whats wrong w. this

[plar135]

im wondering what is the purpose for doing 3 working sets (or multiple sets for that matter) versus one really hard one? by this i mean instead of doing 3 working sets, either all of them to failure or just the last one, doesnt matter, why not do just one really intense set w. sum forced reps/drop sets/partials/negatives? the only reason i can think of is injuries r more likely maybe, but is there any other reason?

example:
barbell curl 100lbs 6-8 reps to failure
use the 100lbs and do 3 forced reps w. 10sec negative
drop down to 70 and do to failure
do another 3 forced reps w. 10 sec negative
repeat w. 50
repeat w. 30 plus partials after the 3 forced reps

i dunno, just had this thought rolling around in my head, so u can flame away if u so desire

basically, all im gettin at is y is 3 sets good or 'better' than 1 super intense set?

[Face]

Who knows, you'll hear many different arguments and opinions about this. Important thing is to keep your workouts mixed up so they don't go stale, and see which of the types of workout regime give you better gains.

[lordikon]

I'm no expert. But I think that after a set, the muscle has time to breathe again, and by letting it breathe and doing 3 sets, with some time in between, you'll get more of a burn, and more muscle growth later on.

[Face]

But I don't think burn correlates with muscle growth, its a build up of lactic acid....... But then again we could argue this forever because there are no definitive answers....

[plar135]

so it doesnt raelly make a difference and its just personal preference? theres no penalty/bonus?

[Face]

You'll probably have to talk to some others, i don't have all the answers; but i don't see why you can't do an 8 week run of one method, and then mix it up and do an 8 week run of the other. Then, check your results and see which was better for you, looking at it in a logical manner: which made you feel better, which gave you more strength gains, which gave you more muscle gains, which were you able to fit in better around your normal life etc etc. There are unfortunately no written laws that tell you how to work out and EXACTLY what to do or we wouldn't need to come on here and ask advice from each other.

Trial and error and patience is all thats required.......