What is a Burnout Set?

To build real muscle you will typically have to push your body to a point of hypertrophy. While following a pre-determined program with a standard number of exercises and reps is an easy way to get started, they may not be pushing you to the point needed to achieve real results. If you have been using supersets during your weight training, there are many reasons why you may want to incorporate burnout sets instead.

The concept of a burnout set is fairly straightforward. In general, the idea of a burnout set is to push your body into hypertrophy by performing an exercise until exhaustion. So, while weight training, you will typically start with 75% of your max weight and keep performing that exercise until you “burn out”. This is then followed up by weights 10 pounds lighter, albeit less reps because your muscles are already exhausted.

As you may be able to tell, this is a great way to push your body and force muscle growth; however, burnout sets are typically more beneficial for individuals that are attempting to sculpt their body and improve both definition and shape. It is important to note, however, that pushing the muscles to this point of exhaustion will typically produce more lactic acid, resulting in worse DOMS than you are used to.

Burnout Sets aren’t for the faint of heart and, if you are a beginner, you probably won’t want to attempt them without the assistance of a personal trainer. Because you will be pushing yourself to exhaustion, having someone there that can spot you if needed is crucial for both safety and success. If you are looking for an easy way to start building real muscle, consider alternating your training sessions between supersets and burnout sets for incredible results.