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. Here's why.
If you train with high reps, your goal is to build a bigger muscle. Some folks call this "structural hypertrophy" since the higher rep sets allow you to focus primarily on the muscles themselves. They also lend themselves to fewer total sets per exercise.
The best rep range for building muscle
Numerous research studies show that high-volume resistance training is the best method for building muscle. According to the American Council on Exercise, the eight to 15 rep range holds the most muscle-building potential.
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.
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.
You're not targeting your muscles for growth
“Big muscles are not the typical outcome of typical strength training workouts,” Sothern says. Put another way, you may need to make some targeted changes to stimulate hypertrophy, or muscle growth.
You aren't lifting heavy enough.
In the resistance training context, hypertrophy occurs when skeletal muscle tissue enlarges, because the resistance stimulus increases the size of the muscle's component cells. Achieving hypertrophy puts you in a muscle-building state, but you won't get there by lifting light weights.
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.
Linemen: 30-39. Tight Ends and Linebackers: 25-30. Running Backs: 20-25. Defensive Backs and Receivers: 15-20.
Anything greater than 20 reps in a set is probably far too many. Performing this many reps in a set will have diminishing returns. If you can easily do more than 20 reps, then the weight you are using is probably too light or too easy to elicit any significant growth.
Are 3 sets of exercises enough for building muscle? Building muscle, or hypertrophy, requires a greater training volume than just three sets. If you have some training experience and you are looking to build muscle, you would do 3 to 6 sets of each exercise and you would aim for two exercises per body part.
Sets of anywhere from 4–40 reps will stimulate muscle growth quite well, but most research shows that doing 6–20 reps per set is the most efficient way to build muscle. Bodybuilders often use the middle of that range, favouring 8–12 reps per set.
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.
If you're looking to build muscle quickly, whether you've been training for years or are just starting out, then doing slower reps is the way to go. Workouts with slower reps cause your muscles to experience more time under tension, much more than with faster reps.
The simple answer: No. Many people (especially females) are afraid that if they lift weights, they will get bulky (gain a lot of muscle mass), which inevitably changes their physique into what they may view as undesirable. Weight training does one thing very reliably: it makes you stronger.
Though we can safely say that - based on national statistics - less than 1% of the population can bench press 225 pounds, this figure becomes somewhat more dubious when changing the sample size to only individuals that visit the gym.
Obviously, bench press ability does not always translate to success on the field. According to Pro Football Reference, 338 players did the 225 bench press test at the 2021 combine. Note not all players at the combine participated in the bench press.
It may seem like the percentage of how many people can bench 315 would be significantly higher, but because a majority of experienced and professional lifters worldwide live in developed countries, the percentage is roughly the same and thus, less than 1% of Americans can bench 315 pounds.
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.
Sets & Reps: Rules To Follow To Get Ripped
Moderate (10-15 reps) and higher rep training (15-30 reps) should be done as well to increase overall training volume, work performed, and help retain as much lean muscle mass you can during a diet.
You Don't Have Enough Training Volume
The more volume in your training (more sets and reps) the greater the hypertrophy response you will get (up to a point of course). If you like to stick to powerlifting specific programming this may very well be the reason you aren't seeing much progress in terms of muscle growth.
Most beginners will see noticeable muscle growth within eight weeks, while more experienced lifters will see changes in three to four weeks. Most individuals gain one to two pounds of lean muscle per month with the right strength training and nutrition plan.