Now that you have an idea about how often you'll need to strength-train to build muscle, you also need to know how to select your weights along with how many reps and sets to do.
If your goal is maximal muscle growth, most of your training should be done in the hypertrophy phase (where you build the most muscle). Your weights should be 75 to 85 percent of your one-rep max: the heaviest weight you can lift for one rep of a given exercise. Here's a guide that explains exactly how to choose the right weight. Next, you'll need to figure out sets and reps. For each exercise in your program, you should complete three to five sets of six to 12 reps.
If you don't want to do a one-rep max test for every exercise you plan on doing, "I recommend three sets of a weight that will be difficult to complete 12 reps," Felix said. "Make sure you're keeping proper form throughout the entire exercise," he added.