The Best Rep Range

[Nelson Montana]

It just may be that the advice anyone here would give to a beginner is the best advice of all -- 10 reps per set without locking out at a slow and smooth pace.

Although varying rep ranges is recommeded since it provides a varying stimulus, 10reps is the most logical choice -- in spite of what Mike Menzer thought of it being a "nice round number." It makes sense because...

Any weight that is so heavy no more than 6 reps can't be completed will, to a great degree, stress the ligiments and bones. It's a great way to build strength, but won't pump the muscle enough to change it's shape. This is why it's possible to be very strong without having very shapely muscles.

On the other end of the spectrum, more than 10-12 reps is too light of a weight to provide sufficient stress. Fatigue will set in from type 11 fibers failing and a build up of lactic acid leaving the buk of the muscle unaffected. YOu can get a pup by rotating your shoulders for 10 minutes but it won't build the muscles. You need resistance. This is why areobics don't build muscle. The stress may be extreme and lengthy but the type 1 muscle fibers are never activated, which is why long distance runners tend to have striations but there muscles are stringy and slight.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when doing 10 reps, a lot of guys aren't really using the maximum weight they can lift for ten reps -- they just quit after 10. I'm not saying that every set has to be balls to the walls failure, but you have to get close. Use a weight you think you an lift for 8, and DO TEN!

Another thing is form. Using strict form stresses the muscles much more deeply. What a lot of guys think is 10 reps is really 4 reps with the last 6 cheated and swung.

I know this is pretty basic, but sometimes it's good to go back to the rudiments of any skill or activity. Pro baseball players re-adjust their swing every now and then. Professional musicians need to work on their scales. It never hurts for basketball players to do some free throw practise. And bodybuilders should re-evaluate their form in the optimum rep range. It's grounding. And it keeps one aware of getting the most out of what they do.



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[jrc0429]

With this being said, what about the various muscles that tend to be more predominant in one fiber-type over another, such the calf muscles; densely packed Type 1?

 

[Big Bad Buff]

It's basic and your thinking dates back to the Stone Age. Then again, like Fonz was suggesting you seem to be stuck in a black hole. Where is needsize when you need him? The amount of reps you do depends entirely on what you are trying to accomplish (i.e. strength and size, cutting and contest prep). To say that less than 6 reps won't pump the muscle enough to change it's shape is ludicrous! I use needsize's 5x5 approach and get one hell of pump and a great workout. I follow that with 2x8-10 reps with 2 different exercises so I do a total of 4x8-10 reps following the 5x5 routine. You're a moron Nelson. Get with the program.

 

[Nelson Montana]

With this being said, what about the various muscles that tend to be more predominant in one fiber-type over another, such the calf muscles; densely packed Type 1?

Of course. And as many menbers are aware, for calves I recommend doing 75 reps in as short a time as possible. (For the exact pocedure refer to the "Quick Calves in Less Than 4 Minutes" routine on the Protein Facory site.)
Also, other muscle groups benefit from more or less sets or more or less time in between sets. And even people with different composition of muscle fibers will react better to one type of training than another. You still have to mix it up. But in the end, you can't go too far off in one direction or the other with most bodyparts. And for advanced (older) trainees, who are looking more to maintain than to grow, the 10 rep range is ideal.

This is only a generalization. The point was more to re-evaluate the basics and remember proper form. Then after a while, it's time to break the rules again. That's how you grow, both physically as well as mentally and creatively.