Here are a handful of options based on your goals.Įquipment: Free weights, bodyweight or machines This concept is still the Holy Grail of getting stronger indefinitely: lift a little bit more than you did last time, rest and repeat.īut what if you’re not an injured soldier? What if you have different goals, like losing weight or running faster? Well, then there’s probably a better set-and-rep range for you than 3X10. gradually increasing the weight lifted over time) soon became the staple protocol for strength training. More important than the 3X10 scheme, DeLorme’s implementation of progressive overload (i.e. The results were outstanding, and soldiers returned to battle faster than ever. So, DeLorme developed a regimen that called for 3 sets of 10 reps with increasingly heavier weights, a drastic change from the wimpy weights and endless reps previously prescribed. DeLorme, an avid weightlifter himself, knew there had to be a better way. Typical rehab protocols called for light weight and high reps, but soldiers were spending 6 –9 months recovering. DeLorme needed a faster way to get his injured soldiers back on the battlefield. To learn where the 3X10 approach came from and became accepted as strength training gospel, crack open an American history book to the World War II section.

Spoiler alert: It’s not always 3X10, and here’s why. Whether you’re aiming to gain muscle, build strength or cross-train, there’s a set-and-rep range that will work best for you. Why is 3X10 the default set-and-rep scheme so many people use? Does it work as well as advertised? And most important, is there a better way? The last time you went to the gym to lift weights, how many sets and reps did you do of each exercise? The answer is probably the same for most people: 3 sets of 10 reps.

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