It is because of all of these reasons for women 45 And up I believe in aiming for myofibrillar muscle growth by using weight loads where 10 To 12 reps are hard. And once you've got some experience and your technique is excellent you then begin with Working with weight loads, where you can only do eight to 10 reps. Up next, you'll learn about the right number of sets that I find is best for women over 45.

But first,

okay, so now

that you have a better idea as to why I like using 10 to 12 reps for workouts, the next logical question is, okay, so how many sets for each exercise, right? The number of sets matters because one, research shows there is a minimum number needed to create enough of the stimulus to actually improve muscle size, and quality. And number two, we need to ensure enough fatigue overall in your muscles from the workout See, your muscles don't become better simply by lifting weights. While there are benefits that come simply from just engaging in the activity, literally, lifting weights is beneficial. The truth is, you must expose your muscles to an effort level beyond their current ability in order to actually change or improve your muscle. For example, imagine picking up eight pound dumbbells, and doing a set of bicep curls for 10 reps. And imagine you do three sets at that weight load and at those reps, so three sets of 10 reps at eight pounds. If you keep doing that week, after week, your muscle will adapt to that stimulus and it won't get better. And it certainly won't be enough to build muscle or strength. Instead, you must expose your muscle to something harder than what you can currently do in some ways. You have to force yourself to be exposed to effort levels or wait loads that you actually can't quite do yet. That's why those last two reps are a little bit sloppy, because you can't actually do them perfectly get it.

Therefore, in order to build muscle or get stronger, you have to pick up 10 pound dumbbells and do three sets of 10. Then once your muscle has adapted to the 10 pound dumbbells, then you need to pick up 12 pound dumbbells and do three sets of 10. Do you understand this is progressive overload. And this is what's needed to build muscles, you have to choose into doing heavier weight loads and in theory, weight loads that you actually can't do. So that muscle is exposed and fatigued and forced to adapt. The number of sets is important because it contributes to the overall fatigue and the good stress to the muscle. When you get your workouts right so that you sufficiently fatigue your muscles, you'll then go home, you'll eat a good meal, you'll sit on the couch, you'll go to bed, you'll rest. And it's during that rest and recovery phase, where you actually become better you become more fit stronger or build muscles, it's in the adaptation phase, your muscles don't change or get bigger or stronger. When you're doing the bicep curl. Your job during your workout is to expose your muscles to marginally harder effort levels over time, and then allow for the rest and recovery so that you can come back and do it again and do it at a different effort level. According to the research, it appears that the sweet spot for the number of sets is three. And this means that you should have three working sets per exercise. As you advance there is a value in four or more sets. But for general purposes, three sets seems to work great for most people, definitely if you are beginner or intermediate in your journey.

And I want to be a bit more clear on this. Because just like when I talked about doing reps arbitrarily, you also don't want to just phone in the number of sets as if all you have to do is show up and do three sets Holly said to do three sets of 10 and you just show up and do it. The key here is that you want three working sets where you're actually working. Imagine that I say this because for any given exercise or activity, there is a preparation period. Now some people call this a warm up or a warm up phase. So, I find that confusing because we're not warming your body up, right, we're actually preparing and getting your body, your muscles or your energy systems ready for work, where your muscle is adjusting to or familiarizing itself with the activity. So for example, imagine you show up for your workout. And the first thing you do is pick up the eight pound dumbbells and you start your bicep curls. In a way, your muscles are like, Hey, wait a second, what is this, I was just sleeping. And now all of a sudden, you're throwing eight pounds at me. Okay, hold on, wait, hang on. All right, I'll get my act together. Okay, now I'm with you. So there's a moment or a set where the muscle is doing that. And it's adjusting and waking up, if you will, to the work and to the movement pattern, it's getting into position. Therefore, I find it helpful to perform one set, or two sets if you're more advanced, that serve as a preparatory prep set, so that your muscle gets into gear, so to speak, so that it's ready to actually work in your work set.

So it might look like this for you, you show up for your workout. And you know that you're working weight load for bicep curls is eight pounds for three sets of 10 reps. So, in order to be ready and fired up for those three working sets, you'd want to pick up five or six pound dumbbells and do a prep set. Before you begin your working set at your working weight load. Makes sense. So because of this, I often have clients perform a total of four sets, one prep set at that lower weight load, and then three working sets for all of the key exercises in your workout. The key is to remember that you need to have enough working sets to challenge the muscles beyond their current ability, so that they get fatigued and therefore forced to adapt. And as with everything in the world these days, everyone has an opinion.

