From Paige Waehner,
Your Guide to Exercise.
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It's hard to believe that exercise could be controversial, but when it comes to weight training, there are plenty of conflicting opinions. There's the free weights v. machines controversy, and don't forget the protein issue that never seems to get resolved. And of course, there's the question of how many sets you should do to get the most results. Some recommend doing anywhere from 3 to 5 sets for maximum gains, while others say just the opposite, that one set is just as good as two. So, who's right?

The controversy

The conflicting opinions about how many sets is best stems from the Overload Principle. Research suggests that, in order to gain strength and size, you have to overload your muscle--push it beyond it's present capacity. From this theory, we know that intensity is to key to strength gains. So, can you get the kind of intensity you need from one set? Some folks think it doesn't matter if you fatigue your muscles in one set or several sets -- as long as your muscles experience a sufficient level of exhaustion."

The Physician and Sports Medicine agrees. In a comparison of several different studies, only one found that multiple sets elicited greater strength gains than single set training, while the other studies found no significant difference. Conclusion? You can get a great workout using single-set training methods, as long as you focus on quality, not quantity.

One Set Workouts

The Physician and Sports Medicine recommends single-set training for the general population. The reasons?

• It's time efficient. It takes much less time to do one set of each exercise as opposed to 4 or more sets, so you can squeeze it in wherever you have 20 minutes or so.
• It enhances compliance. People are much more likely to stick with an exercise program when they don't have to spend hours in the gym.
• It's more cost effective.
• It's easy to change your workouts by substituting different exercises when you get bored or when you body stops responding.

Making Your Workout Efficient

Just because you've just been given permission to cut your sets down to one doesn't mean you get to be lazy now. Actually, now is the time that you really have to focus on what you're doing to make sure that every second of your workout counts.

• Make it a quality workout. Take your time during each set and focus on the muscle that you're working.
• Focus on the exercise. Do every single repetition with perfect form: no jerking, no bouncing, no slumping...no cheating!
• Use heavy weights. To fatigue your muscles, you should be lifting enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired number of repetitions (somewhere between 10-15). If, at the end of your set, you can keep going, that's a sign that you need to increase your weight.
• Go slowly. Using momentum means that you're not recruiting all of your muscle fibers. For each repetition, count to 4 during the lifting and lowering phase of the movement.
• Think Maximal Effort. Remember, you're only doing one set, so go all out (but don't hurt yourself!).
• Always warm up with 5-10 minutes of cardio beforehand, and cool down with a stretch.
• Give yourself at least one day of rest between sessions and drink lots of water!