The two-set workout program: you call make awesome muscle gains using only two sets per exercise—we've got the program that shows you how

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2007 by Jason Ferruggia

YOU MIGHT ASSUME that doing only two sets for most of your exercises would make for a pretty half-assed workout. But if you're trying to build muscle and you're doing more than two sets, you're probably not working hard enough. We know, we know ... the biggest guys in your gym are doing three to five sets per exercise, and so are many pro bodybuilders. But read on, and we'll show you how to build an incredible amount of muscle in some of the shortest, most productive, yet brutally hardcore workouts you've ever had.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

WORK LESS, WORK HARD

It's a myth that high-volume training (lots of sets) is a must for muscle growth. Forget that bodybuilders do it--many of them are on steroids, and nearly every pro has such exceptional genetics that he could practically sneeze in the middle of a set and grow from it. And yes, we're sure that you, your friends, and the muscle-bound badasses in your gym have made impressive gains in the past by using multiple sets, but we can guarantee you there's an optimal approach--and if you're going to do anything, why not do it the best way possible?

As much as there has been written about how you need 8-12 sets per body part to grow, there are no studies that confirm this. At the same time, there are studies that show that one set can be just as effective as three. As long as the weights you're lifting are challenging, you complete your reps with good form, you're eating enough calories, and you're getting sufficient sleep, you're going to gain muscle--and you can do it in about 45 minutes. There's nothing magical about doing multiple sets. In fact, the more sets you do, the more you risk draining your muscles' protein and glycogen stores, making it harder to recover from the session and build new muscle. The truth is, if you're really training hard and choosing weights that push you to the limit, one or two sets per exercise (excluding warm-up sets) is more than enough.

IT TAKES TWO

You should actually be able to get the job done with one set, but we're recommending two as a general rule just for insurance. (See "How Two" at right for descriptions of four different and effective ways to perform two sets.) Nevertheless, there are still times when a guy can and should perform multiple sets. If you are a raw beginner, you won't be able to lift much weight, and you'll need multiple sets to perfect your form and stimulate the central nervous system to recruit more muscle fibers. (If this sounds like you, skip this workout and head to mensfitness.com, where you can check out one of our beginner routines.) If you are training for a specific sport and want to improve speed or power, you could handle more sets on power exercises such as barbell cleans or box jumps. Finally, if you are varying the reps and loads you're using, you can do more sets, and you'll find exercises that call for this in the workout program that follows. For example, you may use 315 pounds for two sets of four on an exercise, then do a set of six with 295, and then a set of eight with 275. Because the stimulus keeps changing, your muscles aren't getting overworked. Otherwise, if the weight and reps don't change, it just takes two.

HOW TWO

There are many ways to grow from two sets. Try each of these to see what works best for you.

* TAKE THE FIRST OF YOUR

TWO WORK SETS TO FAILURE

(you should not be able to complete one more rep than the set mails for). For the second set, drop the weight by 5%-7% and try for the same number of reps. Some people like to do their heaviest lifting first, when they're fresh. Since the weight you're lifting should make it very difficult to hit the number of reps the set calls for, the second set is lighter to allow you to complete that number of reps again.

* Have you ever noticed that on your first set of an exercise you might struggle a bit to get the weight up, but then the second set feels much easier? That's because your central nervous system is better prepared to lift heavy by the second set than it was on the first. PERFORM YOUR FIRST SET WITH ABOUT 90% of the load you can use for the number of reps the set calls for (so go to about two reps shy of failure). Then load up for your second set and take that to failure. The first set serves as an extension of your warm-up, preparing you for your best effort on the second set.

* TAKE BOTH SETS TO JUST ONE REP SHY OF FAILURE. This is a good, safe option that minimizes risk for injury and overtraining.

* TAKE BOTH SETS TO FAILURE. Use this option sparingly (once or twice a month) and only if you've got a year or more of training behind you. If you've been training for several years and are working with very heavy weights, this may be too much for you to recover from; try a different approach.

Note: No matter what option you choose, both work sets ore to be done otter a thorough warm-up.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

DIRECTIONS

FREQUENCY: Perform each workout (A, B, C, and D) once per week, resting a day between each session.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the exercise pairs (marked A and B) as alternating sets, resting the prescribed amount of time between each set. (So you'll do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, rest again, and repeat for all the prescribed sets.) Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all the sets for that exercise before moving on to the next.