Why not just increase the number of sets?
Suppose that you want to gain muscle mass by using a pair of dumbbells which are NOT so challenging for you anymore.
You could probably increase the resistance with heavier weights, but you train at home and don’t have heavier dumbbells.
What about the following strategy?
Performing every set in the 8-12 rep range till you arrive at a set (maybe the sixth-seventh one) where 8-12 is challenging and produces failure.
I don’t know if I am clear: I basically want to mantain the 8-12 rep range and just increase the number of sets. So, if you are well trained and the exercise would be easy for you in case of just 3 sets, you increase the set number instead of the rep number to reach the desired failure. Your first 8-12 rep sets won’t be enough for reaching failure but probably your ninth set will be challenging.
I am surprised that nobody seems to encourage this strategy I've just talked about.
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You are right, for increasing muscle mass, training at intensity that allows you to perform 8-12 reps per set is reasonable.
But note that it's not the number of repetitions per set that make the muscles grow, but the intensity of each repetition. If you are able to do more than 8-12 reps per set with a certain weight, the intensity of that weight has decreased for you, and training with that weight will not have the same effects than before, even if you increase the number of sets.
look up GVT (german volume training) As you start with a weight that you can easily do around 20 reps or so and do 10 sets of 10 wherein, usually at least the last two sets will challenge you.
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