Rep & Set Methods: A Bodybuilding Reference

A running catalog of set structures, intensity techniques, rep manipulations, and splits.

● in the right-hand column = used almost exclusively for hypertrophy. Unmarked methods are borrowed from or shared with strength, power, conditioning, or rehab work.

Basic Structures

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Straight sets	Same weight, same reps, every set. The default template (3×10, 4×8).
Pyramids	Add weight and drop reps each set (12, 10, 8, 6). Warms up into the heavy work.
Reverse pyramids	Heaviest set first while fresh, then strip weight and add reps on subsequent sets.
Back-off sets	One top-end heavy set, followed by lighter sets to accumulate volume.
5×5	Five sets of five. Strength-biased, moderate volume.
German Volume Training (10×10)	Ten sets of ten at roughly 60% 1RM with short rests. High fatigue, high volume.	●

Intensity Extenders

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Drop sets	Reach failure, cut the load 20–30%, continue without rest. "Running the rack" is the dumbbell version.	●
Mechanical drop sets	Keep the weight, shift to a mechanically stronger position (incline curls → standing curls).	●
Rest-pause	Go to failure, rest 15–20 seconds, extract more reps. DC-style repeats this two or three times off a single set.
Cluster sets	Deliberate 10–20 second breaks between individual reps, allowing heavier loads for the same rep total.
Myo-reps	One activation set taken near failure, then repeated mini-sets of 3–5 reps with very short rests.	●
Forced reps	A spotter assists past the point of failure for a few additional reps.	●
Cheat reps	Controlled body English to pass the sticking point, with a strict lowering phase.	●
Burnouts / finishers	Light, high-rep work at the end of a session to flush the muscle.	●

Pairing Methods

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Supersets	Two exercises back to back, usually for opposing muscle groups (biceps/triceps).
Compound sets	Two exercises for the same muscle group, performed without rest.	●
Tri-sets / giant sets	Three or four exercises chained together for one muscle group.	●
Pre-exhaust	Isolation first (flyes), then the compound (bench), so the target muscle fails before the assisting muscles.	●
Post-exhaust	The reverse — compound first, isolation immediately after.	●

Rep Manipulation

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
21s	Seven bottom-half reps, seven top-half reps, seven full reps.	●
1.5 reps	A full rep plus a half rep counts as a single rep.	●
Lengthened partials	Partial reps in the stretched position after full-range failure. Well supported by current evidence.	●
Negatives (eccentric-only)	Heavy 3–6 second lowering phase, with assistance on the lifting phase.
Tempo work	Prescribed timing for each phase, e.g. 3-1-1-0 (eccentric–pause–concentric–pause).
Isometric holds	Pauses at peak contraction or in the stretched position.

Specialty Protocols

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
FST-7	Seven sets of 10–12 with 30-second rests on the final exercise for a muscle. Targets pump and fascial stretch.	●
Widowmakers	A single set of 20 (classically squats) using a load you'd normally handle for 10.	●
BFR / occlusion training	Cuffs restrict venous return so light loads (20–30% 1RM) generate high metabolic stress. Also used in rehab.
EMOM	A set performed at the top of every minute; rest is whatever time remains.
Ladders / wave loading	Ascending or repeating mini-waves (3-2-1, 3-2-1) that exploit post-activation potentiation.

Weider Principles (not covered above)

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Muscle confusion	Rotating exercises, angles, and rep ranges to avoid adaptation. Popular, though the underlying rationale is weakly supported.	●
Flushing	Multiple exercises for one muscle group in sequence to keep blood in the area.	●
Peak contraction	Holding and squeezing hard at the fully shortened position.	●
Iso-tension	Flexing the muscle without weight, between sets or after training.	●
Staggered sets	Slotting sets for a lagging small muscle (calves, forearms) into the rest periods of unrelated exercises.	●
Continuous tension	Avoiding lockout and momentum so the muscle stays loaded through the whole set.	●
Partial reps ("burns")	Short-range reps at the end of a set once full reps are gone.	●
Instinctive training	Adjusting the session in real time based on how the body responds that day.

HIT Schools

Method	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Mentzer Heavy Duty	One all-out working set per exercise taken past failure with forced reps and negatives, followed by extended recovery — often 4–7 days between sessions for a body part.	●
Yates-style HIT	Two or three progressively heavier warm-up sets feeding into a single working set to absolute failure. Lower total volume, maximum effort on the set that counts.	●
Arthur Jones / Nautilus	The origin of HIT: slow, controlled reps, one set to failure per machine, brief and infrequent workouts.	●

Training Splits

Split	Description	Hypertrophy-only
Full body	Every major muscle group each session, typically 3x per week. High frequency, moderate per-session volume.
Upper / Lower	Alternating upper- and lower-body days, usually 4x per week. Each muscle trained roughly twice weekly.
Push / Pull / Legs (PPL)	Pressing muscles, pulling muscles, and legs on separate days. Run once or twice through per week.
Bro split	One muscle group per day (chest Monday, back Tuesday, and so on). Low frequency, very high per-session volume.	●
Arnold split	Chest+back, shoulders+arms, legs — often run twice weekly for six training days.	●
Push / Pull	Two-way version of PPL, with legs distributed across both days.
Torso / Limbs	Chest, back, and shoulders on one day; arms and legs on the other.	●
Antagonist split	Organized around opposing pairs (chest/back, biceps/triceps) to allow supersetting.
PHUL	Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower — two heavy low-rep days and two higher-rep hypertrophy days.
PHAT	Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training — Layne Norton's five-day blend of strength and bodybuilding work.
Specialization / blitz	Temporarily devoting extra volume and frequency to a lagging body part while maintaining the rest.	●
Two-a-days	Splitting a day's work into separate morning and evening sessions to raise quality per session.

Document maintained across this conversation — send additions or corrections and I'll update it.

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