Response to “Berger in retrospect: effect of varied weight training programmes on strength”

Abstract

I would not have believed in 1962 that my study1 would have created such a brouhaha in the 21st century. Dr Carpinelli’s paper2 credits my study as “the genesis of the unsubstantiated belief that multiple sets are required for optimal gains in strength”. His opinion is complimentary in one respect, but I cannot take full credit for it. Most professionals in the fields of athletics and therapy have added credence and support to these words by employing multiple sets in their practice and research. In my opinion, most professionals train others with multiple sets because they have experientially discovered that multiple sets are more effective than one set. Some early research studies have compared different weight training programmes, but in practically all studies multiple sets were used in training.3–7 I am hardly the “genesis” of an “unsubstantiated belief”. Historically the medical applications of strength …