Thread: High reps vs low reps

Originally Posted by eaglesfan!

Hey so i was wondering, i want to gain size to my arms and i was wondering if it would be best to do high reps low sets medium weight, or low rep high sets high weight? thanks

i'll divide it to you in 4 categories although it is not that exact different people react differently and i will give a grade A,B,C to each effect , A being the maximum
heavy weight= low reps 4-8: increase strength ; increase size B ; endurance C
Medium weight= 8-12 reps: Increase strength B; Increase Size A; endurance C
lighter weight= 12-15 reps: Increase strength C ; Increase size B; endurance B
and more than 15 reps: increase strength C to none; size C, Endurance A
clear enough?
so 8-12 reps should suit you
positive lift fast movement , negatives slow
arms : 9-12 set biceps, 9-12 sets triceps maximum twice a week

Also eat more protein.

Do some of both.... High and low.

What is your training status?

Lower intensity is fine when you're a beginner. At the very beginning 40% of your 1RM is sufficient for size/strength gains. That doesn't last long though, and you will soon be increasing that minimum threshold if you plan to keep getting bigger and stronger.

For someone who has even an intermediate level of training under their belt, a variety of intesities in the 5-12RM range is proven effective.

i lift heavy and get big..

Originally Posted by CowPimp

What is your training status?

Lower intensity is fine when you're a beginner. At the very beginning 40% of your 1RM is sufficient for size/strength gains. That doesn't last long though, and you will soon be increasing that minimum threshold if you plan to keep getting bigger and stronger.

For someone who has even an intermediate level of training under their belt, a variety of intesities in the 5-12RM range is proven effective.

i agree sure a beginner will benefit get size and strength from any kind of lifting.
my previous post was a general guideline for someone who wants to lift regularly

I fought with myself over this one for a while. I was 190 and repping 225 for bench, squat, and deads fairly easily for 3 sets of 10. Then my family and I did a pretty big move for the millitary and have been out of the gym for 3 months. I'm counting on my muscle memory to kick in soon since I've been back in for a solid 3 weeks now. I am moving all the reps up to 12 on every exercise and it's pretty hard. You wouldn't think that 2 extra reps per set is a lot, but it get's me pretty good no matter what muscle group I'm hitting that day. Like mentioned above 10-12 rep range is a solid goal to hit, but also lifting heavy at lower reps will bring on strength and eventually size. But I like the burn and all out push I have to give to finish the sets with 12 reps. The pump I have afterwards is fun to look at, ha ha! Here's a quick read for you: Bodybuilding.com - What Is The Best Rep And Set Range For Building Muscle? I lift by myself and don't bother others to ask for a spot. So the only time I will ever go big will be on a machine if I ever decide to test the waters. This time around I am working on that "mind-body connection" and feeling my muscle fibers working. It's been a little slow, but things are finally starting to jump faster.

EDIT: Just popped in my head after I finished with my comment and I laughed, "Everybody want's to be a bodybuilder, but no one want's to lift heavy ass wieghts...I do it though!" - Ronnie Coleman, "Ain't nothing but a peanut..." LOL!

Form follows function.. High reps with high weight.. So 10 sets of 2 reps or something similar... It lets you use 90% of your 1rm

Do both.
Very high reps with low weight or high reps with medium weight will target slow twitch fibers for growth. Heavy weights with lower reps will target fast twitch for growth.

For arms, it's easy. Get yourself a pair of dumbells, and do high rep work at home. High rep like a weight you can do 30-40 reps with until the lactic acid buildup shuts your muscle down. Do it 3 times a day, maybe an hour or more apart. Do it every day *except* on the days you do heavy arm work.

Do the heavy work at the gym as part of whatever routine you're doing. 3 sets of 8 reps, whatever.

If size is all you want, then definitely do both endurance and heavy work.

Doing both is the way to go. Yoy want to stimulate both slow and fast twich muscles. Also change up your work out. Dont do the same thing two weeks running. Keep your muscles guessing

thanks this is exactly what i was looking for

Lift negatives for arms it's what I think is the best very slow but very hard

Originally Posted by eaglesfan!

Hey so i was wondering, i want to gain size to my arms and i was wondering if it would be best to do high reps low sets medium weight, or low rep high sets high weight? thanks

Originally Posted by eaglesfan!

thanks this is exactly what i was looking for

I hope you have reasonable expectations on this whole size goal of yours.

Genetics are a big factor, so just be understanding if yours aren't good enough.

Variation is great IMO

Originally Posted by ThreeGigs

For arms, it's easy. Get yourself a pair of dumbells, and do high rep work at home. High rep like a weight you can do 30-40 reps with until the lactic acid buildup shuts your muscle down. Do it 3 times a day, maybe an hour or more apart. Do it every day *except* on the days you do heavy arm work.

Do the heavy work at the gym as part of whatever routine you're doing. 3 sets of 8 reps, whatever.

Has anyone else used a something similar to this with good results? Sounds kinda interesting...

My only concern is how it would impact recovery/effect your main lifts for chest/back if your arms aren't recovering properly.

Originally Posted by BigD4life

Doing both is the way to go. Yoy want to stimulate both slow and fast twich muscles. Also change up your work out. Dont do the same thing two weeks running. Keep your muscles guessing

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Also, I`ve found personally when I train for strength, I get bigger. Lift heavy, tear muscles apart, recover, grow.
Remember, lifting doesn`t BUILD muscle, it destroys it, Nutrition/rest rebuilds it bigger and better than before.

Ihavehad good success by rotating between a 4x10 program for three weeks to 4x8 for 3 weeks and thena 5x5 for three. The key for me anyway is to usea weight on the 4x10 that i can do 12-15 reps with butdo 10 rest for about 40-45seconds and do the next set andso on. As you switch to 4x8 increase both the weight and the rest period and once again as you move to the 5x5 sequence. This has given me both strength and size gains on a fairly consistant basis. Shorter rest intervals save timeas well.

I never stick to a rep range. May go as low as a single and as high as 50 reps, in the same workout.

For arms I find 10-20 reps is the best for size. So I'll do a few sets aiming for 10-12 reps and a few aiming for 18-20 reps. Usually half of my sets are to near-failure, and the other half are to failure (not including warmup).

The most important thing to remember when trying to put size on to your arms is that your body is going to naturally want to be in proportion so you CANNOT make your arms significantly bigger without making your entire body bigger. Ive seen guys train chest, back, legs, & shoulders all once a week while at the same time training their arms every other day. Its the dumbest shit ever. Not to mention the fact that your arms are being indirectly worked with almost every upper body exercise that you do.