You Don't Need To Do 3 Sets

Having to do 3 sets per exercise in order to get best results from your workouts is not exactly true!  This has been one of the biggest myths to hit the gym, along with spot reduction. Two studies that I know of have shown that there is no difference in muscle or strength gains in the first four months of a beginner’s workout, between doing one set and three sets.  The difference came after the fourth month, where the people who did three sets continued to make gains, where the people that did only one set hit a plateau.  However, there is a way to do one or two sets per exercise and gain more strength and muscle than doing three sets per exercise.  But if you are a woman and you only care about toning your muscle, not bulking up or increasing strength, you do not have to do more than one set.  

Remember if you are trying to achieve a toned, defined body, although weight training is very important, more weight training will not help you get toned faster. In most cases, if you have been doing resistance training, what prevents most people from looking toned is not lack of tightness in their muscle, but too much fat covering the muscle. The best way to lose fat is by doing aerobics and eating a proper diet.  Once you reduce your body fat, you will be able to see the toned muscles that you have achieved through the weight training, and that will give your body the look you have been working for.

In a weight training workout, around 90% of the benefits come from the first set (if done correctly), and around 10% from the second set.  A third set is a waste of time in most cases.  The only thing a third set will do is increase your chances of burning out or getting injured by making the workout unnecessarily longer and harder.  Even if there is a small benefit from the third set, does it worth the risk of burning out or worse getting injured and end up with no results?  You don’t need to be dying at the end of the workout or feeling sore the next day in order to get results.  Did you know that too much exercising can be almost as bad as not enough?  If you trim off all the unnecessary sets, and exercise gimmicks, from your exercise routine you can get maximum results without having to spend hours in the gym. 

When it comes to weight training, more is not better. Better form, better exercises and using the right weights is better.