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PaperclipPerfector  12hr ago (text post)   309 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for March 18, 2026

The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:

  • Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.

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The advice seems reasonable, but I'm a chronic noob and I'd appreciate clarification on what exactly counts as a hard set. Does it mean that I'm spent by the time I reach the last set?

I like AthleanX's 'effective reps' concept

you can do something called effective reps. This style of workout is highly intense and ensures that you are not only going to, but you are going through failure as well. You start with an ignition set of 10-12 reps then you rest up to 30 seconds and start your reps again to failure. Now, you will find that the number of reps you can do in a set will come down from 10-12 to about 7-9. Once you reach failure, you will again rest up to 30 seconds before you start your reps again to failure. Now, you might only get 4 or 5, then maybe 2 or 3 after that. You keep going in this fashion until your targeted number of effective reps are reached

tl;dr: Every set should have a few reps that feel hard. If you aren't grinding out the last few reps, then that isn't a hard set.

My definition of grinding out a rep = Proper grimace, rep needs perfect breathing and a few optional groans.

The only exception is RDLs (or any deadlift), where I stay below failure to avoid breaking my back.
Another exception is hack-squats (or any squat). Here, the 1st set is never that hard and the last set feels like death regardless.

Hmm. I tend to go for the heaviest weights I can, as soon as I can. The sense of progression is encouraging, but I might be overdoing it. I also avoid deadlifts because I have the impression the risk of injury is concerning, and I would not pretend to have perfect form. Thanks! This is helpful.

High quality sets refer to those that employ exercises that are likely going to be limited by the muscle you’re trying to train, through the longest range of motion you can maintain with safe form, taken within 2-3 reps of failure*, and performed when you’re adequately recovered from your previous set (generally around 1.5-2 minutes of rest for isolation lifts, and 3-5+ minutes for heavy compound lifts).

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