Its 1 set per week superior to 3?

[The Caretaker]

I've stumbled a few times on the idea that if you do 1, very heavy set, just once per week, it will be enough of a signal to stimulate strength growth. It might not lead to the same results as at least 4-10 sets, but you will be 80% there with much less fatigue.

Currently, I do resistance training 3 times a week, 1h each workout. And let's just say that more and more, my cardio and my grip become a problem rather than my strength .  Is this true in your experience?

[Michael569]

I do agree with, as you increase intensity, things like cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength being the limitation rather than the strength itself. It is a really common thing especially where guys don't spend enough time training those things or they increase weights too quickly for the rest of the body to catch up such as when using creatine or other substances that boost maximum power and strength.

And the more heavy barbell exercises you do, the more insufficient cardiorespiratory fitness becomes apparent. Grip strength as well for heavy lifts like deadlift and pullups. Not to mention core strength.

The solution could be to temporarily moving some of your training towards HIIT, swimming, running etc.

Not sure about once per week. It sounds compelling but might be insufficient to stimulate your endocrine system enough. 3 times a week doing heavy weights would be more realistic, we had a big discussion about that about a year ago in one of the old threads 

[Sugarcoat]

I think as long as you progressively overload meaning you increase the weight and/or reps(or sets ) you’ll make progress and get stronger. 

[The Caretaker]

@Michael569 This forum had so many debates that I am sure which one in particular you mean . And by hard set, I meant mostly just 1 set per exercise. I still can train 3 times a week, but harder rather than longer.

Also, I think I collected every gym bro stereotype possible. I knew that I needed to implement some zone 2 cardio a long time ago, but I always found an excuse.

@Sugarcoat Sure. The question was mostly about efficiency. Is a 60m workout worth a 20% increase in gains compared to a 20-30m workout?

[Sugarcoat]

6 minutes ago, The Caretaker said:

Sure. The question was mostly about efficiency. Is a 60m workout worth a 20% increase in gains compared to a 20-30m workout?

Depending on how important gains are to you. But most importantly for gains in progressive overload. And proper muscle activation, gotta feeeel the right muscles when you’re working out.

[Michael569]

@The Caretaker i found that incorporating about 25 minutes of Zone 3 HIIT about 3 times a week gives me even better results in improving total stamina.

And by far, the best results came from incorporating uphill exercises l. I used to do these hill sprints combined with running up and down small hills when I lived in Wales and within 6 months my V02 max went from 47 to 53. I haven't been able to make it pass 51 no matter what I do anymore as i don't have hills to train at where i live now. Maybe my age is becoming a factor as well 😄

But if you do live in a country side with some terrain variety, that could be an option.

Edited April 26 by Michael569

[The Renaissance Man]

@The Caretaker 1 heavy set can give you about 50% of what 4 sets could give you. So while it's true that there are diminishing returns the more sets you do, the difference between 1 set and 4-10 sets is not just 20%.

The problem here is that you're taking this principle in isolation. You're not going to put on muscle with one set per week unless you're basically untrained. Even if it's heavy. There is a reason why pro athletes train tens of hours per week. It's because at a certain point you either train more, or you stop improving.

So it depends. If you're untrained, then great. Or if you want to maintain a beginner-intermediate level of fitness. But if you want to improve, or maintain an advanced level, you're going to soon find that's not enough.

Also, once you have warmed up for one set it doesn't take much longer to do two or three. So even in terms of time, it's much more efficient to do 2 sets of one exercise than to do 1 set of two exercises.

As always, if it seems too good to be true, it's probably because it is.

[Jannes]

For hypertrophy I would say its a bad idea but when you are looking for strengh gains it might be a different story. Powerlifter have relatively unique training schedules, look into that if thats your goal. 1 Set still seems very low though, you might just loose some muscle with that. You want to at least maintain the muscle and make central nervous system gains.

Edited Friday at 05:15 PM by Jannes

[Carl-Richard]

On 25.4.2025 at 7:07 PM, The Caretaker said:

It might not lead to the same results as at least 4-10 sets, but you will be 80% there with much less fatigue.

Less fatigue but maybe also less hormonal and neurotransmitter recruitment which means any resemblance of productivity you now have gained is not just cancelled out but also goes in the shitter qualitatively because you have literally decreased your IQ?

Edited Saturday at 02:16 AM by Carl-Richard

[Nilsi]

Do people actually try things before they talk? I’ve been training like this for years and consistently putting on muscle. So what are we even talking about?

[Carl-Richard]

20 hours ago, Nilsi said:

Do people actually try things before they talk? I’ve been training like this for years and consistently putting on muscle. So what are we even talking about?

How long are your workouts? How many exercises?