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22 Proven Rep Schemes
22 Proven Rep Schemes
Rep
Schemes
articles, bigger-stronger-leaner
People always want a cut and dry answer to this question, but it’s
not that simple. There’s no one “best” set/rep scheme, regardless of
your goal.
But there are several great ones. Here are 22 of the most effective
set/rep schemes that have been proven in the field. You can’t go
wrong with any of them if you respect the guidelines and train hard.
You start with a moderate load and gradually build your way up to
the heaviest weight you can lift for the chosen rep number.
Ramping works optimally with low reps, which is why it’s best suited
for straight-forward strength work. “Ramping” to a 10 or 12-rep max
is inefficient and ineffective because of the relatively-lighter weights,
cumulative fatigue, and other factors.
Ramping is based on the fact that, every time you perform a set, two
things happen in the body.
1. Only do the chosen rep number on all your sets, even the
lighter ones. Because you’re using lighter weights, you’re
able to accelerate them and increase activation without
building up fatigue.
165 lbs x 3
185 lbs x 3
245 lbs x 3
275 lbs x 3
4. 10x1 AT 90%
Ten sets of singles will allow you to gain strength as well as the skill
to be able to demonstrate that strength.
You can certainly build strength using weights around 80%, but it’s
the lifts at 90%+ that make you good at demonstrating maximum
strength and actually straining to successfully complete a near-max
lift.
You can build just as much strength using weights that are 90% 1RM
as you can using weights that are 95-100% 1RM.
You also recruit more motor units doing hard doubles than singles at
the same intensity level because you create some fatigue with the
first rep and are forced to recruit more motor units to be able to
perform the second rep.
Ten singles can be very effective for advanced lifters with lots of
heavy lifting experience because they’re generally able to recruit
Skip to main contentmore motor-units in that one rep.
Intermediate lifters will get better results from the doubles because
they can’t recruit as many fibers in the first rep and need the second
to get complete stimulation.
6. 3x3 AT 90%
“Hard triples” are a good way to train for strength if you have little
experience in maximal lifting.
The benefits are similar to the hard doubles in that you use fatigue
from the first reps to increase motor unit recruitment as the set
progresses.
Intermediates will make great gains too, but it might be a bit too
demanding for advanced lifters because they’re often more efficient
at recruiting muscle fibers and because their max will be higher.
90% of 500 pounds is more demanding on the body than 90% of 200
Skip to main contentpounds, even if, relatively speaking, the intensity is the same.
Advanced lifters can still use it, but doing five doubles would work
better in most situations.
The type of advanced lifter who would benefit the most from hard
triples is someone who’s strong but not explosive. Naturally-
explosive lifters are the best at recruiting fast-twitch fibers and will
quickly lose strength from rep to rep.
It’s not rare to have an explosive lifter fail to get 3 reps at 90% while
a strong but slower lifter can bang out 5 reps with that weight.
This is quite possibly the most powerful loading scheme you can
use to build strength.
Some experts may have spoken out against it, but I’ve seen it work
too many times to listen to “theory” and disregard reality. Heck, even
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Ilya Illyin, arguably the best Olympic lifter at the moment, uses this
scheme in his training.
If you can complete all the reps in that second wave, you start a
third wave. Stop the exercise when you can no longer complete a
wave.
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Note that the first wave is generally conservative while the second
one is more challenging but a notch below your true maximum. The
third wave, ideally, leads to a 1RM. Being able to complete four
waves would lead to a PR.
Wave 1:
315 lbs x 3
325 lbs x 2
335 lbs x 1
Wave 2:
325 lbs x 3
335 lbs x 2
Wave 3:
335 lbs x 3
345 lbs x 2
355 lbs x 1
Wave 4:
345 lbs x 3
355 lbs x 2
365 lbs x 1
The first set is designed to potentiate the nervous system and get
used to the new weight; the second set is a more demanding effort.
Rest approximately 90 seconds after the first set and two minutes
after the second set of each pair.
Ratchet 1:
80% x 1
80% x 3
Ratchet 2:
85% x 1
85% x 3
Ratchet 3:
90% x 1
90% x 3
Ratchet 4:
Doing all five sets with the same weight, but alternating
heavier days with 80-85% and lighter days with 75%.
They all work as long as you keep the reps at 5 per set and the load
between 75 and 85%.
You remove one rep while adding weight on every set. The
decreasing rep pattern lets you believe that each set is “easier” than
the one before, while the added weight makes it harder.
While you can sometimes end the 5/4/3/2/1 with a true 1RM, being
a bit more conservative will stimulate gains just as much while
having less of a negative impact on the nervous system.
80% x 5
82% x 4
85% x 3
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87-90% x 2
92-95% x 1
Example:
80% x 5
82% x 4
85% x 3
90% x 2
95% x 1
100% x 1
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102-105% x 1
Only push it when you’re honestly sure you’ll hit something big.
The benefit is that you amp up the nervous system prior to doing the
higher reps sets, which will allow you to recruit more fast-twitch
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fibers on the volume set, stimulating more growth.
Note that we skip the sets of 3 and 5 reps because we want to
potentiate the nervous system early on and reach the last set
without accumulating too much fatigue.
90-92% x 1
88-90% x 2
85% x 4
80% x 6+
The goal is to get all 5 reps in, so you might start with shorter breaks
early in the set and then extend the mini-rest as the set (and fatigue)
progresses.
This results in you being able to use a bit more weight than you
normally would for 5 “normal” reps while still being forced to recruit
more motor units from rep to rep due to some fatigue accumulation.
The 6/4/2 scheme uses more volume, so you hit your limit in three
waves. With 6/4/2 waves, the first wave is conservative, the second
wave would lead to your 2RM, and a third wave would lead to a
personal record for 2 reps.
You still use “waves” of two sets with same weight for both sets,
and you rest 90 seconds after the first set and two minutes after the
second, but you’re working with different loads to accommodate the
slightly higher rep ranges.
Ratchet 1:
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75% x 3
75% x 5
Ratchet 2:
80% x 3
80% x 5
Ratchet 3:
85% x 3
85% x 5
This loading scheme uses contrasts between sets of 1 rep with 90-
Skip to main content95% of your maximum and sets of 6 reps with 70-80% of your 1RM.
Perform a total of 6 sets, or 3 contrast pairings.
90% x 1
70% x 6
92.5% x 1
75% x 6
95% x 1
80% x 6+
On the very last set, keep going up to failure, however many reps it
takes. There’s a good chance you’ll often get more than 6 because
of the neural activation from the preceding sets.
Doing the sets in the reverse order, with the lighter/higher rep set
just before the heavy work, wouldn’t have the same effect.
The first three sets are done with gradually heavier weights and
progressively fewer reps, and you finish off with a high-rep pump
set. This approach is very effective for pure muscle growth since it
attacks all the zones that have the greatest impact on hypertrophy.
Example:
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60% x 10
70% x 8
75% x 6
Remember, the key factor with this loading scheme is density, not
load. If you can’t do all 6 sets with a strict 30 seconds rest, reduce
the load until you adapt to the short rest periods.
Vince Gironda called this one “the honest workout” because of the
simple, honest muscle it could build.
It’s basically the same thing as 6 x 6, but with more sets and more
reps. Because of the higher total volume, the weights are slightly
less, around 60% 1RM or a weight you could handle for about 12
reps.
The version that works best for size is using 75-80%, generally a
weight you can get 6 or 7 reps with. Do 6 reps with that weight, then
rack the bar and rest for 15-20 seconds, and then try to complete 4
more reps with the same weight.
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This is a very demanding technique, so don’t do more than one or
two sets of this technique per exercise. You could perform one or
two “regular” sets of 6, then end with one or two of these rest pause
sets.
HDL is an even more difficult form of rest pause training that works
amazingly well, but is very draining on the body. You shouldn’t
perform it for more than 3 workouts in a row.
Using the same weight throughout the set (around 70% or a weight
you could do for 10 good reps), you do 5 reps, rack the bar and rest
15 seconds, do 4 reps, rest 15 seconds, do 3 more reps, rest 15
seconds, get 2 more reps, rest 15 seconds, and then finish one final
rep.
Skip to main contentPerform no more than three of these monster sets per workout.
Each set ends up letting you complete 15 total reps with a load you
could’ve done for only 8-10 “regular” reps, so it’s clear why this is
among the best size-builders.