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 Under 6 reps?
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| Author | Topic: Under 6 reps? | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder 
Posts: 109 |
I heard that by training under 6 reps, strengh will increase dramatically, but one wont gain much size. Anyone heard of this? Any truth to this?     | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 172 |
Low reps = Big Muscle High reps = Muscle Tone Both are needed for a good hard overall appearance. You can't bust your balls with max lifting each and every time you work out. Injury and overtraining will result. 6 reps is actually sorta in the middle. I believe that 4 reps max for building bulk and 12 reps max for toning. When you feel strong mentally and physically, push out your "single best" heaviest lift. | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 109 |
Cool thanks man. Any other opinions? | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder 
Posts: 546 |
No, Kingpin, that low rep / muscle vs. high rep / tone biz is just a thesis, not a principle of exercise physiology. We really understand very, very little about any of this stuff. WTF is "tone" anyway? It's just a big muscle with no covering of subdermal fat. In my experience (and that's just as limited as it sounds), low rep sets are just fine, but mostly for big muscle groups, like squats, deads, or bench. Other bros might differ, but that's my $.02 Be well, and lift heavy, brothers. Bjaarki ------------------ BECOME SOMEONE'S HERO! | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 54 |
I'm a newbie, but who cares, this is about opinions. What i do, is each week i vary. One week i do heavy weights with low reps: 8,8,6,6 increasing the weights. The next week i do low weights and high reps:15,15,15,15 maintainigthe weights. Dam, the second week gets my muscles hard as rock. I've been doing this for a while and like it. Am I insane? Right now i'm not intoo roids, but will start my FINA cycle on monday. Thankx | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder 
Posts: 883 |
Kingpin is off about high reps for toning. Weight lifting builds muscle. Cardio and Diet will give you tone (low bodyfat). It's good to vary reps. I have done anything from 4-30 reps. Even 100 reps squats... The best for building muscle tissue in my opinion is 8-12 reps. It's a little hard to say because it depends more on time under tension then the number of reps. ------------------ | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 109 |
OK cause im doing anywhere from 6-15 reps right now (mostly 6-8), but the next week im going to be switching to low reps (1-6). Ive heard that low reps is a lot better for stength, although not to good for size. (It does vary from person to person, however). Anyway, my main goal is to gain a lot of size off my cycle. Im worried that the low reps is going to stop my hypertrophy(growth), and provide just strength. Am I being stupid or what? | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 883 |
No your not stupid. Low reps can make you get stronger but not bigger. Look at the olympic lifters they are not very big but very strong. Low reps will develop: tendon strenght, neurological efficiency and ability to use more muscle fibers. This will not lead to growth. Like I said 8 reps is probably the best number! ------------------ | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 546 |
Drexx: I generally admire your posts to most threads, and think your mostly right in your contributions to this thread, but I disagree with your statement that low reps don't build mass. In my experience, low rep heavy sets do build mass, at least with the large muscle groups. They're not just strength builders. As I say, we're all a bit hamstrung (no pun intended) by a general lack of validated theory, a lack of a good paradigm, in most areas of exercise physiology. We don't even know why working out gets you sore, for chrissake, much less what rep range is best for doing this or that. That's why I preface my remarks by saying "In my experience ..." That's all this is. In my experience, low rep heavy sets work fine and build good mass for lifts like squats, deads, and bench. Later, bros.... Bjaarki | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 883 |
Bjaarki: No offense taken. You are right I should have said in my experience... I have done 4 reps and got good strenght gains since I got stronger I was able to use more weight in the 8-12 range and "I think" that is what made me grow. I think the best way is to vary the reps that way you can get the best of both worlds. We don't know if 4 reps or 8 reps is better so do both or atleast have a period when you are doing low reps alternated with a period where there is more reps ------------------ | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 109 |
Bro's I really want to periodize my training by switching up my reps, but dont want to "waste" the gear by not gaining size. Maybe I should Switch over to low reps for 2-3 weeks, then switch back to 6-12 for 4 weeks? Sound like a good idea? | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 166 |
Well ill tell u what worked for me. 6-8 reps i got Huge off of. anything lower is for strength any thing higher is to burn the fat in your muscles causing the 'tone' most people talk about. i think thats how it works. even if my science is off that worked for me. when i do juice for lets say 8 weeks i break my exercises like this: week Intesity ---- -------- 1 1-4reps 3 sets 2 1-4reps 3 sets 3 6-8reps 4 sets 4 6-8reps 4 sets 5 6-8reps 4 sets 6 6-8reps 4 sets 7 12-15reps 5sets 8 12-15reps 5sets what i personaly find this does is give me the strength at the begining of the cycle then i start building muscle for the greater part then tone up at the end. basicly i use that ratio 1:2:1 | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 211 |
Omega44, that is exactly what i did last year and did worked great for me and my bench went sky rocket!! and for kingpin, i think he is right about the tone with high reps, "which is me though, maybe not you" -MIKE- | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 149 |
I agree with Drexx on the 8 rep mark..ON squat and bench I do low reps to build strength.. But on everything else I do 8 reps..Bam Bam | ||
