So, in general, low reps with heavy weight tends to increase muscle mass, while high reps with light weight increases muscle endurance. This doesn't mean that you have to rely on one method exclusively. Alternating between the two may be the best approach for long-term success.
Training with greater weights or more reps is more effective depending on your personal fitness goals. Heavier weights with shorter reps are generally preferable for growing muscle mass, whereas lighter weights with more reps increase muscular endurance.
Ensure you're getting enough rest between workouts targeting the same muscle groups. In summary, lifting heavy with low reps can contribute to muscle growth, especially if combined with proper nutrition, recovery, and a balanced training program that includes a variety of rep ranges.
Both weight and reps are important when building muscle and strength. Lifting heavy weights with fewer reps (eg 5-8 reps) is typically better for building strength, while lifting lighter weights with more reps (eg 12-15 reps) is better for building muscle endurance.
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.
"Muscle pump" is really just fitness slang for a phenomenon called transient hypertrophy. Hypertrophy refers to the growth of a muscle, and transient means it's only temporary.
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.
Before you lift weights, warm up with five to 10 minutes of brisk walking or other aerobic activity. Don't rush. Move the weight in an unhurried, controlled fashion. Taking it slow helps you isolate the muscles you want to work and keeps you from relying on momentum to lift the weight.
All your muscles are made up of tiny individual fibers, and those fibers can be grouped into two different types: Type I (slow-twitch) and Type II (fast-twitch). “Type I muscle fibers, which are slow twitch, respond better to high rep training because they're more resistant to fatigue,” says Adrian.
Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.
Lifting lighter weights with higher reps helps tone muscles and build muscular endurance and strength. Compared to lifting heavy weights, light weight and bodyweight movements don't cause muscle fatigue as quickly, allowing you to perform repetitive motions for a greater period of time.
For beginners, Ben recommends trying five to 10 pounds for light weights, 10 to 20 pounds for medium weights, and 15 to 30 pounds for heavy weights—or simply starting with five-pound weights for each exercise and working up from there.
The mid-range of the repetition continuum (from 8 to 12 repetitions) is commonly referred to as the “hypertrophy zone” [33], reflecting the belief that such a loading scheme is ideal for building muscle (see Figure 1).
For most people, strength training two to three times a week is sufficient, but if you prefer to split training different muscle groups, then you can train up to five days a week. Just remember to recover at least 48 hours between working muscle groups.
Muscle size is different from strength in that hypertrophy requires continuous muscle use and not necessarily a high degree of force. Muscle strength relies on the muscle's size as well as its ability to contract and generate a force, which requires time and practice.
Increase the intensity of your workouts instead of working out for long periods of time. Make sure you're getting enough calories and protein in your diet for muscle growth. Get plenty of sleep and give your muscles time for recovery. Try supplements for more strength, energy, and power, like creatine and HMB.
Subjects were randomly assigned to exercise one, two, or three times a week for 24 weeks, performing three sets of their 80% 1‐RM. This study concluded that once‐weekly resistance training was equally as effective in increasing the strength in older adults as two or three times weekly.
For hypertrophy (muscle growth) the number of reps will generally be higher. Somewhere between 3-6 sets of 7-12 reps is a good rule of thumb. However, there are a number of different approaches to hypertrophy training that will diverge from this.
The Bottom Line. Plan workouts with heavy sets at the start of your session and early in the week. Follow heavy sets with lighter, higher-rep work for hypertrophy, performance and injury prevention. Use extra rest days after lighter sessions to recover for the next heavy training block.
Yes and no. Post-workout soreness does mean that your workout was challenging enough. Muscle soreness does tell you that you have incurred some degree of muscle damage, which we know is vital for muscle growth. However, muscle soreness doesn't reflect the extent of muscle damage that results from your workout.
During exercise, your body tends to retain more water to repair muscles and replenish glycogen stores. This retention can cause temporary bloating and a feeling of increased size in the stomach area. It's a normal part of the recovery process and essential for muscle repair.
Supplements such as beetroot, L-citrulline, and glutathione are all proven to help boost pump and vascularity. Pre Lab Pro is the best pre-workout formula which focuses on boosting nitric oxide levels to enhance performance and recovery, and is by far the best supplement for vascularity!