how many reps?

[arnoldjr]

my buddy told me that if i do a weight i can only do six reps of it gains muscle faster then doing 8-10 reps of a lighter weight.
is this true or should i do 8-10 reps

 

[Hank Vangut]

according to the national strength and conditioning association sets of
2 - 4 reps is best for improving muscle power
5 - 6 reps is best for building muscle strength
8 - 12 reps is best for increasing muscle hypertrophy (muscle gains)

however, time under tension is probably a better measure than repititions.
if you train for relative strength, TUT [time-under-tension] should be under 20 seconds/set
if you train for hypertrophy, TUT should be around 40-70 seconds/set

 

[Aggravated]

according to the national strength and conditioning association sets of
2 - 4 reps is best for improving muscle power
5 - 6 reps is best for building muscle strength
8 - 12 reps is best for increasing muscle hypertrophy (muscle gains)

however, time under tension is probably a better measure than repititions.
if you train for relative strength, TUT [time-under-tension] should be under 20 seconds/set
if you train for hypertrophy, TUT should be around 40-70 seconds/set

Volume training is where it's at IMO. Nice reply Hank!

 

[mixedup]

according to the national strength and conditioning association sets of
2 - 4 reps is best for improving muscle power
5 - 6 reps is best for building muscle strength
8 - 12 reps is best for increasing muscle hypertrophy (muscle gains)

however, time under tension is probably a better measure than repititions.
if you train for relative strength, TUT [time-under-tension] should be under 20 seconds/set
if you train for hypertrophy, TUT should be around 40-70 seconds/set

can you tell me the difference between muscle power and muscle strength?

thank you

 

[Hank Vangut]

muscle power........power lifting/training to move heavy stuff
muscle strength.....refers to more functional strength - like training for football
hypertrophy..........maximum size without regard for strength

obviously there will be overlap as all will build strength and size to some extent.

 

[Fatal Wisdom]

I thought the infamous "they" said TUT didn't do really much as they thought and really only just strains and hurts joints..

 

[russy_russ]

Power is how fast you can move weight. Strength is how much; typically they go hand in hand depending on training

 

[DerickVonD]

My friend does 3 sets of 20 reps. I never heard of anyone doign that much, but he is pretty Strong. Well was, he hasnt worked out in awhile. He told me he used to be able to curl 45lbs 20 times for 3 sets. He had surgery, so he hasn't been able to workout. I do 3 sets of 10 reps for all my exercises.

 

[Swoldierboy]

u shouldnt stay on the same weight for each set. ronnie coleman if u watch his workouts does like 12 reps for everything with heavy weight. for muscle growth 8 - 12 reps is ideal. so maybe do 3 sets of 12 10 8 increasing weight in each set

 

[suncloud]

according to the national strength and conditioning association sets of
2 - 4 reps is best for improving muscle power
5 - 6 reps is best for building muscle strength
8 - 12 reps is best for increasing muscle hypertrophy (muscle gains)

however, time under tension is probably a better measure than repititions.
if you train for relative strength, TUT [time-under-tension] should be under 20 seconds/set
if you train for hypertrophy, TUT should be around 40-70 seconds/set

and when you look at these numbers, and the standard DC rest/pause set, you realize the brilliance behind the idea.

 

[MMAMONSTER19]

hit up between 8-12 reps will help improve strength and size thats what ive been doing since i started to get serious for working out and strength has gone up and ive gotten bigger which is what my goal was and continues to be so depends also if your just going for strength of if u slap on some muscle mass as well

 

[onimusha]

DOnt focuz on rep range, focus on heavy to failure... sometimes if u set ur mind for how many reps u gona lift it cudnt set u to the lmit u can, so the best is dont count, just lift till failure each set, do as heavy as u can.

 

[Carcaya]

Lifting at 75% of max at 8 to 12 reps emphasizes hypertrophy for most exercises.

Hypertrophy of muscle increases growth hormone output by the pituitary gland more than strength or endurance training.

Thus 8-12 is best for mass augmentation in most circumstances

 

[cloc]

use variety use basic heavy lifts to begin your workout with then increase volume and reps later in workout get the best of both worlds but you got to realize no matter what routine your doing if your not eating good your not going to gain much Just MHO

 

[jimtony09]

i find doin reps till failure its the best techneic but if u wana gain u need 2 hav a good diet ,eating is a big part of gaining.

 

[fisherman34]

Make sure you balance your high reps with your low reps cant always be doing low reps with heavy weight every time you workout

 

[Steelwolf]

I really cant tell you what is best and I'd say figure it out for yourself. I grow best for VERY low reps sets I also grow best from VERY high rep sets. Anything in the middle not so much. So I think it does depend on the persons fiber type make up

 

[rhoadx]

Legs seem to respond to high reps, my quads resisted growth until i started doing sets of 20 on squats. followed by heavy leg press slow hack squats. Certian body parts require different rep schemes and tut depending on muscle fiber makeup

 

[rza]

im starting my first ever bulk, so i'm looking to gain weight. normally i do 3 sets of 15, though this is only on machines, because my gym wont let me use free weights because of my age, and i saw on here how everyone says 8-12 reps is best for gaining weight, and i was wondering (i know it sounds obvious) if i would be better off doing 3 sets of 8-12 instead.

