Summary
Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEANX introduces a high-rep training technique called “Hockey Sets” — 30-rep sets designed to shock muscles and increase time under tension. This method is meant to complement traditional heavy lifting, not replace it, by introducing a stimulus most lifters rarely experience.
Key Points
- Most lifters never do 30-rep sets, making them an effective tool to shock muscles that have adapted to lower-rep training
- Time under tension is the primary mechanism — longer sets force muscles to work under load for a greater duration than typical heavy sets
- Hockey Sets are meant to supplement heavy training, not replace it — add one at the end of a workout
- The mental framework is what makes these sets work: divide 30 reps into three “periods” of 10, mirroring the three periods of a hockey game
- Don’t count individual reps — focus only on completing each block of 10 to avoid mental fatigue killing the set early
- The weight used should be challenging around rep 20, not easy for the full 30 — choose a load you’d normally use for approximately 20 reps
- Expect a new level of muscle soreness from incorporating these sets, indicating recruitment of previously understimulated muscle fibers
- The technique is exercise-agnostic — it can be applied to any movement in your program
Exercise Details
Demonstration Exercise: Tricep Pushdown
- Target muscles: Triceps
- Proper form cues:
- Full extension on each rep (implied by the pushdown movement)
- Maintain controlled tempo throughout all 30 reps
- Mental focus shifts from counting reps to completing 10-rep blocks
- Common mistakes to avoid:
- Counting every individual rep — this increases perceived effort and leads to early failure mentally
- Choosing a weight that is too light (should feel genuinely challenging by rep 20–21)
- Treating this as a “warm-up” set rather than a high-effort finisher
- Sets/reps recommendation:
- 1 set of 30 reps (divided mentally into three blocks of 10)
- Load: approximately your 20-rep max
- Placement: at the end of a workout, after primary heavy sets