Thoughts on rep-ranges

[Tweakle]

Someone on another board posted that he'd had great success with higher reps, and that got me thinking.. I've always trained in the 4-6 rep range, which has made me reasonably strong but I'm lacking the size I've been after since I started training

Thinking about pushing my reps up to 10-15 for a couple of months and seeing where that takes me in terms of development, it should be good for my joints to take a break too. I'm speculating that for .e.g. benching 315 x 15 for a few sets would result in better development than loading up 385 and cranking out tripples... adding a heavy day every 2-3 weeks should help keep my max's from coming too far down I hope.

anyone else had any size boost from switching to higher reps? you keep hearing about how bbers made the switch to power lifting/powerbuilding and got bigger but seldom the other way round

 

[Kane Fan]

yah my better size gains come from 8-12 reps
especially 10

 

[bas4lizzife]

depends on a lot of factors. I dont have much endurance and cant handle a lot of volume. I have always had some good strength and explosiveness (sprinted for 3 years at a pac-10 school) and have found I grow well in the 5-8 range and i attribute it to a high concentration of fast twitch fiber. Everybody is different so learn your body and what works for you, its the only way you'll ever maximize your gains. That said, i'll switch it up and go higher every so often for a 'shock' but the bulk of my sets are under 8 reps

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Tweakle, a program like HST would fit the bill for you, if your goal is added mass along with restoration of the joints. Many people have found that they gain a good deal of mass when they switch over to higher rep ranges from lower ones, like going from a PLing-esque routine, to a more hypertrophy oriented one.

Higher rep ranges have been reported to be good on the joints due to flushing them with lactic acid. If you want more info on anything, let me know.

 

[HunterUk]

If you do do this please post up your results, I'd be interested as I've always worked in the ~5 rep range and aren't as happy with my mass as I am with strength.

 

[guldukat]

Why is Tom's post blacked out? :-/

Tweakle, this is a good question. I really prefer to stay under 8 reps, but I typically do more. I've found that, on probably half the stuff I do, it's easier for me to add weight to the bar but not "lose a rep" when working in the 10-15 RM range--sometimes upwards of 20 depending on the movement.

Take elbows-out extensions as an example. I got stuck on 70's for a super hard 5-6 for 3 workouts in a row. I'm tired by that point in my workout, but I figured I should've gone up a little. As it was, I had to really bust ass just to equal my previous efforts.

When I lightened up to 55's, though, I did 15-16 in one workout, 18 in the next and then almost 20 before I had to back off for a few weeks (only partially training-related). It was just that much easier to eek out more reps with the lighter weight, and when I went back to the 70's I was up to a much smoother 7.

Somebody could carry this to extremes (all high rep stuff) and it'd probably not do much good. But if you work something mad progressive in the 10-20 range, you should be seeing some carryover, especially if, as you said, you throw in heavy days every couple of weeks.

 

[The Shadow]

think TUT as opposed to number of reps

 

[Tweakle]

HST is interesting, but I know that full body 3 x w eekly would kill me. I cant hold back on intensity so I'd grind myself to dust doing that

Yup, extending the TUL with more reps is my goal - I find counting rep speed distracting, and do pretty much only basic freeweight exercises :S

Tom was harsh to a C&C dork who took a wrong turn on the way to the pictures of men forum and ended up here instead.. anyone with a plat should diffuse that bomb asap

guldukat, I find it much easier to add weight and stay in the 4-6 rep range than I do to add reps... for e.g. trying to get from 405 x 15 to 405 x 20 in the squat took forever and never happened, but going from 500 x 5 to 545 x 5 happened in a month... progression vs 'getting swole', I dunno. A big dude was telling me his bench dropped on a 15 rep scheme but he looked way more 'jacked' due to the volume/frequency increase

I'm thinking of this

monday bench, high incline or shoulder press then dips

wed chins, cable row, pulldown, db curls

fri squat, leg press, stiff leg deadlift (taking a few months off heavy pulls)

and going heavy, then light, then heavy etc.. alternating 3 x 10-15 with 3 x 4-6 with a pause on the heavy work and touch/go on the lighter stuff.

 

[guldukat]

Tom was harsh to a C&C dork who took a wrong turn on the way to the pictures of men forum and ended up here instead.. anyone with a plat should diffuse that bomb asap

I see--too bad

Digressive spiel: I was a Plat for awhile, thanks to either George's or one of the everyday mod's generosity. I feel chickenshitty for not joining after that. If my wallet didn't whine at me so I'd sign up right now.

guldukat, I find it much easier to add weight and stay in the 4-6 rep range than I do to add reps... for e.g. trying to get from 405 x 15 to 405 x 20 in the squat took forever and never happened, but going from 500 x 5 to 545 x 5 happened in a month... progression vs 'getting swole', I dunno. A big dude was telling me his bench dropped on a 15 rep scheme but he looked way more 'jacked' due to the volume/frequency increase

Yeah, that's the thing (and I should've said as much earlier): I've also noticed the heaviest compound stuff isn't as well suited for adding reps *frowns* Incline press, dips, squats, deads, T-bar, BB row--I can add a little weight to them pretty regular and stay in a good range, but adding reps is another ballgame.

Still, there needn't be a dilemma Try some sets of 12-15 and, rather than try to go for more reps, just add little bits of weight here and there. Say if you're initially benching 315x15 on your top set(s), add weight in subsequent workouts until you're down to 12 reps.

But for the somewhat more "isolated" stuff, like pretty much everything after chins on your proposed Wed. (especially curls), you'll probably be able to add reps. It seems like the lighter stuff lends itself to this better. I don't know why.

I'm thinking of this

monday bench, high incline or shoulder press then dips

wed chins, cable row, pulldown, db curls

fri squat, leg press, stiff leg deadlift (taking a few months off heavy pulls)

and going heavy, then light, then heavy etc.. alternating 3 x 10-15 with 3 x 4-6 with a pause on the heavy work and touch/go on the lighter stuff.

Interesting, though I imagine your SLDLs are heavier than most peoples' best conventional pulls

As to why higher reps cause hypertrophy, at least in people accustomed to lower-rep stuff, I wish I had an answer. It oftentimes does seem to hold true...

I'm going out on a limb here, but maybe the much greater pump causes some fascia stretching? *shrugs* And maybe more glycogen retention? In any case, since there seems to be something to it, I'd definitely give it a run and see what happens. You're jacked as-is, but more jacked is always fun, too