 

[R1balla]

and when you look at these numbers, and the standard DC rest/pause set, you realize the brilliance behind the idea.

DC is one of the best routines. i do my normal bodybuilding split for a few weeks, then DC for a few weeks. awesome results.

DC is perfect for bulking. the science behind it is perfect. OP, if u wana bulk, look into DC. it takes some time to understand, but study it for a bit till u understand most of it.

 

[rza]

im starting my first ever bulk, so i'm looking to gain weight. normally i do 3 sets of 15, though this is only on machines, because my gym wont let me use free weights because of my age, and i saw on here how everyone says 8-12 reps is best for gaining weight, and i was wondering (i know it sounds obvious) if i would be better off doing 3 sets of 8-12 instead.

hello?

 

[Collateral]

hello?

I hope that your not 7stone ! (your stats) and if you are may i have honours in saying...

EAT EAT EAT !!


Anyway.. i do

10 - 12 for my warm up sets
8 - 10 Working sets
Failure (normally 4 - 6) on my last set, works well for me.

 

[rza]

Anyway.. i do

10 - 12 for my warm up sets
8 - 10 Working sets
Failure (normally 4 - 6) on my last set, works well for me.

will this give better weight gain than what i'm currently doing?

 

[Steelwolf]

will this give better weight gain than what i'm currently doing?

You are over thinking. Seriously dude relax a bit. One has to find what rep range works for them with experimenting. I can grow from all different rep ranges, others may not grow from them at all. Low reps make me grow like crazy and same with SUPER high reps, but the middle ground does nothing for me at all. Others wil not grow at a 5 minute long complex. So you have to actually experiment for yourself. We can give you ideas, but it comes down to doing it yourself

 

[rza]

You are over thinking. Seriously dude relax a bit. One has to find what rep range works for them with experimenting. I can grow from all different rep ranges, others may not grow from them at all. Low reps make me grow like crazy and same with SUPER high reps, but the middle ground does nothing for me at all. Others wil not grow at a 5 minute long complex. So you have to actually experiment for yourself. We can give you ideas, but it comes down to doing it yourself

yeah. fair doos i guess. how long do you think is a good time to give something before changing it if its not working? and does hypertrophy give the best weight gain?

 

[WerdUp]

Exercises do not give weight gain. Your diet does....

 

[Gutterpump]

Most people hit high and low rep ranges in their routine to hit the different types of fibre. Keep things varied and you'll keep getting good results. Fairly simple, you're overthinking it.

 

[EasyEJL]

yeah. fair doos i guess. how long do you think is a good time to give something before changing it if its not working? and does hypertrophy give the best weight gain?

You are 13. eat + lift weights, its really hard to mess it up too badly at your age (other than bad form). And you'll get decent results regardless of how you do it.

 

[Red Dog]

Exercises do not give weight gain. Your diet does....

But exercise can largely dictate where and how that weight gain is distributed across your physique

 

[Red Dog]

I've never seen much hypertrophy from training in the 1-5 rep range. If you're looking to add mass and you're already decently strong, sticking to the 7-10 range might be useful for you. I've never witnessed significant benefits from training in the 11+ rep range unless you're aiming to enhance your endurance capabilities OR you are doing "finishing work" (usually to failure) at the tail-end of your training session.

 

[rza]

so do you think

10-12
8-10
6-8 (or maybe 4-6, dont know)

would be a good place to start?

also, what kind of a speed is good for hypertrophy/weight gain?

 

[wotankrieg]

After many many years of training and coming from being ectomorph i can say more reps are better for mass, 8-12 reps, heavy supersets or trisets of 6-8-10 reps and some 15-20 reps too with taking much water, glycerol, creatine, vitargo and whey, eating a few amount of protein, good fats and carbs every 3 hours and it can´t be wrong to get mass fast!
Do some 3-5 reps for strength and many sets every two weeks.
That´s the only way i can say you can get mass naturally..., i tested every type of training in almost 15 years, the one io tjust old is the best to get mass, there are no more ways except...juice.

 

[Steelwolf]

I think you are seriously over complicating this. Just try and see what feels right and experiment. Thats when I really started growing

 

[rza]

ok, i do get what you're saying, but i do kinda need to know how long i should give a particular experiment before changing if its not workning.

 

[ZamaMan]

Muscle gains are directly related to how strong you get in whatever rep ranrange you chose. Most people grow best on 6-8 rep range. I normally add weight when I hit 9 reps.

 

[EasyEJL]

ok, i do get what y'all sayin', but i do kinda need to know how long i should give a particular experiment before changing if its not workning.

At least a month doing it consistently