If you're trying to build muscle but you're not sure what weight you should be using, AMRAP sets might be just what you need!

AMRAP stands for "as many reps as possible."

You can do an AMRAP set to figure out whether the weight you’re using in your working sets is too light, too heavy, or just right.

To do an AMRAP set, make sure that you’re warmed up and primed just like you would for any regular working set. Then choose a weight that you think will get you muscle failure somewhere between 12 and 15 reps (if you're not sure what weight to use, start with something lighter and do a test set to get a feel for it). Perform a set with that weight, doing as many reps as you can until your form breaks down or your muscles completely fail.

In general, it’s safer to perform AMRAP sets to form failure rather than muscle failure, especially on compound exercises like squats and deadlifts.

That’s because as your technique starts to break down, your risk of injury goes up. There is less risk in isolation exercises like bicep curls or leg extensions, but as a rule of thumb I think it’s best to end the set once you feel you’re no longer able to do the exercise without sacrificing good technique.

After you’ve finished an AMRAP set, then you can analyze whether or not the weight you used is the right level of resistance for your workouts:

• If you can easily do more than 20 reps with good form, it's probably not enough weight to be effective for building muscle. You’ll need to get something a bit heavier.

• If you can barely get to between 6 and 8 reps, then the weight you used is too heavy and you’ll need to reduce the weight for your working sets.

Check out the video below where I demonstrate how to do an AMRAP set with the Dumbbell Chest Press exercise:

AMRAP and RPE/RiR

In addition to helping you find the right weight for your workouts, AMRAP sets can also help you to train more accurately according to Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or Reps in Reserve (RiR).

For instance, say your program prescribes doing between 6 and 8 squats in each set at an RPE 7 (that is, 3 RiR). Based on your previous workouts you guesstimate that 150lb might be the right weight. So you do an AMRAP set with 150lb, and sure enough you’re able to do 10 reps before your form starts to break down. If you were to leave 3 reps in reserve at 150lb, you know based on your AMRAP that you could do 7 reps, which is well within the recommended rep range of 6 to 8 per set. This tells us that 150lb is, in fact, the right weight.

Over time, you’ll get better at gauging what it feels like to have 2 or 3 reps in the tank without having to do an AMRAP set. However even experienced lifters have to use this technique from time to time to figure out whether or not they should use a different weight for an exercise.

AMRAP for Progress Measurement

Whenever you do an AMRAP set, make sure to record the date as well as how much weight you use and how many reps you do in your fitness journal or training app. This will allow you to measure your progress throughout a program, doing an AMRAP set every 6 to 12 weeks. Over time, you should be able to do more repetitions with the weight you’ve used for previous AMRAP sets.

Don’t forget to tell us about your progress in the Coaching Corner Discord! You can post video of your AMRAP sets and your stats in the #progress-check-in channel.

Connect

If you have any questions or difficulties while performing your AMRAP sets or any other aspect of your training program, feel free to reach out! You can connect with me on social media or in my Coaching Corner Discord server.

About Jayd Harrison

Jayd Harrison is a personal trainer and content creator. She helps people to build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with her online coaching programs and social media content. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch and follow on social media: