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 at a fast rep speed increases the pace at which your muscles can move a given weight. The faster you can move a given weight, the more power you have. Power is important for overall muscle strength because it helps you accelerate a weight, so increasing power will successfully increase your strength.
Low-weight, high-reps programs have a lower injury risk from handling lighter weights. Programs that use a low percentage of your 1RM also minimize central nervous system stress. They may also strengthen your connective tissue and prevent tendon injuries.
Generally, exercises with higher reps are used to improve muscular endurance, while higher weights with fewer reps are used to increase muscle size and strength.
Generally speaking, you want to train both low and high reps to get ripped. Not just high reps. Training with low to moderate rep ranges can help you get ripped as low rep training at hard intensities will help you maintain strength to ensure you are able to do more work with lighter weights.
Fact: Light weights with high reps alone don't tone muscle or burn fat. People often use light weights and high reps exclusively when aiming to lose fat, but this is a huge mistake — especially if you want to have toned muscles, because lifting weights doesn't stimulate muscles enough for fat loss.
Workouts with slower reps cause your muscles to experience more time under tension, much more than with faster reps. The amount of time your muscles stay strained beneath a certain amount of weight will lead to an increase in muscle size.
The biceps and triceps should be trained using rep ranges between 5-20 reps to best maximize strength, muscle growth, and overall development of the muscles.
Pecs respond well to higher reps. Triceps respond better to lower reps. Delts generally respond better to high reps, though the front portion can respond well to lower reps.
The lowering of the weight, slowly or just under control, causes muscle trauma, which in turn leads to the birth or recruitment of nascent muscle cells known as satellite cells. Bring enough of them on line, and you've reconstructed your muscles to be bigger and badder.
Reps for muscle growth
In order to get bigger and stronger, you must ensure your muscles work harder than they are used to. Generally, between 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will help to build overall muscle size.
You could end up putting on fat instead of muscle – Because of the change required in your diet to build muscle mass quickly, you'll need to take in more calories and many people who try to build muscles too fast have a difficult time adapting their diets to take in the increased amount of calories in a healthy way.
Lifting weights requires more supervision and instruction for maximum benefit and avoidance of injuries than cardio exercise. Using weights alone without cardio, you will most likely develop bulk instead of a toned and streamlined body.
Lifting for pure strength is best partnered with heavy weights. "If you're trying for strength, or your max force output, the heavier the weight, the more strength gains you'll have, along with size gains," Tuminello says. It's also super time efficient.
A loaded barbell isn't the only path to building muscle. According to a new study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, you don't have to lift super heavy in order to boost strength and gain muscle. As long as you go to failure, it doesn't matter how much weight you lift.
Many fitness beginners and even bodybuilders have difficulty in building up their biceps. This is not solely because the biceps is an isolated muscle that is naturally hard to develop, but mostly because they may just be doing the wrong bicep exercises for long-term results.
Gaining strength all comes down to fatiguing your muscles, and heavy weights will get you there faster. It just takes longer to get tired when you're curling a 5-pound weight versus a 25-pound dumbbell. "Heavy compound exercises offer the most bang for your buck.
To gain mass you should eat lots of lean meat, protein, beans, fish, and other high calorie low-fat dishes. Replace your after workout carbohydrates with fruit or other healthy carbs. It is best to plan your workout near one of your meals. Eating after your workout helps properly feed your growing muscles.
The fast rep tempo group increased their bench press strength by about 18%, whereas the slow rep tempo group only increased their bench press by 10%. What's more, this is despite the slow rep tempo group accumulating about 50% more time under tension than the fast rep tempo group.
To increase strength and power, the best rest period is 2-5 minutes between sets. To increase hypertrophy (muscle growth), the best rest period is 30-90 seconds between sets. To increase muscular endurance, the best rest period is 30 seconds or less between sets.
Slow and fast squats are both beneficial, but your squat speed will depend on your experience level and your goals. Fast squats are better for athletes in power sports who need to improve their explosiveness while slow squats are better for perfecting squat technique, increasing hypertrophy, and building strength.
The idea behind this is that high reps help you lose fat and make muscle more “toned”. On the other hand, low reps can help you build muscle and increase strength.
Being jacked is a term of endearment. It means you are quite large, have more muscle than the average gym member and look like you lift. If you are jacked you've probably been training for years and have an understanding of what type of training and diet works best for your body.
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.