Single set optimum according to mayo clinic site- I'm confused..

tech77

Lads this site says that a single set for a given exercise (presumably with high weights then..) is optimum rather than the traditional 3* 8-12 etc.
The site is reputable (the mayo clinic ffs..).
I'm confused now..

rubadub

This is gone cause a lot of trouble!

I imagine they did studies on novice lifters- in which 1 set is plenty for strength gains. A novice/virgin lifter could very well overtrain at 3 sets and actually hinder results. For hardcore experienced lifters they KNOW what works best.

Keep in mind, bodybuilders and some athletes may gain additional benefit from multiple-set weight training.

A lot of these studies are done on volunteers and beginners. Just like the protein studies are often done on inactive patients in hospitals, or couch potatoes, so you get reports saying "you only need 1g of protein per Xlb of weight", these studies do not take into account activity or the proportion of you mass that is muscle.

The site is vague too. If I do 1 set of dips, 1 set of bench press, 1 set of flyes, then that might give better results than 3 sets of benching alone. But there is no info like that, just "1 is as good as 3"

The doctor quoted is a "Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Edward Laskowski, M.D" so it might be referring to patients in rehab after accidents, rebuilding muscle, in which case 1 set is probably fine.

Hanley

Anyone who says that ANYTHING involving sets and reps in training is absolute is an idiot and should not be listened to.

maradona10

"Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Edward Laskowski, M.D"

i doubt this man is an idiot

tech77

OK so for someone starting out would it be better to stick with say 3-4 sets of 8-12 (working until muscles are fatigued) and increase the weight gradually over weeks.
Or would you start with only 1 maybe 2 sets (but still working to fatigue) and adding a second and third set eventually (then building the weight gradually).

Pherekydes

tech77 wrote: »

Lads this site says that a single set for a given exercise (presumably with high weights then..) is optimum rather than the traditional 3* 8-12 etc.
The site is reputable (the mayo clinic ffs..).
I'm confused now..

Did you read to the end?

from site wrote:

Keep in mind, bodybuilders and some athletes may gain additional benefit from multiple-set weight training.

mack1

tech77 wrote: »

The site is reputable (the mayo clinic ffs..).

aren't they shutting that down and moving it to galway?

Hanley

maradona10 wrote: »

"Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Edward Laskowski, M.D"

i doubt this man is an idiot

He obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. And what's worse is that it would appear he doesn't even know that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

What would you call someone liek that?

Regardless of the fact they're an MD, PhD or whatever.

If a physicist with a PhD for his groundbreaking work in alterning gravitational forces came up to me and told me that I need to plant my trees in a certain kind of soil and feed them a certain food should I believe him cos he has a PhD?

tech77

Slow coach wrote: »

Did you read to the end?

Yeah i saw that tbh as well so i don't know really..

Pherekydes

Hanley wrote: »

Anyone who says that ANYTHING involving sets and reps in training is absolute is an idiot and should not be listened to.

Where did he say anything absolute?

Hanley wrote: »

He obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.

How did you draw that conclusion?

Interesting guy you're dissing there:

Dr. Edward Laskowski is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

He has been on the staff of the Mayo Clinic since 1990 and specializes in sports medicine, fitness, strength training and stability training. He works with a multidisciplinary team of physical medicine, rehabilitation and orthopedic specialists, physical therapists and sports psychologists.

Dr. Laskowski is an elite-level skier and approaches sports medicine from the perspective of a physician and an athlete.

maradona10

hanley your a gas man

Hanley

Slow coach wrote: »

Where did he say anything absolute?

Slow Coach, this was the original post.

tech77 wrote: »

Lads this site says that a single set for a given exercise (presumably with high weights then..) is optimum rather than the traditional 3* 8-12 etc.
The site is reputable (the mayo clinic ffs..).
I'm confused now..

And this was my response.

Hanley wrote: »

Anyone who says that ANYTHING involving sets and reps in training is absolute is an idiot and should not be listened to.

Can you comprehend was the meaning of the post was? Let me break it down....

If SOMEONE (note I DID NOT say the Mayo Clinic speifically) says that something is ABSOLUTE (I DID NOT quote directly) as regards to sets and reps then they don't know what they're talking about.

I fail to see how anyone can dispute what I've said in this post.



EDIT: If I was to meet the Doc I would congratulate him on his accomplishments. Then I would ask him to direct me to the bodybuilders or lifters he's trainined that have gained large amounts of muscle using his method.

Then I would say so one set if the best way to do it? Then I would look ask some of the competitive bodybuildrs I know and train with how they build their muscle.

I'm willing to bet the responses would be different.

And yes, I'm well aware he says at the end multiple sets might be optimal for bodybuilders. But if multiple sets are a better idea for guys who are traninig to increase their muscle mass for their sport, then how does things suddenly change when we're not talking about competitive bodybuilders?

Hanley

And while I'm at it, also from the answer in question...

"Another study found that using a weight sufficient to fatigue the muscle at about 12 repetitions is optimal stimulus for strength gain."

Do I REALLY need to keep arguing my point here or can we just let this die?

mack1

Surely this is all lies - everyone knows that you must lift exactly your bodyweight divided by pi for 9 and 3/4 reps at a pace of 4.7 seconds per rep to achieve any sort of results at all!

Transform

LMAO - exactly. The sets you do are better than the sets you don't so just do something. One set is all most fat americans could handle and they had to rest

Colm_OReilly

Hanley's ABSOLUTELY correct

Hanley

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Hanley's ABSOLUTELY correct

I LOVE hearing that.