how many sets per each body part?

[skinnyfromtoptobottom]

Hi.
Ok, i don't know if i was overtraining all the time, but since i lowered my sets, i seem to get better results (at least in strength).

How many sets should i do per each body part when training each body part only once a week (so each body part has 7 days to regenerate).

How many sets per
chest
back (lower back + middle back + lats)
legs (upper legs, lower legs)
arms (biceps, triceps, forearms)
shoulders (shoulders + trapezius)
?

 

[Mindwraith]

Thats a good question I'd love to know the answer to.

 

[zackdarnell]

Here are my thoughts, and what worked best for me:
Chest- 8-10
Back- 8-12
Legs- 6-12
Bi's- 6-8
Tri's- 6-8
Shoulders- 6-8

 

[Mindwraith]

Yes but when you say "Chest 9-10" you're counting all angles and exercises together right? i.e. incline, flat or press/flys pushups or whatever involves chest? So 3 sets of incline press, 3 of flat press, and 3 flys would be 9 sets right? Heh I'm about to start this next week just need to make sure.

 

[zackdarnell]

Yes but when you say "Chest 9-10" you're counting all angles and exercises together right? i.e. incline, flat or press/flys pushups or whatever involves chest? So 3 sets of incline press, 3 of flat press, and 3 flys would be 9 sets right? Heh I'm about to start this next week just need to make sure.

Yes. If it works the chest, it should be counted.

 

[eastarr69]

I do 3 sets of 5-8 and three exercises per body part....for example:

Chest:

Flat bench: 3sets of 5-8
Decline: same
Incline: same.

I go heavy...heavy to me that is....that will put on strength and mass...going heavier that is...

E

 

[skinnyfromtoptobottom]

ok, the larger the muscle, the more sets i can do, that sounds logic.
but should i make the amount of sets per body part dependend on the rep range of each set? i mean for example, if i do only 3-5 rep sets, should i do less sets than when i do 8-12 rep sets?


and how long should i train when going 5 times a week? 1hr per training session? or longer?


and one more question:
i still don't really understand how many reps per set are best for gaining mass. some people say that low rep sets are best for mass others say low rep sets are ONLY good for strength? so what is right now?


ok, and now i want to tell you about a guy i met at my gym:
he is a real monster, i don't know how he could do that. he has been doing workouts for only 7 months now, and he looks like a guy that has been doing workouts for 5 years!!
i asked him how he could gain that much in such a small time and he said that he has been training the WHOLE body 5 times (!!!) a week! so he must have been doing about 30-40 sets per body part each week. he said that he did not take any steroids.
when i watched him doing bench presses, he did 255lbs. 255lbs in 7month? i was doing 135lbs after 6months of training.
so how could he train that much and not getting overtrained?