Fitness Volt
  • 2022 WSMHot
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Training
  • Exercises
  • News
    • Videos
    • Bodybuilding
    • Arnold Classic
    • CrossFit
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • 2022 WSMHot
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Training
  • Exercises
  • News
    • Videos
    • Bodybuilding
    • Arnold Classic
    • CrossFit
    • Powerlifting
    • Strongman
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Workout Plans

WATCH: “3 Sets of 12 Reps” Killing Your Gains!

F.V. Team

Written by F.V. Team

Last Updated onJuly 7, 2017

Performing 3 sets of 12 reps for the exercises your workout is likely killing your gains. Now, don’t get me wrong… I actually like the 10-12 rep range when it comes to building muscle and when the goal is muscle hypertrophy. The problem is, the focus is misdirected as it often times gets put on the number of reps and not the quality of the reps or the time it takes you to perform them.

The genesis of the whole 10-12 rep recommendation for muscle growth actually came from the time under tension that that number of reps would equate to if you performed them with the right tempo. If you did an explosive one second up on the concentric portion of the lift and a slow eccentric lowering of 3 seconds on the way down (another way to increase the tension on the working muscle) then you would be at 4 seconds per rep which would equate to 40-48 seconds of tension in that set.

Research shows that crossing the threshold of 45 seconds is important, and when paired with a high-intensity effort which brings you to failure beyond this point can lead to more impressive muscle gains. What winds up happening, however, is that we don’t perform our reps at this speed and we end up performing them much faster. As you can see in this set of dumbbell incline bench press performed by Jesse, he finishes the set in just 26 seconds.

But that is lost on most people that lift weights and train and instead they focus on the number of reps and doing anything they can to reach that goal number to determine whether or not their set was a success or conducive to new growth. Big mistake. If you were performing a set and noticed after completing three perfectly performed reps that there was no way you were going to be able to maintain that form for the entire set of 12 reps so you shortened your range of motion, that would be a critical mistake. What you wind up with is submaximal reps at every point in along the way to twelve as explained in the video.

Instead, you would want to accept the fact that you were not going to be able to make it and just do as many reps as you could until reaching failure. Each one would be performed as hard and with as most effort as you could generate. If the number wound up falling drastically short of the twelve that you set out to do you could always drop the weight on the subsequent sets to get you back into that range.

If you picked a weight that happened to be too light and didn’t take you close to failure, you would want to continue to rep out no matter how many reps it took to eventually get you to failure and then adjust the weights up on a subsequent set. Alternatively, you could stop the set at 12 reps if you knew you were far too light on the weights and consider it a warmup set and then adjust the weights up and start again.

Either way, the point is not to focus on the number of the reps since, after all, your muscles can’t count they can only feel the tension. If you are skirting tension in an effort to reach a magic number I can guarantee you are shortchanging the amount of muscle that you can ultimately build in your workouts. Focus always on finding ways to direct more tension to the muscles that you are trying to grow instead of avoiding it and you will be much happier with your overall results.

For the latest news and updates please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Videos Workout Plans Workouts
Previous Post

WATCH: John Kavanagh: Conor McGregor Doing ‘Four Times’ More Sparring for Floyd Mayweather Camp

Next Post

WATCH: Lee Priest Talks About ‘The Story’ Behind The Sickest Photo Ever in Bodybuilding

F.V. Team

F.V. Team

Fitness Volt Team, Your #1 source for workouts, news, analysis, opinion, and entertainment in bodybuilding & fitness sports.

Recommended For You

Kevin Hart Workout Program

Kevin Hart Diet and Workout Program

Kevin Hart is one of the most famous and beloved comedians in the United States. You probably already knew that...

Jay Cutler Chest

Bodybuilding Legend Jay Cutler Shares Four Top Chest Building Exercises

Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler recently shared an effective chest and biceps workout. Cutler is bodybuilding great that competed in the...

Dumbbell Biceps Workouts

Sleeve-Ripping Dumbbell Biceps Workouts You Can Do at Home or the Gym 

It'd be safe to say that a majority of lifters want bigger biceps, which is why biceps are one of...

The 3-2-1 Workout

The 3-2-1 Method for More Efficient Workouts

Look at the average bodybuilding workout, and it’ll probably use the same set and rep scheme for all the exercises....

Jay Cutler On High Volume Training

Bodybuilding Great Jay Cutler Reflects on High Volume Training Inspired by Ronnie Coleman

Jay Cutler is one of the most successful bodybuilders to ever compete in the sport and parlayed his success to...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Shane Flowers 2022 Wsm

Shane Flowers Out Of The 2022 World’s Strongest Man Due to Injury

2022 Wsm Day 2

2022 World’s Strongest Man: Day Two Qualifiers Results [Live Updates]

Chris Bumstead shares deadlift

Bodybuilder Chris Bumstead Hits 585-lb Deadlift for 6 Reps

Recent Reviews

Best Powerlifting Belts

12 Best Powerlifting Belts of 2022

Best DMAA Pre Workout Alternatives

Top 12 Best DMAA Pre-Workout Alternatives for 2022

Best Turkesterone Supplements

10 Best Turkesterone Supplements of 2022

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workouts
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Mr. Olympia
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Diet
    • News
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Deals
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.