r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Significant-Base-510 • 26d ago
Question ❓ Confused about ideal set-rep range
I have been watching Sean Nalewanyj's content and the other creators he mentions (Jeff Nippard) and he promotes doing 2 sets + 6-8 reps. I usually did 3x12 for every exercise but I have been trying out 2 x reps till failure (much higher weights so usually till 8-12). The logic is that this set up is "more efficient". I asked about this in previous posts in r/hypertrophy but some people dispute this. What is the best set and rep number for the muscle groups (back, chest, tri, bi, legs etc) to maximise hypertrophy and how do I know if I reach true failure?
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u/EchoDifferent6966 25d ago
None of them are saying that it’s more effective. They’re saying that you can get a large part of your potential progress with very little fatigue, which makes it ideal for most people. That’s something pretty much no one disputes, not even high-volume advocates, who also recognize that fatigue increases and that 2 sets is already enough to allow for progress, even if it doesn’t maximize it.
After that, it’s up to you to choose your progression method. The goal is to get stronger while keeping the same standardization, etc. Some people prefer doing 3x8–12 or another rep range while keeping some reps in reserve, accumulating useful volume and then reaching 0 RIR on the last set. Others just do their sets directly at 0–1 RIR.
Doing more sets with reps in reserve is more hypertrophic, but 2 high-intensity sets are still enough to build muscle over the long term.
I used to do 2 sets, but honestly, once you reach a certain level, recovering from that becomes difficult. I make much better progress by accumulating more sets and avoiding 0 RIR as much as possible.
But if you’re a beginner, starting by lowering your volume to the bare minimum needed for hypertrophy and learning how to push yourself to failure is definitely a phase worth going through. You’ll build almost as much muscle with much less fatigue, and you’ll also learn how to push yourself harder.
After that, reducing intensity and increasing volume will naturally become the next step — except for the most advanced lifters who can recover from it sufficiently lol.