How Many Reps and Sets Should I Do for Bodyweight Training?

Whether you are doing conventional weight training for

• muscular endurance
• hypertrophy (increasing muscle size) or
• developing explosive strength, as in powerlifting

…you will have noticed that for each type of training there is a set structure; the rules for sets and reps are very much cut and dried.

When it comes to bodyweight training, however, things might be a little more tricky to figure out.

There is so much information and misinformation online that your head is probably spinning as you read this.

So how many sets and reps should I do?

My answer to that questions is – “it depends”.

While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy…

…your goal is to do as many reps and sets as you can in the time that you have.

As long as you cover the entire body.

Even if you are only able to manage one set of an exercise.

Bear in mind, too, that more is not necessarily better.

Doing compound exercises

If you are just starting out, you will want to do a workout that goes like this

• start with legs (squats)
• then do your back (pull ups)
• finally finish with chest (push ups).

The strategy here is to do compound exercises.

Remember that I said we would talk about this?

When you follow the strategy as described you hit all the muscle groups, from the largest to the smallest.

And you are doing it in that order because that is how the body utilizes energy for these muscles during workouts.

Unless you are physically challenged in which case you need to find ways to strengthen what you have.

The normal setup in conventional weight training is to start you off doing anywhere from 15 to 20 reps per set of an exercise.

The general purpose is to build up your endurance and to get you accustomed to the stresses of exercise.

And you would do three sets.

You are not obliged to do 3 sets x 15 reps.

A suggested example

You could do it like this (just an example)

• Set 1 = you manage to do 10 reps
• Set 2 = you manage to do 5 reps
• Set 3 = you manage 18 reps

Rest as long as you need to between each set.

So your total exercise volume would be 33 reps as opposed to 45 reps.

When your strength and endurance increase you can then set your sights higher, always with a gradual increase.

If you are just starting out however and you are any of the following:

• older than 40
• have an underlying health condition such as hypertension
• you have not had any personal training or not done any sport before

…then you are strongly advised to see your doctor before starting out.

You may also need to undergo physical testing which can also uncover any additional physical issues.

If you are able to test yourself at home here are some suggestions

You are advised not to do the sit-up, if you are overweight with lower back problems.

There are suitable alternatives for strengthening your abs.

Just to throw a spanner in the works

Research has shown that doing one set of a full body workout raises your resting metabolic rate by pretty much the same percentage as doing three sets.

Let that sink in for a while and then see if that can work for you as you are just starting out.

Bodyweight exercise videos for those just starting out

Here are 6 bodyweight exercises that you can include in your routine.

Bodyweight exercise videos for the more advanced

Plus you might need access to some gym equipment

10 BEST Body Weight Exercises of All-Time (plus 5 Bonus moves)

Sources:

Gary Matthews, “Home Workout Without a Gym.” Topend Sports Website, 2003, https://www.topendsports.com/fitness/home-no-gym.htm, [Accessed 12/16/2020].

Robert Wood, “Fitness Training Using Bodyweight Exercises.” Topend Sports Website, 2010, https://www.topendsports.com/fitness/body-weight.htm, [Accessed 12/16/2020].

Robert Wood, “Home Fitness Tests.” Topend Sports Website, 2008, https://www.topendsports.com/testing/hometest.htm, [Accessed 12/16/2020].

Heden T, Lox C, Rose P, Reid S, Kirk EP. (2011). One-set resistance training elevates energy expenditure for 72 h similar to three sets. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 111(3):477-84.