Tip Perform Sets Like This for Long-Term Gains Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Perform Sets Like This for Long-Term Gains Here' s a better way to plan your sets and reps that prevents burnout and leads to more size and strength gains by Charles Staley September 23, 2016August 18, 2019 Tags Tips, Training Don t Restrict Yourself To Sets Across Whenever you're doing a program that calls for 3 sets of 10, or 5 sets of 5, or really any set/rep format, your natural instinct is probably to use the same weight for all work sets. It's got a nice symmetry to it, right? That method – which we've all used – is commonly referred to as "sets across." While there's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, there are at least two compelling reasons why "coloring outside the lines" might be a better strategy. Here's why it's better to allow yourself to use varied loads for your planned work sets. 1 – Varied Loads Make You More Aggressive Think about how you'd approach your squat workout if you had 4 sets of 6 planned, and you planned to use the same weight for all 4 sets. You're debating whether you should use 275 or 280, so you settle with 275 "just to be safe." But what if you allowed yourself to lighten up on later sets if you really needed to? With that mindset, you'd likely start heavier, knowing that you could unload the bar a bit later if needed. So maybe you start with 280, and it felt better than expected, so on set 2 you squat 285. Doing that really smoked your legs though, so you drop to 275 for your final 2 sets. Think about how much more productive this is (over weeks and months) than if you'd simply done 275. And keep something in mind here – on late sets, you're more fatigued, so you can actually get the same benefit with lighter loads. What really matters is that however your sets end up, you improve upon them next time you squat. 2 – Varied Loads Lead to Better Long Term Progress This is especially relevant to more seasoned lifters who are closer to their ultimate potential for size and strength. Attempting to add 5 pounds per set every week can result in volume increases that are harder to sustain long term. Imagine that yesterday you benched 255 for 5 sets of 8. That means you lifted 10,200 pounds total if you do the math. Next week you're planning to attempt 260 for the same sets and reps. That's 10,400 total pounds. If you manage that, it'll be a 200 pound jump in volume, just for that exercise. For beginners, this is business as usual. But if you've been in the game longer than 5-6 years (and especially for small muscle groups), it's just not gonna fly long term. You're going to stall out. A better approach is to shoot for 260 on maybe 1-2 sets on that second workout. Maybe it'll look like this: 255x8 260x8 260x8 255x8 255x8 The following week, you try to improve upon it even further. Try this strategy on your next training cycle and you'll agree that small details like this really add up! Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Figuring Out Your Life and Lifting Goals How combining the threads of training, career, and family can make for a full, fit life. Motivation, Training Dan John July 10 Training Do This Not That Add these variations to your strength training staples and kick start some new growth and athleticism. Athletic Performance, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Jim Wendler October 30 Training Tip Do Fixation-Insertion Super Sets for Biceps This is brutal. And smart. But mainly brutal. And it'll trigger biceps growth like nothing else. Check it out. Tips, Training Charles Poliquin April 3 Training Tip Make Your Low Back and Knees Feel Better Add one drill to your warm-up and one exercise to your workout. Check 'em out. Mobility, Tips, Training Lee Boyce March 21