Hi, friends! Yesterday was Election Day in several states, including my own. Did you get out and vote? If not, you’re not allowed to read this newsletter. ❌ 

Jk! I hope you did, but if not, there’s always next year. In the next 363 days, treat each other with kindness, keep an open mind, and lead with a loving heart. It’s gonna be a whirlwind. 🌪️😅 

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Top Set Mentality

Conventional wisdom (in the past decade or so, anyway) based on numerous studies typically suggests that accumulating a volume of 10–20 sets, to or near failure, per muscle group per week is optimal for hypertrophy (muscle growth). 

I’ve followed this for awhile now, and it’s proven pretty effective for me. But I recently listened (and re-listened) to a podcast that is sort of a paradigm shift from that volume-based mentality for hypertrophy. In the episode, Dr. Joey Muñoz interviews Dr. Chester Sokolowski. “Dr. Soko” is a PhD and recreational bodybuilder himself. (Click the link to check out his Instagram. Dude is jacked.)

Sometimes when someone comes along and flips conventional scientific practices on their head, they lack credibility and are just trying to sell something gimmicky. Dr. Soko has the triple-whammy of education (PhD), personal experience (just look at him), and successfully replicating and implementing his methods with numerous other individuals (his clients). So I decided the guy’s worth listening to.

So what’s his premise?

A low-volume, high-intensity approach to strength and hypertrophy. A “top set mentality.” To gain muscle, Dr. Soko only performs 1–4 sets of exercises per muscle group per week (compared to current recommendations of 10–20). Now when I say “sets,” I don’t mean just doing a set of 10 reps of any weight. These are very intense sets with typically very heavy weights. 

• We have recently discovered in exercise science that the reps that really “count,” (i.e. are intense enough to actually stimulate increases in muscle size and strength) are the ~5ish reps before reaching muscular failure, or when you couldn’t lift another rep. The repetitions before those last five are really just the warmups to those final reps that have the most impact. Therefore, a set that ends when you could’ve lifted the weight 6+ more times before failing doesn’t really “count,” because it probably wasn’t intense enough to stimulate much muscle or strength growth.

• So when I say “sets” from here on out, we’re referring to sets that are within 5 reps of failure. Those are what Dr. Soko only does (and recommends) 1–4 times per week for each muscle group. 

Also important to note is that he uses longer rest periods than most people and than what’s typically recommended. Why? It’s highly unlikely that if you truly push a set with a rep or two of failure and only rest for 1–2 minutes, that you could achieve the same number of reps on subsequent sets—especially if you have a few more to go. Even psychologically, it’s extremely taxing to be exhausted after your first set and think about three more you’ve got to complete very soon. Therefore, you may actually be leaving some on the table in the earlier sets.

• So Dr. Soko typically rests for 4, 5, 6 minutes before his “top sets.” And before that, he gets in at least a couple warmup sets to truly prepare his body to lift heavy weight and push his limits. I’m going to try the same thing.

One last aspect of this programming: The above framework applies primarily to big, multi-joint compound lifts (think bench press, rows, deadlifts, squats, leg press), and in the 4–10 repetition range. But there’s also isolation (single joint) exercises like quad extensions and bicep curls. Dr. Soko recommends at least one set of an isolation exercise as well, preferably in the form of a drop set. Drop sets are effective sets where you push an exercise to basically failure, drop the weight a little, and quickly try to crank out a few more reps, and maybe repeat that a few times. Isolation movements with lighter weight can be done in the higher rep range for hypertrophy, somewhere around 8–16 reps per set.

Last point (I know this is long!). He also emphasizes (wisely and evidence-based) full range of motion. We’re learning more and more the importance of getting a good stretch in the muscles we’re training every set. Stretching your muscle to its full range of motion while lifting heavy loads is particularly advantageous for muscle growth. 

Why?

Dr. Soko argues, pretty correctly in my opinion, that most exercise science studies on hypertrophy and strength gains are done on minimally trained or untrained individuals (usually sedentary students on college campuses). In these studies, researchers looove to increase volume in the form of sets. It’s one of the easiest variables to manipulate (you did 2 sets of 10 leg presses last workout? Do 3 sets of 10 this time.). Because these study participants are untrained, they’re extremely likely to see increases in both muscle size and strength over the length of the study (usually 4–12 weeks). That doesn’t discount the usefulness of any of this science, but Dr. Soko does have a point. What’s efficacious for untrained college kids may not be ideal for someone in their late 20s and beyond who’s got at least a few years of weight training under their (weight) belt. Maybe other methods can be equally as—or more—effective and easier on the joints and time constraints!

The premise is also emphasizing muscle protein synthesis over muscle protein breakdown. Both are always in flux, and more synthesis than breakdown means we’re adding muscle. Dr. Soko argues that many high volume approaches can send muscle protein breakdown so high that it’s hard for synthesis (from eating protein and recovery) to outpace it, especially if recovery is short or impaired. 

The goal of this method is to observe strength gains every 3 weeks or so. Depending on the weight and movement, you should aim to add 5–10 pounds to your top set every three weeks, or maybe be able to get an additional repetition or two out of the set. 

So why am I trying it and what am I doing?

My workouts have been pretty similar for the past year or so. I’ve been very consistent outside of my travels. I’ve gained somewhere in the realm of 5–10 pounds of muscle and lost maybe 7–10 pounds of fat in about a year. By any measures, that’s great progress! I’ve adhered pretty closely to the recommended 10–20 sets per week for each muscle group. But this can get really time consuming, and honestly I’m just ready for a switch-up to see how my body will respond.

• I’m also trying to incorporate more cardio and core training into my routine, so I’m hoping this lower volume approach will give me more time for both of those.

So, I’m following most of Dr. Soko’s recommendations for the next three-ish months. I may do a little higher volume than he typically does and recommends, but not at all the 10–20 sets per week I’ve gotten used to. We’ll see if I recover better but still gain strength and muscle mass just as effectively!

I’ve already had two chest workouts five days apart and saw gains in reps or weight in most of the exercises I did. That’s encouraging!

I’ll report back in a few months on how this has gone, or maybe give an update on progress along the way. 

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I know it was a lot of heady information, but I love this stuff, and I hope you do, too.

If you’re interested in working more closely with me to develop your own exercise, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle plan, simply reply to this email and I’d love to chat!

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Just pause and evaluate your current workout routine/plan. Is it evidence-based? Or are you just blindly doing what you think is good? Hit me up if you want help evaluating!

Level 2: If you’ve been doing the same thing for awhile now (6 months or more), ask yourself how it’s working. If it’s going well and you like the consistency, keep it up! But if not, could you stand to benefit from a shakeup in your training?

Level 3: Try out Dr. Soko’s low volume, high intensity approach with me for at least two months. Track your progress closely and see if we improve together!

This newsletter is brought to you by… me!

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✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Listen: “Seed Oils: Is Your Canola Oil Killing You?”

• Learn: Both Pantsuit Politics and Plain English, two of my favorite podcasts, are doing a great job of covering the conflict in Gaza with nuance, grace, and seeking peace and understanding.

Thanks for reading again this week, folks. Share this with a friend if you enjoyed all the info! And remember to hit reply if you’d like to discuss your own exercise routine further!

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).