Micro-workouts: Do 40 push-ups here and there actually do any good?
Prof. Dr Ingo Froböse: Yes. If you do push-ups, squats or pull-ups repeatedly throughout the day, taking them just short of the point of exhaustion, you are certainly providing a training stimulus. So it is possible to build muscle.
However, micro-training lacks one crucial factor: pronounced local muscle fatigue. Between the short bursts of exertion, the muscle has sufficient time to recover. The stimulus therefore does not accumulate to the same extent as with several consecutive sets.
When it comes to maximising muscle growth, traditional strength training remains the best option. However, even if you’re short on time, you can still make visible progress with regular mini-sessions. It’s better to do short, intense sessions than no training at all.
How many sets does a muscle really need?
Prof. Dr Ingo Froböse: There is a remarkable consensus amongst scientists: it is the weekly volume that matters.
- Beginners: 6 to 10 sets per muscle group per week
- Advanced learners: 10 to 12 sets per muscle group per week
If you train three times a week, you’ll end up doing around three to four sets per muscle group per session – a good balance between training stimulus and recovery.
Circuit training or traditional sets?
Prof. Dr Ingo Froböse: Circuit training is excellent for strength endurance and general fitness. For maximum muscle growth, however, traditional set training has its advantages.
In circuit training, the exercises change constantly. As a result, the whole body tires more quickly, concentration wanes and the quality of movement suffers. At the same time, localised fatigue in a single muscle is less severe than when performing several sets of the same exercise in quick succession.
If you want to build as much muscle mass as possible, you’re therefore usually better off doing three to five standard sets per exercise.
Muscle failure or mechanical tension – who’s right?
Prof. Dr Ingo Froböse: These seemingly contradictory recommendations are based on two different scientific approaches.
The first one relies on energy utilisation. This involves working the muscle through several repetitions until it burns intensely or is close to failure. Exhaustion is regarded as a key stimulus for muscle growth.
The second approach emphasises the mechanical stress. Here, controlled, high-load movements – particularly during the eccentric phase – cause minute micro-tears in the muscle. These trigger repair processes and stimulate the development of new muscle structures.
Both methods work. They simply have different focuses.
In practice, the classic hypertrophy method is usually recommended for recreational and fitness athletes: three to five sets of ten to twelve repetitions, with the weight chosen so that the final repetitions can be performed correctly, but only with great effort. Elite athletes, on the other hand, often work with deliberately high mechanical tension in order to activate even the last motor units.
The bottom line:
It is not the perfect training programme that determines muscle growth – but consistent training at sufficient intensity and with regular progression. It doesn’t matter whether the muscle is burning or under tension at the end.
Who is Ingo Froböse?
Prof. Dr Ingo Froböse is one of Germany’s best-known experts in prevention and health. A former track and field sprinter, he taught for many years at the German Sport University Cologne and now shares his knowledge as a bestselling author and partner at the think tank fish in water and a sought-after media expert. Through his political consultancy work and channels such as ‘Formel Froböse’, he inspires an audience of millions to take up exercise, adopt a healthy diet and focus on recovery.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor