What is the optimal rep range when lifting for mass?

[Jack Diesel]

Should I do pyramids of 8*6*4 with heavy weights or stay at 8 reps for three sets?I want mass and its taking way too long (9 months)

 

[CONTRACTION]

I keep my reps in the 6-10 range.

Training is not the only factor in your pursuit of mass.

 

[sysopt]

I've been going fairly heavy, about 6 reps to failure, and I'm slowly growing, but strenghth gains are going up very quickly.

 

[SteelPreacher]

Low rep ranges definately build mas but MASS building takes a lot longer then 9 months it takes years especially if you're not on gear, and I agree w/ contraction that there's a lot more to it. Another thing is you cant do every thing you do in any one rep range forever you can do 6-8 reps for awhile then youre going to have to do something different.

 

[bodyfx]

Max reps in the 1-4 range=relative strength increases through enhanced neural drive.

Max reps in the 6-8 range=optimal compromise of maximal strength and hypertrophy gains.

Max reps in the 9-12 range=best hypertrophy gains leading to increased maximal strength.

Reps 13 and up=strength endurance gains and less hypertrophy.

 

[needleboy]

low reps are harder on the joints. I do not lift anything I can't get 8-10 reps with.

 

[ballast]

As was previously stated, mass building depends on more than one factor.Personally, I experiernce the best size gains when using a rep range of 4-6 reps.Someone fairly new to training will probably need to use a slightly higher rep range.Maybe 8-10.It's an individual thing.

 

[Enock]

I prefer 6-8 right now, of course I'm to new to the game to figure out which works best for me. Only thing I can tell is this gives me the most consistant improvments as far as being able do squeeze out an additional rep next time I work that part

 

[MuSuLPhReAk]

6 reps to failure

 

[Exodus]

4 to 6 for bodybuilding

2-5 for powerlifting..........


use both

 

[Kilroy]

I do 6-10 reps... one set. Used to do 3-4 sets
like everybody else, but I read a review of the
one-set vs. multi-set literature that reviewed
3 dozen studies, all of which were either inconclusive
or showed that the number of sets made no difference
to strength gain. So I went back to HIT. After
2 weeks I am back up to where I was before
5 months of 3-set workouts during which my
strength only dropped. However I also changed
my diet at the same time, adding more fat
and switching a lot of soy protein to beef,
chicken, or tuna, so that could also account for it.

The article also showed that almost all of the
assertions in weightlifting literature that claim
you should do 3 sets trace back to 1 study
which actually didn't have any conclusive results.

Of course all these studies were done with
average males... maybe freaky huge people
need to do 3 sets. But I'm not freaky huge.

 

[needsize]

I like to start out with heavy sets of 5 reps for compound exercises, move to 6-8 reps on next exercise,, and finish with a few sets of 8-10, hits both types of muscle fibre in the same workout and builds a lot of strength and size

 

[Belial]

Most lifts 5-8. One heavy set of 3-5 for the benefit of my CNS.

 

[JG1]

5-8 works for me

 

[Heather Darling]

8-7-6 Yates style!

 

[TheBandit]

I stick with 4-8