How Cluster Sets Make Building Serious Muscle Seem Easy
By Dan John, April 15, 2015
When you’re a beginner, it’s easy to build muscle. A few warmups sets in practically any lift followed by one hard set of 8 to 12 reps will do wonders. Suddenly, it seems as if you’re developing muscle over night.
But then you stall. The same workout that you did a month or even a week ago doesn’t work as well any more. So now what?
Most guys add more—more load, more sets, more reps. However, I’ve found a better, more efficient solution: clusters.
Clusters work best for exercises in the push, pull, and squat families. (Think: bench presses, overhead presses, pullups, rows, back squats, front squats, or lunges.) Choose an exercise, and then pick a weight you can lift for 15 to 20 reps. Go a bit lighter than you think you should the first time you try this.
For the first cluster, perform 2 reps. Put down the weight and rest. It should have been easy, so you won’t need much rest—maybe 10 seconds. Then, do 3 reps. Again, this should be easy, so you’ll only need about 15 seconds of rest afterward. Next, do 5 reps. Your rest will be a little longer now. Finally, do 10 reps. Take a quick breather—just a few seconds—before your next cluster.
You’ve completed 20 total reps already. If that was too easy and you’re not showing signs of fatigue, adjust your weight the next training session.
Now perform your second cluster, repeating the same rep scheme of 2-3-5-10 again.
You’ve completed forty reps total in what might be the fastest time frame you’ve ever trained in this total rep range. I bet you’ll think it’s actually refreshing to do so many reps in such a short amount of time.
If you want a quick workout, just do two clusters each of a pull, a push, and a squat exercise.
Occasionally add a third cluster, performing the 2-3-5-10 three times through. Once a month, do five total clusters for a total of 100 reps.
If you do this with an exercise like the military press, you’ll have a pump in your shoulders that'll make you worthy of being the main attraction in any nightclub.
If you do 100 squats, just sit in the stool at the club and make eye contact—because you won’t be dancing.
By Dan John, April 15, 2015
When you’re a beginner, it’s easy to build muscle. A few warmups sets in practically any lift followed by one hard set of 8 to 12 reps will do wonders. Suddenly, it seems as if you’re developing muscle over night.
But then you stall. The same workout that you did a month or even a week ago doesn’t work as well any more. So now what?
Most guys add more—more load, more sets, more reps. However, I’ve found a better, more efficient solution: clusters.
Clusters work best for exercises in the push, pull, and squat families. (Think: bench presses, overhead presses, pullups, rows, back squats, front squats, or lunges.) Choose an exercise, and then pick a weight you can lift for 15 to 20 reps. Go a bit lighter than you think you should the first time you try this.
For the first cluster, perform 2 reps. Put down the weight and rest. It should have been easy, so you won’t need much rest—maybe 10 seconds. Then, do 3 reps. Again, this should be easy, so you’ll only need about 15 seconds of rest afterward. Next, do 5 reps. Your rest will be a little longer now. Finally, do 10 reps. Take a quick breather—just a few seconds—before your next cluster.
You’ve completed 20 total reps already. If that was too easy and you’re not showing signs of fatigue, adjust your weight the next training session.
Now perform your second cluster, repeating the same rep scheme of 2-3-5-10 again.
You’ve completed forty reps total in what might be the fastest time frame you’ve ever trained in this total rep range. I bet you’ll think it’s actually refreshing to do so many reps in such a short amount of time.
If you want a quick workout, just do two clusters each of a pull, a push, and a squat exercise.
Occasionally add a third cluster, performing the 2-3-5-10 three times through. Once a month, do five total clusters for a total of 100 reps.
If you do this with an exercise like the military press, you’ll have a pump in your shoulders that'll make you worthy of being the main attraction in any nightclub.
If you do 100 squats, just sit in the stool at the club and make eye contact—because you won’t be dancing.
