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What the best range rep to gain muscle? (for bodybuilder)
- Thread starter tehkevroy
- Start date
I'd say the best rep range is a combination of the last 3 categories. i.e. 5-7, 8-10, 11-12.
It's very difficult to increase strength without going down in reps for at least a few sets per workout. Increase the weight aiming for 5-7 and build up the reps to 11-12 over the following workouts.
It's very difficult to increase strength without going down in reps for at least a few sets per workout. Increase the weight aiming for 5-7 and build up the reps to 11-12 over the following workouts.
captainahole
New member
I use 5-7 for the most part. But use 2-4 regularly on the day I do max lifts on a body part as well for increasing strength in a shorter time frame.
Powerbuilder333
Timeout? No, timeouts are for Plats
1 - 15, with most of the work falling in the 5 - 10 range.
deathdroprob
Banned
Even if your on a strengh program or simply using low reps its importnat to have a day with high reps to get the lactic acid flowing and get less injury prone
MsBeverlyHills
New member
3-5 reps for strenght, 8-10 for mass.... & yeah 8and20- nice avatar 
Heres my thoughts on this subject:
I believe you should ALWAYS train to failure. On heavy compound movements, I get no more than 10 reps. If I get more than 10 reps, I go up in weight.
When it comes to isolated movements, such as cable flys or something similar, I shoot for 12/14 reps. As always, if I get more than 12/14 reps I go up in weight.
I feel the slightly higher number of reps in the isolated movements helps to get a better pump and better burn.
Do it 'till ya can't people.
Chris
I believe you should ALWAYS train to failure. On heavy compound movements, I get no more than 10 reps. If I get more than 10 reps, I go up in weight.
When it comes to isolated movements, such as cable flys or something similar, I shoot for 12/14 reps. As always, if I get more than 12/14 reps I go up in weight.
I feel the slightly higher number of reps in the isolated movements helps to get a better pump and better burn.
Do it 'till ya can't people.
Chris
Mavafanculo
New member
according to smoe writeup's in Ironman mag (dont remember if they were bro-ology or scientific) the best rep range for hypertrophy depends on bodytype and muscle type predominence.
Mesomorphs have a higher percentage of type 2 fast twitch muscle fibers. They benefit more from heavier ex[plosive low rep work
Ectomorphs's have a higher percentage of type 1 slow twitch fibers, so they benefit more from endurence type continuous tension higher rep work.
imo you should work mainly with your predominent fiber type for maximizing mass gains, but should also include work for your secondary type (since no one is a pure ecto or meso).
p.s. I've found this to be true for myself and some training buddies, some of whom are predominently ectos, some predominently mesos.
Mesomorphs have a higher percentage of type 2 fast twitch muscle fibers. They benefit more from heavier ex[plosive low rep work
Ectomorphs's have a higher percentage of type 1 slow twitch fibers, so they benefit more from endurence type continuous tension higher rep work.
imo you should work mainly with your predominent fiber type for maximizing mass gains, but should also include work for your secondary type (since no one is a pure ecto or meso).
p.s. I've found this to be true for myself and some training buddies, some of whom are predominently ectos, some predominently mesos.
NJL52
New member
Mavafanculo said:
Bro-ology. If that article is about sizebuilding then it is just blowing steam up your ass.
Type 1 fibers, no matter how much you trian them, will NEVER be big. It doesn't get big. It's purpose is to be efficient, exactly the oppositive of what size provides.
The only way to train a type 1 fiber is to do many many many reps. IE 100 or jogging or cycling for distance. Which makes you look like Lance Armstrong.
Mavafanculo
New member
NJL52 said:
1st I've ever seen such a conclusion. ^^
my understanding is that yes type 2 have a greater capacity for growth, but that doesnt mean that type 1 dont hypertrophy. and if you are an ecto with a larger percentage of type 1 fibers it would make sense to concentrate on the type of training best suited to grwing type 1 fibers. higher rep continuous tension work.
i'll see if I can find the article and whether they footnote any studies to support their statement, but as I said seems to bear out in my limited experience
NJL52
New member
Mavafanculo said:
Hrmm.. I dumbed down my explanation because I wasn't in a typing mood. Probably shouldn't have.
