By Tim Irvine
Alex Hutchinson wrote an incredible article about the 3/7 workout. In short, it is a five-set program with escalating repetitions, but only 15 seconds of rest between sets. You can learn all about the details by reading it here.
There are two key messages. One, to gain strength effectively, muscles must reach a point of failure. The 3/7 method accomplishes that as long as you are using 70% of your maximum weight for a given exercise. Not particularly surprising, but many people who resistance train don’t reach failure. Why? It hard. And painful. These are two things that most people shy away from.
The second key message is efficiency. In my opinion, this is the most important factor in staying in a routine. If it’s too long and we get bored, or we find ourselves in a hurry, the likelihood of us continuing over the long term decreases. But if we can get in and out in a short amount of time, AND create progress, well that’s very motivating.
My conclusion about the 3/7 workout is that it is exceptional for efficiency and effectiveness. It creates gains in a short period of time, even in high-level sports. That’s great for motivation as well as allowing us to manage our busy lives AND take care of our physical selves. I acknowledge the hard work and pain part can decrease motivation, but the beauty of the 3/7 is that it is a very short duration with not a lot of time to think about it. Contrast that with six sets of six reps of heavy squats with two and a half minutes of rest in between. That’s close to 15 minutes. That is a lot of time, period. It’s also a lot of time to think about how hard and painful it will be. That works against our nature of wanting to avoid pain and suffering.
Give it a try if you are just getting back into workouts, or if you just want to mix things up. Your body will thank you either way.