Quote:
Originally Posted by prettyinpink
For some upper body exercises, if I really go as heavy as I can for 12 reps, by the third set I may only be able to finish 8 or 9.
One reason to sometimes build in more sets is if you primarily use dumbbell exercises, it gets harder to increase weights in small increments. There is a big difference in going from 10 to 15, or 15 to 20, for a shoulder press or bicep curl. And to build muscle, you need to have some type of progression over time. Going from 2 to 3 sets is one way to do that if you aren’t ready to go up in weight. Another way is going up in weight but decreasing reps until you can build them back up again. Thinking about progression is probably a better way to build strength than always sticking to a certain number of reps or sets.
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I'm experiencing that right now. I don't have wrist weights or weighted gloves. I do have 7lb dumbells and one 11 lb dumbell, but the rest are the standard amounts. This gets to be a problem as I go heavier, so thanks for the suggestion.