3x10 means three sets of ten reps. You lift the weight ten times, rest, and do that three times, for 30 reps in all. The first number is the sets and the second the reps. It names no weight. A RIGOR plan row adds a rep range, reps in reserve and rest.
What does 3x10 mean?
3x10 means three sets of ten reps. A rep is one lift of the weight, and a set is a run of reps done before you put the weight down. So 3x10 is ten lifts, a rest, ten more, a rest and ten more: 3 × 10 = 30 reps. The notation says nothing about the weight. That is for you, or the rest of the plan, to settle.
The sets come first. Rest sits between sets, so three sets have two rests between them. Read the same numbers as ten sets of three and there would be nine. RIGOR is the app behind this guide, and the row below comes from one of its plans.
What is the difference between sets and reps?
Reps count lifts and sets count the runs of lifts. Multiply the two for the total reps of an exercise. Different schemes can land on the same total, so the split matters as much as the product.
| Written | Sets | Reps per set | Reps in all |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3x10 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| 4x8 | 4 | 8 | 32 |
| 5x5 | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| 3x12 | 3 | 12 | 36 |
| 2x15 | 2 | 15 | 30 |
3x10 and 2x15 both come to 30 reps, but 3x10 splits them into three shorter sets and 2x15 into two longer ones. Neither names a weight. How the two best-known schemes compare is the subject of 3x10 vs 5x5.
RIGOR is a strength training app for iPhone that builds your plan and sets every weight by rules you can read.
YOUR IPHONE
How do you read one row of a workout plan?
From left to right: the exercise, the sets, the reps, then how hard to go and how long to rest. This row is the first lift of Full body A in RIGOR's sample 3 day dumbbell plan, built for a beginner who wants muscle.
| Part | In this row | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Goblet Squat | The lift |
| Sets | 3 | How many runs of reps |
| Rep range | 6–10 | The fewest and the most reps a set aims for |
| Reps in reserve | 3 in weeks 1 and 2, 2 in weeks 3 and 4 | How many more reps you could do when the set ends |
| Rest | 3:00 | The pause between sets, 180 seconds |
Do the sums: 3 sets of 6 reps is 18 and 3 sets of 10 is 30, so the row holds 18 to 30 reps. The two rests between the sets, 180 seconds each, make 360 seconds, or 6 minutes. Reps in reserve is the one part that may be new. It was set out for the squat in a 2016 study of 29 lifters, who rated their sets against how many reps were left (Zourdos 2016). The rest follows RIGOR's default: 180 seconds for a lower-body compound, as rest between sets sets out. The whole plan is the 3 day dumbbell program.
Why does a plan say 6–10 instead of 10?
Because the rule that adds weight needs a bottom and a top. RIGOR writes a rep range for every exercise and keeps it fixed through the block. The sample plans on this site hold five ranges between them: 5–8, 6–10, 8–12, 10–15 and 12–20. A range is wide enough to add reps before adding weight, which is what double progression does.
A plain 3x10 is the same thing with the range pinned at the top. The rep ranges guide shows which range each kind of lift gets and why.
How heavy should a 3x10 be?
Heavy enough that the last reps are hard and a few reps would still have been left. A plan row with no weight leaves the weight to you. With no history for a lift, RIGOR says: pick a weight you can lift for the whole range with about the planned reps left. For the Goblet Squat row that is 6–10 reps with about 3 left. It prefills the middle of the range, (6 + 10) ÷ 2 = 8 reps, and sets the weight from what you log. How to choose the first weight is in what weight to lift, and the 1RM calculator shows the sum RIGOR uses to turn reps and reps in reserve into a weight.
Does 3x10 build muscle?
It can, when the sets are hard. A 2021 network meta-analysis of 28 studies and 747 adults split loads into low (more than 15 reps to failure), moderate (9 to 15) and high (8 or fewer). Muscle growth did not differ between them, and a set of ten to failure sits in the moderate band (Lopez 2021).
Volume matters too. A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that higher weekly volume produced greater gains in muscle size than lower, in a graded way (Schoenfeld 2017). Three sets is one exercise, not a week, so count what you do across the week. The 3x10 vs 5x5 guide sets the schemes side by side.
How do you read a workout plan PDF?
Find the key first, then read each row the same way. A plan in a file or a screenshot can look different from the row above, but it answers the same questions.
- Find the exercise, then the sets and reps next to it. 3x10 is sets first, then reps.
- Check whether the reps are a single number or a range such as 6–10.
- Look for the weight. A plan that gives only sets and reps leaves the weight to you.
- Look for an effort cue, such as reps in reserve, and for a rest time.
- Look for what changes from week to week, and for the rule for adding weight.
If a plan leaves rows out, say so to yourself and fill them in: pick the weight by reps in reserve, take the rest the lift usually gets, and write down what you did. The gym terms page defines the other words a plan may use, and first day at the gym walks through a first session. For a week laid out in full, see the best workout split.
When does this not apply?
RIGOR writes each row for you
Questions
Does 10 reps mean 10 times?
Yes. A rep is one lift of the weight, so 10 reps is 10 lifts in a row before you put it down. A plan may give a range such as 6 to 10, which means stop anywhere from 6 to 10 reps.
Is 3x10 three sets or ten sets?
Three sets of ten reps. The sets come first in a plan row. Three sets have two rests between them, where ten sets of three would have nine.
How many reps is 3x10 in all?
30. Multiply the sets by the reps: 3 × 10 = 30. The same total comes from 2x15, which is two sets of fifteen.
Is 3x10 good for hypertrophy?
It can be. In a 2021 network meta-analysis of 28 studies, muscle growth did not differ between low, moderate and high loads when sets were taken to failure. A set of ten sits in its moderate band. More weekly sets were linked to more growth in a 2017 meta-analysis.
What is the 3-3-3 rule in gym?
It is not a standard term, and none of the sources here define it. Read it from the plan that uses it, which should say what the three threes are.
