So, you've taken the plunge away from your typical bodybuilder workouts to try something new...and you want to supercharge (neurologically) all that muscle.  Now, we need to figure out sets (rep range has already been discussed for this round).  Most of the time, what has been shown, for most of us, 3-5 working sets is the optimal number.  But that is assuming you’re on a 3-4 day a week program (a topic for another day). 

If you are utilizing a periodization model for your program (and you should be), whenever you start a new mesocycle you’ll typically start with a lower range of sets in week one, then gradually increase as you progress along.  This should all culminate in a very rough, high(ish) volume week towards the end, followed by a de-load week.  During the de-load week, your intensity stays high, but your volume will go down.  Here’s an example:

• Week 1: 3 working sets
• Week 2: 4 working sets
• Week 3: 5 working sets
• Week 4-5: 5-6 working sets
• Week 6: de-load 3-4 working sets

Why?  First off, you’re starting a new mesocycle, you will likely be utilizing some new(ish) exercises and (hopefully) different rep schemes.  The “newness” of all of that brings up your body’s adaptive response to the new overload.

Next, while you do want to put in effort and train hard, taking it past your limits every week isn’t a good call.  Going ALL OUT requires an extended recovery period (unless you have a death wish).  If you decide to go all out one week, you will need to program in a de-load week to follow…not great scheduling for a 6-week meso. 

Finally, when starting a new mesocycle, you will be introducing new elements, or at least elements you haven’t been utilizing for the past month (at least).  Even if you’ve done this before, you can’t be completely sure about how you will respond this time, so it’s better to give yourself a smart start.

In the end, you should find that your newly grown muscle from you hypertrophy mesocycle now functions more efficiently.  After your de-load week, you'll head back into another 12-week hypertrophy round with more neurologically efficient muscle.  Getting another 2-3% can be massively effective.