Plans and progress

Sets, reps and working weight explained

What does 3 × 10 mean, how long should you rest and which weight should you pick? A short example workout shows you how to read a plan and use it in the gym.

Updated Oct 9, 20266 min read

Go to the workout plan

Training days: 2 per week
Time per session: 25–40 min
Equipment: Gym with dumbbells, bench, cable station and leg machines
Starting point: Beginners and returning lifters

Who this plan suits

Learn how to use a plan in the gym: what counts as a set, which load to record and how to judge whether it fits. This short practice session introduces three movements. Allow 25–40 minutes and ask for help setting up an unfamiliar machine.

Your sessions

Follow the exercises in order. The listed sets are your working sets after warming up. Use the rest periods shown between sets.

Session

Goblet Squat
Sets
2
Reps / duration
8–12
Rest
2 min
Machine Chest Press
Sets
2
Reps / duration
8–12
Rest
2 min
Seated Row
Sets
2
Reps / duration
8–12
Rest
2 min

How to use the sessions

2 × 8–12 means eight to twelve repetitions, a rest, then a second set. For a single-sided movement, the number applies to each side. Follow the exercise order shown. For dumbbells, record the combined load here: two 10 kg dumbbells mean 20 kg. If you use just one dumbbell, record that one weight.

Set up your training week

Practise the three movements twice a week with at least one day off between workouts. Begin with one working set per exercise and do two in your second workout. Then use the linked full-body plan, which adds hip and core exercises.

Why the sessions are arranged this way

The goblet squat, chest press and seated row teach three basic movements: squatting, pushing and pulling. Squats work your legs and glutes, chest presses train your chest and arms, and rows work your back and arms. The two machines make it easy to set the resistance and focus on learning the movement.

Warm-up sets, working sets and holds

A warm-up set rehearses the movement with less effort. Record it separately from the two planned working sets. Holds use a time instead of a rep count, such as 20 seconds. In a single-sided exercise, eight per side means eight left and eight right; together they make one round.

The main terms

For dumbbells, check whether the plan means each dumbbell or both combined. Record it consistently. Cable-machine readings are most comparable on the same machine because pulley systems and labels vary.

Term	Meaning
Repetition	One complete movement. Eight squats are eight repetitions.
Set	A group of repetitions performed together, followed by a rest.
Working weight	The load used for the planned challenging sets. It needs to suit both the exercise and repetition range.
Warm-up set	A lighter set used to practise the movement and work up to your training load.
Repetitions in reserve	Your estimate of how many more good repetitions you could have completed at the end of the set.

Warm up for your workout

Move gently for a few minutes until you feel ready for the first exercises. Rehearse the first leg and pressing movements with a light load. Add another preparation set closer to your working load if needed. Finish these sets before they become tiring. A later exercise that is unfamiliar also deserves a light practice set.

Find your starting weight

Start deliberately light on an unfamiliar exercise. For repetition-based movements, try the bottom of that exercise’s range and judge whether at least four clean reps would remain. If so, rest and try a small increase. For working sets, choose a load with two or three reps in reserve. For holds, begin with the shortest listed time and a variation that lets you breathe steadily while keeping your position.

The last repetitions can feel hard while still looking like the first. If you have to swing or cut the movement short, lower the weight. Finding the right load takes practice, especially at first. Note the seat setting and grip too, so you can set up quickly next time.

Add repetitions, then weight

Build repetitions with the same weight first. Once every set reaches the top of its range with consistent technique and about two reps in reserve, add the smallest available weight increase. Start again near the bottom of the rep range. Here is how that can look on the cable row:

Workout with this exercise	Weight	Set 1 / Set 2	Next step
1	25 kg	8 / 8	Repeat this load
2	25 kg	10 / 9	Build more repetitions
3	25 kg	12 / 12	Try the smallest increase
4	27.5 kg	8 / 8	Practise with the new load

If the new weight takes you below the minimum reps, use a smaller increase or stay with the previous weight for now. For holds, build up the time within the listed range before choosing a harder variation.

When an exercise stops progressing

One weaker day is not a plateau. Compare the same exercise, similar rests and consistent technique across several sessions.
Check whether sleep was short, rests were shorter or the previous exercise was harder. Repeat under comparable conditions first.
After three or four comparable sessions without progress, drop the load by a small step and build reps again. Adding sets is not the first adjustment.
If several exercises decline together and fatigue persists, reduce working sets for a week, for example from two to one. Resume with loads you can control.

When you need a different exercise

When equipment is busy, choose a similar movement from the options below. Find a suitable weight and keep that variation for the next few workouts. Log it under its own name so you can follow its progress separately.

Planned exercise	Practical alternative
Goblet Squat	Bodyweight squat, using a stable seat as a depth marker if helpful
Machine Chest Press	Chest-press machine or push-up on a secure raised surface
Seated Row	Supported single-arm dumbbell row

When to end a set

End the set when you clearly shorten the movement, need momentum or lose control of your position. Muscular effort and faster breathing are expected. Sudden sharp pain, dizziness or unusual symptoms are reasons to stop the exercise or session. Have persistent or recurring pain assessed before continuing to load the affected movement.

What has changed after four weeks

Perhaps your starting weight now feels easier, you manage more repetitions or your technique feels steadier. After four weeks, look at your first and latest entries for the same exercise to see what has improved. If training is going well and the days fit your life, keep the plan. If you repeatedly miss the same day, move it or choose fewer sessions each week.

Know where to start next workout

Was that eight repetitions last time, or ten? Save the sessions as routines in LiftPal and log your sets after the exercise. Your previous weights and repetitions are ready when you return. RPE also lets you record how hard the set felt, so you can tell an easier set from one that took nearly everything you had.