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In this segment, fitness coach Eric Roberts explains two practical methods to determine whether a resistance‑training set is sufficiently challenging to stimulate muscle growth. First, after each set he advises asking how many additional repetitions could have been performed before reaching complete failure; if the answer exceeds three, the load is too light and should be increased. Second, he emphasizes that the final one to three reps of any prescribed set must feel difficult—characterized by heavier breathing, uncertainty about completing the reps, and a noticeable slowdown in the concentric phase. This “proximity to failure” metric, rather than the total number of reps completed, is presented as a key predictor of hypertrophy.
