Reps for MASS. How low should you go?

[Exodus]

I've always used the heaviest weight I can lift with good form and either shoot for 8 reps per set or I do pyramids starting with 8 reps 8-6-4-2-1-2-4-6-8.

If you're main goal is lifing for mass, what's the "lowest" useful number of reps you should use?

Conversely, what's the highest number you should ever be doing for a given set?

depends on your body.... myself , i grow like a weed using WSB (there is a link to it at the top of the training page under methods) its all about getting you more stronger, but it has a lot of hypertrophy work that keeps me growing. i love it.

X

 

[houseofpain]

I've always used the heaviest weight I can lift with good form and either shoot for 8 reps per set or I do pyramids starting with 8 reps 8-6-4-2-1-2-4-6-8.

If you're main goal is lifing for mass, what's the "lowest" useful number of reps you should use?

Conversely, what's the highest number you should ever be doing for a given set?

 

[MeatHead57]

1-4

 

[louden_swain]

5-8

 

[pwr_machine]

8-12 j/k although that is a good rep range to incorporate in your training. As you can see, there are a wide variety of opinions. Most importantly, don't let your workouts become stale. If you start to plateau, change something. Consider changing it up every few weeks with different rep schemes or even a different caloric intake if something's not working.

 

[SofaGeorge]

If you want mass you are going to do a combo of low rep and higher rep exercises.

I get results from 2-4 rep training... but if I ignore a couple 10-12 rep sets... I'm missing something.

Hence, I like 5x5. It gives me 5 sets at 5 reps (with usually a couple 3-4s in there) and 4 sets at 10-12 reps.

 

[jerkbox]

in general 5-8

 

[JollyRogers]

I like 2-4 reps mostly


sometimes 6-8

 

[JJFigure]

Supposedly, the amount of time under tension (TUT) for a set is more key than number of reps per se. TUT for strength work is 20-40 seconds; TUT for hypertrophy is 40-70 seconds. If you use a very slow cadence, you can do 4 reps in 40+ seconds. However, it's more likely you'll use a cadence that allows for 1-4 reps for strength and 8-12 reps for hypertrophy. And of course, you'll have a little crossover when training in the 4-8 rep range.

I personally like the format of the Dual Factor Hypertrophy Training routine - it's a nice combination of both strength and hypertrophy rep ranges.

 

[pwr_machine]

a nice combination of both strength and hypertrophy rep ranges.

That's what I think is ideal!