The Study
Tri-Set Training System Induces a High Muscle Swelling with Short Time Commitment in Resistance-Trained Subjects: A Cross-Over Study.
This study showed that doing three exercises back-to-back with almost no rest made muscles puff up more and felt harder than doing them one at a time—but it only looked at what happened right after, not over weeks or months. So we know it changes how your muscles feel and look right after, but not if it makes you stronger or bigger over time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if doing three chest exercises back-to-back with almost no rest gives you a bigger muscle pump and saves time compared to doing them one at a time with long breaks.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — you can get a stronger muscle pump and finish your workout faster with tri-set training, but it feels much harder and you lift less total weight.
- 2Tri-set training gave a 104.7% bigger muscle pump, 56% more work done per minute, but 19.3% less total weight lifted — and felt 23.9% harder, even though the workout time was almost half as long.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International journal of exercise science
Year
2022
Authors
J. B. D. de Camargo, R. Zaroni, A. C. T. Júnior, T. P. de Oliveira, T. B. Trindade, C. Lopes, F. Brigatto
Related Content
Claims (6)
High-volume resistance training leads to muscle swelling due to fluid buildup, and this swelling can last for up to 72 hours after the workout.
Men who regularly lift weights report feeling 23.9% more exhausted during tri-set workouts than during traditional workouts, even when the total time spent lifting is the same, because the rest periods between sets are shorter.
Resistance-trained men who use tri-set training methods complete more total weight lifted per minute than those using traditional training with longer breaks between sets.
In resistance-trained men, performing exercises in tri-sets with short rest periods results in 19.3% less total weight lifted compared to traditional training with longer rest periods, even when the number of sets and repetitions is the same.
In men who regularly lift weights, performing three exercises for the chest in a row with less than 10 seconds of rest between them causes a 104.7% larger short-term increase in chest muscle swelling than doing the same exercises with longer breaks, even though the total amount of work done is 19.3% lower.
In resistance-trained men, performing exercises in tri-sets raises the perceived intensity of the workout by 24.3% compared to traditional sets, because the feeling of effort increases more than the duration of muscle tension.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.