What's The Best Set And Rep Scheme For Strength?

I work with a lot of clients who want to improve their top end or maximal strength.

Some because they're athletes wanting to improve their explosive power, some who are strength athletes wanting to improve their competition numbers, and some hobbyists who enjoy the challenge.

Whoever they are, they often come in confused as to what the best set and rep schemes are for building strength. The internet has given them a whole lot of ideas, but very little clarity as to what the best set and rep schemes for strength training actually are.

And if you're the same, then you're in luck.

As an accredited strength and conditioning coach with 15 years experience and a whole lot of clients who've hit some crazy big numbers on their squats, bench presses, deadlifts, snatches and clean and jerks this is kind of my thing.

So I'm going to share with you what I think are the best set and rep schemes for strength.

The Basics

Let's touch base on the basics first to make sure we're on the same page.

The key variables we can work with are reps, sets and intensity.

Reps are how many lifts we do. Sets are how many times we repeat those reps after a rest period. Intensity is the load on the bar.

When it comes to reps, when maximal strength is the goal, you want to stay within the 1-6 rep range. This means that the training you do is specific enough to the goal in mind.

Sure, you can get stronger at doing sets of 8, 15, and even 20+, but it won't transfer as well to something like a 1RM ( 1 rep max) or 3RM (3 rep max) attempt.

Keeping the reps lower in that 1-6 rep range allows us to keep the intensity up above 80-85%. This is what keeps that training specific.

If you want to get better at lifting heavy, you need to practice lifting heavy, not lifting lighter weights for higher reps.

When it comes to sets you'll be looking at the 2-6 range depending on your reps/intensity. I often refer to Prilepin's Chart as a guide for choosing training volumes (sets x reps).

As you can see, as intensity (weight on the bar) goes up, volume (sets/reps) needs to go down. All set and rep schemes for strength that I program will follow these principles, but transition between periods of overreaching (very hard sessions) and recovering/peaking/tapering (easier sessions). The Best Set And Rep Schemes Now you've got an understanding of what makes a set and rep scheme appropriate, now we can look at what's BEST. Here's some of my favourite set and rep schemes for strength based on your ability. Linear 3x5 For beginners I love to use something simple like 3x5 (3 sets of 5 reps). It's hard to beat for a lot of reasons. It's towards the top of our 1-6 rep range, which keeps our intensity where it needs to be, but allows for more repetitions. This repetition allows the beginner to learn the movement and build their skill in the lift, which is a big part of getting stronger. I would progress it super simple. If you know your 1RM you can run this set and rep scheme for a good while in a linear style (adding weight incrementally each week). It could look something like: Week 1: 3x5 @75% Week 2: 3x5 @77.5% Week 3: 3x5 @80% Week 4: 3x5 @82.5% Week 5: 1xAMRAP @85% You can use the AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) in week 5 to estimate a new 1RM and run the same progression again based off that estimate. You work around/just under the optimal volume range for the intensity which is suitable for beginners, but don't crush yourself. As a beginner your recover is likely going to be poor, so the minimal effective dose is a good route to take. Wave 6/4/2 For intermediates (2-3+ years training I often work in "waves", either weekly if we're building strength mid phase, or within a session if we're peaking their strength late phase. Weekly waves would look something like: Week 1: 4x6 @75-80% Week 2: 4x4 @80-85% Week 3: 4x2 @85-90% Session Waves would look something like: Set 1: 6 @85% Set 2: 4 @85% Set 3: 2 @90% These waves help an athlete add load to the bar regularly when strength increases are harder to come by and also helps create lower volume higher intensity weeks to break up blocks of high intensity work which can be extremely draining when done for prolonged periods. Volume/Intensification My final favoured set and rep scheme for strength is the volume/intensification approach. This means running one block where increasing volume is the goal (more sets/reps in a session), followed by a block where increased weight on the bar is the goal. This could look like: Week 1: 4x3 @80% Week 2: 4x4 @80% Week 3: 4x5 @80% Week 4: 4x6 @80% Week 5: 3x5 @85% Week 6: 3x4 @90% Week 7: 2x3 @95% Week 8: 2x2 @100% Weeks 1-4 you're adding a rep to each set, increasing your number of lifts each week and creating your overload. Weeks 5-8 you're reducing the sets and reps to allow for greater loading, and realising the strength potential you built in weeks 1-4. The Final Word This is just a snapshot of what's possible. You can do linear with other set and rep schemes that 3x5. You can wave up/down and through different reps to 6/4/2. You could add back off sets (6/4/2/10), or include higher rep work for additional hypertrophy benefits (12/10/8). You can build volume in many different ways, or intensify in different ways. As a coach it's about picking a method that suits the individual. Using the minimum effective dose when needed, and the maximal recoverable volume when appropriate. These are just some of my personal favourite that I will use most often with my coaching demographic. Hit me up with your favourites. I'd love to hear what works really well for you. Thanks, Ian.