So there are different opinions regarding how many total sets per workout that you need. A good place to start based on research is 15 Total sets per workout increasing from there, according to the complexity of your program, the number of workouts per week and your experience level. Sometimes my programs will have more than 24 sets per workout. It really depends on the goal and your experience level and where you are in your programming. This is the total number of sets per workout for all of your exercises in totality that you're doing on any given day. 15 is a great place to start per workout. There are a few other details that I want to offer when it comes to putting this all together into a workout if you're someone who likes to DIY, if this feels confusing or overwhelming, remember, anything is better than nothing. At the end of the day, really and truly, you just need to lift heavier than your current ability until your muscles are tired. That really is all it comes down to. And there's a million ways that you can do that.

Now there is a rep scheme that I really like, because it guides you through increasing weight loads per set in a way that allows for the muscle to improve its ability during the workout. Have you ever noticed that on your first set of an exercise you feel good, and then the second set of the same exercise starts to feel like effort and work. And then by the third set, it feels hard and sometimes it's not even any fun. Technically, this is exactly what you want in your set progression. And I've got a way to make it even more effective. I call this the 1512 1010 approach where the first set is your prep set, and you use a weight load where 15 reps is easy. So this is the 15 in that scheme. This allows the muscle to become fired up at a weight load that isn't challenging. Then your first work set would be at a higher weight load where the last two reps of 12 are hard. This is the two Well

in that rep scheme, then on the third set, which is actually technically your second work set, it should be at a higher weight load, where the last two reps of 10 are hard. And then the fourth set, which actually is your third work set is where the weight load is heavy enough that the last two reps of 10 are hard. So it's 1512 10 1015 reps is a press prep set 12 reps as your first working 10 reps at a higher weight load for your second working and 10 reps. At a higher weight load for your third working set 1512 1010. It gives you that first set to warm up, then the decreasing reps are a secret code to increase the weight load for each set. Now, your sets and reps can also change in any given workout based on the complexity or demand of an exercise.

So for example, a simpler exercise like a bicep curl, could be three sets in your workout. But a bigger, more complex move like a deadlift could be four or five sets. Often I'll start workouts with a simple move that prepares my body for more complex moves. So for example, let's say it's an upper body day, all do a cable external rotation, which I love for two sets. And that prepares me for three to four sets of the bigger exercise, which is a bench press. The number of sets can reflect the importance or value or complexity of the exercise. And now you can see why I often say that there is an art and a science to programming that actually creates results. In some ways, it's not simple. The biggest mistake you can make is to think that these things don't matter. Or that there is only one way to do things. there are right ways. And there are ineffective ways. And of course there are outright unsafe ways. But I like to think that you won't endeavor into that territory. And I'm not saying that other people's ways are wrong. But I know that my approach works.

And on that note, another thing to watch out for is bouncing around between things that you see and hear on social media. It gets real confusing these days because we all have our way of doing things in the fitness industry. And it's really easy to see a post today that tells you to do something, and then a very compelling post tomorrow that tells you to do it differently. Pick a strategy and stick with it. Stick with it for at least 12 to 16 weeks. And if you're inspired but also confused. Know that this is exactly why I offer coaching programs. Because the truth is, most people do better when someone else teaches them how to do it right. Be sure to add your name to my email list so that you can stay up to date with new programs as they come out. Simply visit my website Holly perkins.com. And you'll see a place where you can add your email. And that is it the over 45 Guide to sets and reps for strength. I hope that you find this information helpful. And as always, I've linked some research below if you'd like to geek out with me. Even though it can be the wild wild west out there there is a path for you. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and take one step at a time. build upon the knowledge that you have by learning something new each week. Whatever you're struggling with, I promise there is a solution. Thank you so much for listening. And as a reminder if you want access to my four week, strength without stress program for free for a limited time, be sure to rate and review this episode right now grab a screenshot and then send it to me over at Holly perkins.com forward slash review. You'll get immediate lifetime access to strength without stress. And stay tuned for another brand new episode on Tuesday next week. Stay strong my friend