Correct number of reps purely for muscle size?

[elliotuk]

Had a lot of people telling me different numbers for this so would like to get an all round view. If I purely want to concentrate on gaining muscle size then what would be about the correct number of reps per set?

 

[Sinon]

Some say 8 to 12

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[jumpshot903]

i like heavy 6-8 reps thats just me personally

 

[Irish Cannon]

4-30.

 

[Kristofer68SS]

i like 6-8 also

 

[lciaccio]

4-30.

hahahaa....I always heard 8-12 was the best. But as long as your lifting as heavy as possible, and eating it shouldn't really matter unless your doing like 30 reps lol...

 

[Irish Cannon]

hahahaa....I always heard 8-12 was the best. But as long as your lifting as heavy as possible, and eating it shouldn't really matter unless your doing like 30 reps lol...

I was being serious. Broscience underestimates the power of high reps. I really believe you need a wide range, and you need to alternate it often.

 

[lonewolf0420]

hahahaa....I always heard 8-12 was the best. But as long as your lifting as heavy as possible, and eating it shouldn't really matter unless your doing like 30 reps lol...

 

[jcp2]

I don't know, every powerlifter i have ever known gained alot of weight when they started lifting heavy. Some of the thickest people you will ever see are the lighter guys at a meet.

Show me a 200 lb guys who benches 400, deads 600 and squats 500 and you are going to see one thick mfer.

 

[jcp2]

Broscience .

I never understood this term. maybe working out a LA Fitness or some equivelant does not provide you with with enough experienced guys ( not so much talking about you thier) but if you have the oppurtunity to speak with gusy who pull big, are world record benchers, squat big, are national bodybuilding competitors, are prep guys for national competitors or pro strongmen you tend to listen to "broscience" or experience, more than you do some guy on a message board who can provide some studies. Someone once wrote " if you show me a study that says sh@t tastes good, it does not mean i am having it for dinner" Not that studies are no good, but sometimes your peers are the most valuable resource you have. I know Nick Winters and Kabuki and Beezlebub all post on this board. You can bet i am taking their word for something regarding training much more so than someone who is quoting from some study.

 

[Irish Cannon]

I never understood this term. maybe working out a LA Fitness or some equivelant does not provide you with with enough experienced guys ( not so much talking about you thier) but if you have the oppurtunity to speak with gusy who pull big, are world record benchers, squat big, are national bodybuilding competitors, are prep guys for national competitors or pro strongmen you tend to listen to "broscience" or experience, more than you do some guy on a message board who can provide some studies. Someone once wrote " if you show me a study that says sh@t tastes good, it does not mean i am having it for dinner" Not that studies are no good, but sometimes your peers are the most valuable resource you have.

That's exactly it, though. Most guys on the message board aren't "world record benchers, squat big, are national bodybuilding competitors, are prep guys for national competitors or pro strongmen"...I'd definitely listen to those guys...

Look at Westside Barbell; those dudes hit 20+ reps on a lot of exercises. Of course 6-8, and 8-10 are good rep ranges, but so is 1-3, 4-5, and 12+...You just have to incorporate them at the right time.

 

[jcp2]

That's exactly it, though. Most guys on the message board aren't "world record benchers, squat big, are national bodybuilding competitors, are prep guys for national competitors or pro strongmen"...I'd definitely listen to those guys...

Look at Westside Barbell; those dudes hit 20+ reps on a lot of exercises. Of course 6-8, and 8-10 are good rep ranges, but so is 1-3, 4-5, and 12+...You just have to incorporate them at the right time.

The fact that you know westside makes you OK, lol. I was just trying to post a point. Sometimes the best info you will ever get is from someones mouth, but you can't always back it up on paper. Sometimes they are just freaks. I have been told things by prep gusy that kind of fly in the face of everything the boards talk about, but who am i to disagree, i don't compete in bodybuilding.

 

[Kristofer68SS]

The fact that you know westside makes you OK, lol. I was just trying to post a point. Sometimes the best info you will ever get is from someones mouth, but you can't always back it up on paper. Sometimes they are just freaks. I have been told things by prep gusy that kind of fly in the face of everything the boards talk about, but who am i to disagree, i don't compete in bodybuilding.

who the hell is Prep Gusy?

 

[Irish Cannon]

:toofunny:

*I actually own those.

 

[Irish Cannon]

The fact that you know westside makes you OK, lol. I was just trying to post a point. Sometimes the best info you will ever get is from someones mouth, but you can't always back it up on paper. Sometimes they are just freaks. I have been told things by prep gusy that kind of fly in the face of everything the boards talk about, but who am i to disagree, i don't compete in bodybuilding.

Definitely. Word of mouth is different to me than "broscience." I've always looked at Broscience in a negative connotation.

 

[elliotuk]

bump^ more votes plzzzzz

 

[Jayhawkk]

Broscience is reserved for those statements and myths that are repeated as fact by people without any real basis in truth.

