2 min read Lifting

Why 3x10 Is Holding You Back (And What to Do Instead)

Here's the deal.

You walk into the gym. You hit 3 sets of 10 on bench. Maybe you add some tricep pushdowns. You call it a chest day. And you've been doing this for years, wondering why your chest still looks the same as it did when Obama was president.

I'm not here to coddle you. I'm here to tell you what's actually going on—and how to fix it.

The Lift

The research is crystal clear on this. Hypertrophy—real muscle growth—requires somewhere between 10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week. Not per workout. Per week.

Let that sink in.

If you're hitting chest once a week with 9 total sets? You're at the absolute floor of what the science says you need. And honestly, you're probably not even there, because half those sets weren't taken close enough to failure to count.

What the Science Says

A 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues looked at 15 studies on training volume and muscle growth. The findings were definitive:

  • <5 weekly sets: Minimal growth
  • 5-9 weekly sets: Moderate growth
  • 10+ weekly sets: Significantly greater hypertrophy

But here's what Derek has been saying for years that most people miss: it's not just about set count—it's about effective sets. A set of 10 where you could have done 15? That's not an effective set. That's a warm-up you logged as work.

The Protocol

Here's what I want you to do starting this week:

  1. Track your weekly volume per muscle group. Not per workout—per week. Get the real number.
  2. Hit each muscle 2x per week minimum. Bro splits are dead. Full body or upper/lower is where it's at.
  3. Aim for 10-20 sets per muscle group per week. Start at 10 if you're not there. Add 2 sets per week until you're at 15-16.
  4. Take sets to 1-3 reps from failure. If you're not questioning your life choices on the last rep, you're not close enough.

That's it. Not complicated. Not sexy. But it works.

Common Mistakes

Mistake #1: Counting junk volume. That first set where you're "feeling it out"? That's not a working set. Stop counting it.

Mistake #2: Going too heavy, too sloppy. Ego lifting with momentum doesn't count as volume. Control the weight. Feel the muscle. Then go heavy.

Mistake #3: Same workout for years. Progressive overload isn't just adding weight. It's adding sets, reps, or frequency over time. Change something every 4-6 weeks.

Iron Wisdom

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"If you're not recovering from your training, you're not training optimally—you're just surviving it."

— Derek, More Plates More Dates

Ben & R.T.

Your body isn't generic. Stop taking generic advice.

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Rory Rawlings