What are your goals?
A variety of developmental goals can be achieved through resistance training, including increasing muscular strength (the maximum force a muscle can produce in a single maximal effort), increasing muscular endurance (the ability of a muscle to exert force) to repeatedly resist resistance or maintain a fixed contraction over time) and increasing muscular hypertrophy (the physiological process of enlarging muscle fibers).
Wondering what this means for you?
If you are new to resistance training and your goal is overall muscle fitness and improved health, start with lighter resistance and aim to complete 1-2 sets of 8-15 repetitions per workout with 30-90 seconds of rest between sets.
If your goal is to increase muscular endurance, use a slightly lighter resistance and aim to complete 2-3 sets of 12-16 repetitions each (*the weight used should fatigue the target muscle by the end of the workout set) with a minimum of rest between sets (30 seconds or less).
If muscle strength is your goal, use greater resistance and work your way through 2-6 sets of 4-8 repetitions each with longer rest between sets (2-5 minutes).
If muscular hypertrophy is what you are looking for, use slightly greater resistance (higher intensity than that used for muscular endurance, but lower intensity than that used for muscular strength) and complete 3-6 sets of 6-12 repetitions per workout with a moderate intensity of 30 – 90 seconds rest between sets.
Where are you now?
While fitness goals play an important role in determining the appropriate amount of training, your current level of ability is also important to take into consideration. If you are new to resistance training, keeping the volume relatively low, at least at the beginning, will not only give your body time to adjust to the stress of the workout, but will also help feel more successful, which can ultimately lead to long-term adherence to the program.
While the exact program varies from person to person, one of the main goals of any resistance training program should be to perform each exercise with proper technique. Focusing on the quality of the exercise rather than just the number of repetitions will help reduce the risk of injury and ensure that the muscles the exercise is designed to target are being worked effectively.