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Cool Novice 
Posts: 24 |
Don't know where anyone got that Olympic lifters are not big but very strong. You make it sound like they are small or something. I think that issue lies in the fact that they train a lot of total body movement exercises. Bodybuilders tend to train a lot more single body part exercises. I train heavy and rarely ever go over 5 reps on any major body part and I weigh nearly 290lbs. Man...does that mean that I would be just friggin huge if I did higher reps? My point is...cycle your training. Go heavy for a while, then go lighter for a while. When my stress is up and my food is down, my joints do not feel like going heavy, so I go light. Not for sure if 15 reps are good for much more except arms and squats though. Ohhhh, 20 rep squats...I feel the pain just mentioning it, ha ha. B True | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 153 |
Everyone's different. I have never done more than 6 reps for the past 5 years of training. I do 4-6 reps for even biceps. I'm 5'10" 270. I guess I haven't been able to gain any muscle. Dorian Yates - all sets 4-6 reps. Another good example of a guy that couldn't gain size. Sure his joints are spent now but he was a big son of a bitch. It amazes me how quick some people jump on one side saying no this doesn't work or that doesn't. The bottom line is it all works but it doesn't all work for everyone. It takes years to find the proper training style that your body responds to best. And unless you trained your first 3-5 years drug free you probably never figured out how to make your body truly respond. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 24 |
Perfectly Said!!!!!! B True | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 546 |
Yes, nicely said, Amp! | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 463 |
Bump for drexx & amp! | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 28 |
I like to do low reps when bulking and high reps when cutting. | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 197 |
low reps are more likely to leed you to an injury. They sure can build mass but so can high reps. To stimulate growth you have to damage your muscles and you can do it both with a big weight for a few reps or with a smaller weight for a longer time. 20 reps squats build a great mass. and as i said the risk of suffering an injury is lower. | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 280 |
I have been doing a maximum of 6 repititions on my heavy lifts...(bench, incline, squats,preachers)...everthing pretty much except forearm and lateral raise type stuff for the past two years. In the last two years I have gone from 145lbs to 180. I haven't added any body fat so I would definately have to say that lifting heavy with fewer reps has added size to me. In fact, when I lift light I lose both strength and size...hence I never lift light anymore. I believe that everyone is different so different people will have different reactions with lifting heavy compared to light. At the end of many of my exercises I do burn-out sets in order to rep out. These more than likely are not what is making me put on size...just endurance. The definition of tone is the electrical impulses that fire in your muscles in order to keep them from falling and turning into a big blob of sagging flesh. What people refer to as tone is just the lack of fat covering muscles. Whether you are lifting heavy or light this will not make you more tone. It is a big myth. ------------------ "Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 315 |
I would have to say that both Bjaarki and Drexx make very good points( oh ya amp to).The whole thing one must understand is not, low reps or high reps, and what does what, but you must look at what is best for you. What makes you grow best. Is it low reps, or high reps, or a combination of both during one set. No matter how many people tell you what is best, they are not you. They only way to figure out what will work is to try each way and be patient. Everyone seems to want to be hugh overnight, when really it takes years to be big and in good shape. Just try both ways out for a couple of weeks, and see which one works for you. And as far as wasting the gear goes, as long as your traing hard and properly , you will still see the effects. PEACE. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 49 |
I've been having the same gym battle. Heavy or light? High rep or low rep? Finally a friend gave me a new 3 week workout that I am about 1 1/2 weeks into. Basically, it goes like this: Day 1) Squat / Dead lift Day 2) Arms (Bi's / Tris) Day 3) Chest/ Back/ Shoulders Day 4) Off Start over again. The key is on chest day take you maximum. Say 300, take about 2/3 of that so 200 and go to the decline bench. Do 10 sets of 8 reps, with a 5 count negative on every down motion. Rest for 1/5 minutes and go do pull ups for back, with the same idea (use a belt and say 25 pounds for added resistance if you can for 10 sets of 8 reps with a five count on the way down. (Obviously choose your own weights. For Leg day do the same with squats and Dead lifts. Resting a 1.5 minutes between exercises and doing the 5 count on the resistance side of the exercise. Bi's and Tri's do straight bar or seated dumbell curls and dips with added weight. Remember the 5 count and use weight you can be strict with. You will avoid injury and I guarantee get the pump of your life. If you still have anything left feel free to do the smaller muscle groups, but DON'T OVERTRAIN. It is a 3 week progam, not something to do forever, give it a try, and let me know. | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 419 |
This is what I do. warm-up x12,x10,x8,x6,x3,x1 3 sets at 4-6 reps. ------------------ | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 24 |
Alot has to do with Time Under Tension. My 1-3 reps could equal someone elses 2-6 reps easily. So my 4-5 reps could equal 8-10 of someone elses. I do my reps fairly slow, not with a fast negative or bounce of any kind. I think that Time Under Tension may be more effective than just a number of reps. Be True |
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posted October 13, 2000 03:12 PM