Reps or sets

[AI03]

Hi,

I am beginning my training regime on Monday.
I am going to be starting lightly and building up as i feel pretty weak and tend to be injury prone.

I am going to be following a 12 week programme. I am only going to be one set of each exercise to the point of muscular failure.

Now, the routine is devised from a book called Muscle Dynamics. It says for leg exercises you should be able to carry out 20 reps and for arm etc exercises-15 reps.

Now, i find that when doing longer reps i tend to get bored and de-motivated.

Would it be ok if i just started lifting a bit heavier and started pounding out 10 reps for any group of exercises.

I mean will shorter reps be more beneficial for strength/mass/muscular gains or will longer reps be better?

Please advise people.

 

[bran987]

I would advise you to do more sets with less reps if you have never worked out before.

Trying to start out for your first time with a weight that is going to take you to failure at rep 10 (or failure at all for that matter), will mostly likely result in a breakdown of form if you do not start out with light weights to get the mechanics down.

Especially if you are injury prone as you say you are.

 

[PoonRaider]

more reps (15-25+) = more toned = better endurance - Known as toning exercise
less reps (8-12) = bigger muscles - Known as Hypertrophy, or HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training)
even less reps (1-6) = not necessarily bigger muscles, but more strength - Known as Strength training

Its really up to you what you want to do. If you want to get bigger, most people would tell you to shoot for the 8-12 rep range, and do 3-4 sets. If you want to get more toned (cut), most people would tell you to do at least 15 reps to 25 reps, or possibly more if you choose to, for 3-5 sets.
Also, be sure that you keep track of how long you rest for. In a weight training book I have, it advises to rest for 1-1.5 minutes for hypertrophy training, and 30-60 seconds for toning training.

Check out www.bodybuilding.com for lots of info on weight training.

 

[BOOEY]

Yes, 10 reps per exercise would be fine.

 

[du Chaneaux17]

Isn't it explained like more volume is more sets, and more intensity is more reps. Never really understood that, but heard it all the time.

 

[d3track]

more reps (15-25+) = more toned = better endurance - Known as toning exercise
less reps (8-12) = bigger muscles - Known as Hypertrophy, or HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training)
even less reps (1-6) = not necessarily bigger muscles, but more strength - Known as Strength training

Its really up to you what you want to do. If you want to get bigger, most people would tell you to shoot for the 8-12 rep range, and do 3-4 sets. If you want to get more toned (cut), most people would tell you to do at least 15 reps to 25 reps, or possibly more if you choose to, for 3-5 sets.
Also, be sure that you keep track of how long you rest for. In a weight training book I have, it advises to rest for 1-1.5 minutes for hypertrophy training, and 30-60 seconds for toning training.

Check out www.bodybuilding.com for lots of info on weight training.

getting cut is about bf and water retention
higher reps are better for endurance, but really dont have much to do with toning. since most that trian like this are endurance athletes, they carry less bf, i think this what people consider 'toned'

i don't think needsize and onerep do alot of 'toning' sets, but they have cuts
i dont know what book you have, but you may want to look into a few different ones

 

[bran987]

getting cut is about bf and water retention
higher reps are better for endurance, but really dont have much to do with toning. since most that trian like this are endurance athletes, they carry less bf, i think this what people consider 'toned'

on the other hand, 20-rep squats makes your legs huge.

as long as you induce enough muscular damage to stimulate hypertrophy, you will be ok.

when you are starting out it isn't going to matter what rep range you use, you're going to make big gains

 

[ebear]

I'd recommend not trying to go too heavy for your first few workouts. Concentrate on getting your form perfect, and don't overdo it. Post what your program consists of for some more feedback.

 

[AI03]

Thanks ppl

 

[du Chaneaux17]

getting cut is about bf and water retention
higher reps are better for endurance, but really dont have much to do with toning. since most that trian like this are endurance athletes, they carry less bf, i think this what people consider 'toned'

i don't think needsize and onerep do alot of 'toning' sets, but they have cuts
i dont know what book you have, but you may want to look into a few different ones

Then what's considered as "toned?" You mean like being defined? Would do this wouldn't it? I mean if you are going to lose bodyfat if you are using higher reps for cutting, then that would mean you are toned or defined. Explain to me what you mean d3...

 

[du Chaneaux17]

on the other hand, 20-rep squats makes your legs huge.

as long as you induce enough muscular damage to stimulate hypertrophy, you will be ok.

when you are starting out it isn't going to matter what rep range you use, you're going to make big gains

so doing more reps will make you lose bf and gain muscle mass, as well as making yourself look defined, and having higher endurance? But you won't necessarily be strong like you would if you did less reps and more sets? And if you are doing more reps, is it better to use more sets or less sets?

 

[d3track]

Then what's considered as "toned?" You mean like being defined? Would do this wouldn't it? I mean if you are going to lose bodyfat if you are using higher reps for cutting, then that would mean you are toned or defined. Explain to me what you mean d3...

you answered part of it......cutting
burning more calories than you take in, this burns fat, and reveals the muscles
you can do 5x5 while cutting and be 'toned' or you could be doing 20 rep sets. the key is nutritional

a large muscle is just as 'toned' as a smaller muscle, it depends on how much fat is covering the muscle

 

[du Chaneaux17]

you answered part of it......cutting
burning more calories than you take in, this burns fat, and reveals the muscles
you can do 5x5 while cutting and be 'toned' or you could be doing 20 rep sets. the key is nutritional

a large muscle is just as 'toned' as a smaller muscle, it depends on how much fat is covering the muscle

so what if I alot of calories, let's say 3000+ and I'm using more reps for workouts. I would burn bodyfat but get bigger in muscle showing more definition, but I wouldn't have much strength as I would doing less reps?

 

[d3track]

if you are not burning more calories than you take in you won't be burning bodyfat

 

[needsize]

like d3 said, cuts and tone have nothing to do with rep ranges, thats a fucntion of bodyfat. If you look at the pic in my avatar, I never went above 8 or so reps during that whole diet, usually around 5-6 reps, and I came out pretty cut

 

[gonelifting]

If you`re following a "routine" in a book, I would do what it says UNLESS I understand everything that it`s trying to do beforehand. They might want you to do an HST style workout with 15 reps to begin with and work down from there. If that`s what they`re doing, then you would have done it wrong if you "adjust" their recommendations.

It`s only twelve weeks, just do what it says. I`m very confident that at the end of the twelve weeks you`re going to be at lower reps, correct? If so, then they`re priming your body with the higher reps (especially if you`re a beginner or out of shape) to handle and grow and recover with the lower reps later on.

good luck