How many sets and reps should you use?
A question many trainers ask and a topic often debated is, how many sets and reps should I use???
We know there is never an absolute answer that can be applied in all instances but below are two good guides to base your programming decision regarding how many reps and sets you should prescribe.
Prilepin’s Chart
Prilepins Chart is a guide many Powerlifting, Weightlifting and power sport athletes use in the program design.
During the 1960’s & 1970’s a Soviet sports scientist by the name of A.S. Prilepin collected data from 1000’s of elite level weightlifters (from National to Olympic champions) training logs. This data was analysed and the following guidelines were recommended and have been adopted by many weightlifters and power lifters.
Prilepin discovered if the number of lifts in one exercise is significantly above or below the optimal, the training effect decreases.
Prilepin’s Chart
| % of 1 RM | Reps | Optimal | Total range |
| 55–65 | 3–6 | 24 | 18–30 |
| 70–80 | 3–6 | 18 | 12–24 |
| 80–90 | 2–4 | 15 | 10–20 |
| 90+ | 1–2 | 7 | 4-10 |
Keep in mind that this chart which was taken from the book Managing the Training of Weightlifters by Laputin & Oleshko, and is aimed at weightlifters and power sport athletes and doesn’t take into account programming for injury prevention, strength endurance or any corrective work etc.
In Ian King’s how to write strength training programs book he proposes the following for a guide for optimal range of sets. It is possibly a better guide as factors in more than just training for maximal effort strength
| TRAINING GOAL | RANGE of OPTIMAL NO. of SETS | RATIONALE |
| Stability/control & general fitness | 20-30 | Can do more sets because intensity will be low and rests short |
| General Strength & Hypertrophy | 15-25 | Increasing intensity requires slightly lower volume |
| Maximal Strength | 5-15 | Even higher intensity require further reduction in volume |
| Explosive power | 5-15 | Similar levels of intensity, similar volume |
| Quickness/stretch-shortening cycle | 5-20 | Broader range of intensity may result in broader range of volume |
There are some definite similarities in these two charts especially when it comes to programming for maximal strength and explosive strength. It would suggest that both authors have found these sets ranges to be effective with many of there athletes when the goal is increasing maximal strength and power.
The real take home point is, you should be tracking your clients progress, monitoring volume and intensity and observing what gives them the best results. Remembering what works for them this year may not be optimal for them next year.
In this article we have looked at two different guidelines, and there are many, many more that are worth investigating.
These tables will give you a good guide to start from and you can adjust to meet you clients goals and adaptations from there as some may respond better to higher volume and some lower.