1. broscience 60 up, 10 down
Word of mouth knowledge passed off as fact, primarily among bodybuilders + weightlifters. Generally spouted most by guys who have used loads of steroids and are huge, have no idea what is happening to their bodies and then share that same cluelessness with others who make the false assumption that their experience means that they have knowledge.

Watch who you listen to. Seriously. They are everywhere, sharing their knowledge - B5150.
"I never had any hairloss when I pinned the testosterone in my butt cheeks, but when I tried pinning in my bicep, I went bald" is some broscience you could find in a forum, or a gym

2. BroScience 18 up, 3 down
Anecdotal evidence presented as fact by unqualified, yet confident indvidulas in the body building community.
Rampent within liftring forums and message boards, the information is usualy based on hearsay with little to no scientific evidence to support the claims made by the individual.
Examples can be limited to a single fram of mind: It worked for me, so it works the same way for everyone!

There is actually a forum that is called broscience dot com that caters to these claims.
An example of Broscience is as follows:
If you want to cut fat and get muscle definition, do high reps, low weight

3. Broscience 33 up, 1 down
Broscience is the predominant brand of reasoning in bodybuilding circles where the anecdotal reports of jacked dudes are considered more credible than scientific research.
Broscience in action:

"Bro, you gotta slam 40-60 grams of waxy maize plus 20 grams of BCAA within 7 seconds of finishing your last set of squat rack curls. Otherwise, you'll go straight catabolic."

http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=23257

 

[Irish Cannon]

^That's exactly what I've always considered it as...The word itself just has a bad, idiot connotation to it.

 

[Cinn]

^^^ "3. Broscience 33 up, 1 down
Broscience is the predominant brand of reasoning in bodybuilding circles where the anecdotal reports of jacked dudes are considered more credible than scientific research.
Broscience in action:

"Bro, you gotta slam 40-60 grams of waxy maize plus 20 grams of BCAA within 7 seconds of finishing your last set of squat rack curls. Otherwise, you'll go straight catabolic.""



So true. So very true.

 

[Irish Cannon]

I believe it's 10 seconds...but it's really splitting hairs.

 

[RenegadeRows]

my answer is 10 reps... 4 0 4 0 ...

 

[MentalTwitch]

negatives. I think people are so much different i dont like these threads so much. I can hit chest heavy or i dont feel much of anything. I blast it, 4-5 exercises 3-4 sets, 8-10 reps each i feel great for the next 2 days.
Just gotta find it for yourself.

 

[masterX]

Take 7-10reps but more is not bad 30 is a lot, better yet improve endurance muscles but again why would you bother lifting the barbell 25 times when you can lift heavy for 10 or 15 reps that would be seriously enough and you would get pumped and strong.
I think 30 reps would be for pushups in my case.


And be patient your chest won' t grow fast it takes time.

 

[Tone]

I never understood this term. maybe working out a LA Fitness or some equivelant does not provide you with with enough experienced guys ( not so much talking about you thier) but if you have the oppurtunity to speak with gusy who pull big, are world record benchers, squat big, are national bodybuilding competitors, are prep guys for national competitors or pro strongmen you tend to listen to "broscience" or experience, more than you do some guy on a message board who can provide some studies. Someone once wrote " if you show me a study that says sh@t tastes good, it does not mean i am having it for dinner" Not that studies are no good, but sometimes your peers are the most valuable resource you have. I know Nick Winters and Kabuki and Beezlebub all post on this board. You can bet i am taking their word for something regarding training much more so than someone who is quoting from some study.

GOOD POST, I couldn't agree more!

 

[LOLBRB]

switch it up and find out what works for you. i personally have always gone heavy on my main compound movements ( S/B/D , military press', and rows') and then 8+ reps on pretty much everything after that..

experiment.

 

[columbo200]

You just need to shock your body. I was doin 20, 18, 18, 15 format for a lot of exercises and seeing great gains...now I'm moving to 6, 5,4, 3,2 format for compound exercises.

 

[jp17815]

I like the 6-8 range for mass and power. Higher then that like 10 + is good for tone.

JP.

 

[columbo200]

I like the 6-8 range for mass and power. Higher then that like 10 + is good for tone.

JP.

It is for some people you are right, but lots of people I know and a lot of bodybuilders use high reps for mass building typically in the 12-15 reps range. But only doing low or high reps will not consistantly help you build mass. Your body needs a change up every 3-5 weeks.

 

[allstar504448]

i read 1-6 for strength 7-11 for size and 12&up for endurance

 

[jp17815]

It is for some people you are right, but lots of people I know and a lot of bodybuilders use high reps for mass building typically in the 12-15 reps range. But only doing low or high reps will not consistantly help you build mass. Your body needs a change up every 3-5 weeks.

I'm with you on that one. You have to change it up. That way your muscles won't get use to the same ol.

Great point.
I do remember reading that somewhere.

JP.

 

[GeekPoop]

different strokes for different folks my .02