Give every set a purpose
Early sets establish groove and tension. Middle sets accumulate the core work. Late sets test whether the original standard can survive local fatigue.
A set that changes exercise, range, or target to keep the number moving is no longer comparable to the one before it.
Scale from the recoverable minimum
Start below the heroic routines you can find in old magazines. Add volume only when joints, sleep, motivation, and the next exposure remain stable.
The plan should leave you eager to repeat the work, not proud that you survived it once.