This is especially true with arm isolation exercises, where it's often safest and easiest to do 8–15 reps per set. Train often enough: to maximize our rate of muscle growth, we want to train our muscles 2–4 times per week.
To tone your arm muscles, consider starting with 2- to 3-pound dumbbells, all the way up to 5- to 10-pound dumbbells for women and 10- to 20-pound dumbbells for men. Once you can do 12 to 15 repetitions with little effort, it's time to increase the weights.
Some trainers may also tell you to do more reps on the smaller and weaker side. Since you can't actually do more reps with the same weight on the smaller and weaker side as you can on the bigger and stronger side, you again would have to undertrain the bigger, stronger arm to do this.
Reps For An Arm Workout
Aim for a moderate rep range of around 8-12 reps per set for optimal muscle growth, strength, and hypertrophy in the biceps, triceps, and other arm muscles.
The 6-12-25 Protocol is a powerhouse training protocol that harnesses the intensity of giant sets to pack high-volume work into a short period. By targeting one muscle group or body part per set, this method takes you through three different exercises with minimal rest, hitting 6, 12, and 25 reps in quick succession.
Up to 30% of your muscle's size is attributed to the sarcoplasm, so focusing on this type of hypertrophy helps build overall size (i.e., increased cross-sectional area of the muscle). If you're looking to get bigger: Target a rep range of 6 – 12 reps per set. Aim for 3-5 sets.
Strategies to Gain Muscle Mass Quickly
Exercise Regularly: Focus on exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Gradually lift heavier weights to build muscle. Eat Healthy Foods: Fill your meals with protein, carbs, and good fats. Choose foods like chicken, eggs, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
We Still Recommend 6-8 Sets Per Week: For those of you who are performing 3 sets of 3 exercises per muscle group during a workout, and each muscle group 1x/week, you are likely performing 3 or 4 high-quality sets, followed by 3 - 5 additional fatigued sets that your body cannot adapt to.
There is a minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week for hypertrophy. For increasing strength, both higher volume and frequency contribute. However, results diminish beyond 4 sets per week. There is a minimum effective dose of 1 set per week per muscle group for strength gains.
Typically, it takes around 6-8 weeks for you to start noticing changes in the appearance of your arms. At around the 12 week mark, this is typically when you can expect to see more significant changes, especially if you didn't already have a large amount of muscle mass in the area!
Otherwise known as resistance training, lifting weights is a type of exercise that focuses on building muscles and growing your strength. Specifically though, lifting weights may be able to increase your total level of fat loss, as well as build muscle, which could help your arms to appear slimmer and more toned.
If you are looking to increase your muscular endurance you should be lifting lighter weights for more reps (12+) (Baechle & Earle, 2019). If you are looking to lose fat, then you are looking to lift light to mid weight for higher reps (10-15) (Tuminello, 2014).
Two of the most popular choices are cardio workouts and strength training exercises. Some people favor interval training, too, which can speed up the process of losing arm fat. Popular excises to help with arm fat include aerobics or cardio, strength training, and flexibility or balance exercises.
A: 2lb weights are great for arm exercises. The weights don't put too much strain on your muscles, while helping to build basic strength in your triceps and biceps.
Although you can't lose weight in just your thighs, you can incorporate exercises into your workout that will specifically target your thighs and help to tone them. Try simple exercises like lunges (both forward and side lunges), squats, and leg lifts.
For most types of biceps exercises, however, the whole 5-30 rep range is highly effective. When constructing a weekly training plan, it's probably a good idea to train the heavy ranges before the lighter ranges. Because both types of training cause fatigue, they all interfere with each other to some extent.
Remember, health experts recommend fitting in at least two strength training workouts per week. That means you can make progress when it comes to sculpting your muscles and getting stronger, even if you're only able to exercise twice a week.
This holds that regardless of whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start. The scheme mostly works, especially if you're just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning.
Try to work your arms 2-3 days per week and complete 3-5 sets of each exercise. As you increase the weight, the reps should be lower and vice versa. So, if you are doing 12-15 reps the weight will be much lighter than if you are completing 3-5 reps.
1-5 Reps is where you want to be if you are looking specifically for strength gains. Stick to this rep range of top end strength is your goal. 5-8 Reps is used for what is known as functional hypertrophy. This is for people who are looking to gain some size, strength and speed, without too much muscular building.
If your goal is endurance and lean muscle, use a lighter weight and perform one to three sets of 12 to 16 reps with at least one day of rest in between. For maximum results, switch up your workouts. Don't do the exact same routines every session.
Skinny guys are typically also weak, which means working excessively in the 8 to 12 rep range won't provide much muscle recruitment / tensions. Until you've built a foundation of strength and muscle, staying in the 6 to 8 rep range is best.
So is creatine good for skinny guys? Yes, because this supplement helps to increase training performance, perform a greater volume of work, as well as contributes to gaining muscle mass and strength! It is a great addition to regular strength training and a well-planned diet with calorie surplus.
There are other terms for this, such as build mode, but bulking is a common term for this caloric surplus. Dirty bulking is when an individual is in a caloric surplus to build muscle (build mode). However, the individual is eating foods that are carb dense, unhealthy, and ultra-processed out of convenience.