Slow twitch does get big, but with a change. It kind of hybridizes itself into more of a fast twitch muscle when it is required to. (I've seen some that consider this actually changing into type 2 fiber and I have seen some sources saying that this is just growth to help bare the needs of training)
Training a slow twitch muscle means endurance. A slow twitch muscle has extremely low power output and extremely high endurance output. Increasing the ability of a slow twitch fiber means to increase your capacity for endurance by making the fiber more efficient at aerobic activities.
My post was mostly referring to the article stating that training for more endurance type workouts if you are ecto. Endurance type training increases your ability to work for long amounts of time(as stated earlier.) Endurance type training doesn't build size, it make you more efficient at endurance.
Ughh... Having problems organizing what I'm trying to say....anyways, to keep going;
2a and 2b fibers are what allow you to lift big. 2a has B power output and D+ endurance. It is kind of a hybrid muscle in itself. 2b has A+ power and F endurance. 1 is the smallest, 2a is big, 2b is bigger.
2b is trained primarily when you do low rep sets. Your 2b, and to an extent your 2b are trained to increase their output when doing low rep sets.
Breaching into 10-12 reps exhausts the 2a and 2b to the point where they can't work anymore, they are exhausted and lactic acid builds up. At that point the only muscle that isn't exhausted is your 1(in an untrained trainee)
Once you get to that point, your working to increase the power and lower the endurance of the type 1s in order to make up for the loss of the 2a and 2b. Essentially, hybridizing the 1s.
These hybridized ones(as I call them) are what makes bodybuilders big. They are the only reason bodybuilders are big. (Yea, I know, kind of contrasting what I said originally, but bare with me, I'll keep explaining) They grow in a naturally inefficient manner, putting excessive mitochondria on in order to compensate for having to do a different job than what they are designed for.
The reason I said that type 1 fibers don't grow is because they aren't the standard type 1 fibers anymore. They are mock type 2 fibers.
The second inaccuracy with the article is that you need to train different if you are an mesomorph then you would if you are an ectomorph. Everybody gains size most efficiently by training your type 1 fibers in this manner.
2a and 2b are very naturally efficient with their size gains. They do increase in size, but they are so powerful already that they don't gain nearly as much when you raise the first 5 reps of a set by 10 pounds as when you gain 10 pounds on reps 7-12 in a set(thus increasing the size of type 1 fibers)
This is the reason why you look at some 5 star highschool football player. IE some kid from Miami that is 6'2, 220, runs a 4.45 and jumps 38 inches. Unbelieveable power and size packed into a tiny frame. He looks like a twig;
http://vmedia.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/MARCUSROBINSON7_2200.JPG
He has trained his 2a and 2b to increase in power and they have. And they e didn't need to put on much mass. You don't get big at all(relative to if you train your 1s to hybridize) by training 2s.
So in short; that article is just blowing smoke. Another one of your amazing fads. Don't train high rep endurance if you want size. Don't train low rep explosion if you want size either. Best range is 10-12 reps where your 2s become exhausted and you are forced to use your 1s for a few reps, thus increasing the size of the 1s.
Good god that took a long time to type. Oh yea, it's been awhile since I studied this, so there are probably some inaccuracies. So just do 10 rep sets if you want size.
Mavafanculo
New member
good stuff
havent found the original article yet - btw the advocated training wasn't "endurence" type in the sense of dozens of reps, more in terms of slow concentric and eccentric and longer time under continuous tension using a lower % of 1repmax. and the fast twitch explosive wasnt at ultra low rreps, more in the 6-10 range if I recall with more tradition 1 sec ecc/con at a higher % of 1rm
havent found the original article yet - btw the advocated training wasn't "endurence" type in the sense of dozens of reps, more in terms of slow concentric and eccentric and longer time under continuous tension using a lower % of 1repmax. and the fast twitch explosive wasnt at ultra low rreps, more in the 6-10 range if I recall with more tradition 1 sec ecc/con at a higher % of 1rm
Mavafanculo
New member
pretty much lol.
the guys who wrote the article are pretty good re basing their programs on studies, and their stuff is always interesting (lawson and holman or something like that. they're the x-reps guys)
the guys who wrote the article are pretty good re basing their programs on studies, and their stuff is always interesting (lawson and holman or something like that. they're the x-reps guys)
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