Thread: Number of reps

Eugene...it's all about finding what works for YOU. There are schools of thought that say higher reps for toning and strengthening, and lower reps for building mass. But it really does depend on the person and how even a particular exercise feels for you in a given rep range.

Typically though, with lower reps, one would be using higher weights. Subjecting your muscles to added stress (more weight) is essentially what will build mass.

the important thing to remember here is consistancy. Keep going to the gym. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently to workouts. Try a workout in the gym of a certain rep range for 6-8 weeks, if you like it and see gains good. If not, then try something else

it doesnt take 6 to 8 weeks to determine if a rep range isnt working for you. Some people will feel no burn, and get no pump from a certain range with a certain exercise. Further, some people use lower reps for some exercises, and higher for others.

Its important to use various rep ranges for total development. Do not be afraid to do sets for as little as 4 reps and as many as 15, or even more for legs.

there are some exercises i prefer higher reps and some i like lower. i keep it mixed up depending on the exercise.

Originally Posted by gopro

Its important to use various rep ranges for total development. Do not be afraid to do sets for as little as 4 reps and as many as 15, or even more for legs.

Agreed.

Hell, don't be afraid to dip into the 1-3 range occasionally either. However, this shouldn't be done on a regular basis, unless planned properly. Otherwise, your CNS could become overtrained. Increasing strength definitely opens up the potential for more growth. Not that you can't increase strength with higher repetitions ranges, but 1-3 repetitions is proven to affect intramuscular coordination most significantly.

Well, thank you guys for the answers, but I'm still a bit lost.
Most of you say that I should decide what is good for me, and what is good for a particular exercise. I am however not a professional bodybuilder, so I don't want to log everything, and then analyze it at home. I just haven't time. And even if I did, how the hell could I understand which reps range is the best?
I'd have to train years to make a good statistics.

CowPimp is suggesting that I do as little as possible reps as long as I don't overstress my CNS.

If thats the optimal training, how many reps exactly should I do, and how many sets?

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Eugene

Well, thank you guys for the answers, but I'm still a bit lost.
Most of you say that I should decide what is good for me, and what is good for a particular exercise. I am however not a professional bodybuilder, so I don't want to log everything, and then analyze it at home. I just haven't time. And even if I did, how the hell could I understand which reps range is the best?
I'd have to train years to make a good statistics.

CowPimp is suggesting that I do as little as possible reps as long as I don't overstress my CNS.

If thats the optimal training, how many reps exactly should I do, and how many sets?

Thanks again.

I'm not a profesional either but I log everything, I think most on here do its how you track your progress of what works well from week to week; helps you decide if you may want to bump up a weight in a certain exercise, I take it a bit further and track my body weight (bulking) and bodyfat % (when cutting comes) I even make sides notes on how I liked a exercise if I tried something out of my routine while in the gym, I personally think logs are important. (Saves time next time you go to the gym to so you don't have to try to remember what you lifted in evey exercise)

I'm finding out the same info your asking about I'm usually a "seasonal lifter" I relax for the summers (june july and aug-lift sept through may) so I have "new beginings" every year persay. I've always lifted 8-10 reps and this year I've dropped it a bit I'm doing 6-8 (heavy weight ofcourse) and it seems to be effective, a bit more on the pump side and overal work out of my muscles I feel it more but I wouldn't have know this with out just giving it a shot and seeing what works well for me like the advice mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Eugene

Well, thank you guys for the answers, but I'm still a bit lost.
Most of you say that I should decide what is good for me, and what is good for a particular exercise. I am however not a professional bodybuilder, so I don't want to log everything, and then analyze it at home. I just haven't time. And even if I did, how the hell could I understand which reps range is the best?
I'd have to train years to make a good statistics.

CowPimp is suggesting that I do as little as possible reps as long as I don't overstress my CNS.

If thats the optimal training, how many reps exactly should I do, and how many sets?

Thanks again.

Here's the deal Eugene. The human body is an adaptation machine. Over time your body will get used to any training regimen that doesn't kill you, once that happens you will cease to get the steady gains that you experience when you first start a program. Weight training also is highly dependent on individual genetics. Everyone responds differently to training, and so a program that works great for one person might not be very effective for you. And finally, not everyone that trains with weights has the same goals. Some folks lift to promote maximum strength, some folks lift to increase their athletic performance in a specific sport, and some folks lift so that they look good naked . That is why the corp of seasoned weight training afficionados here on this board won't give you a specific answer as to how many reps you should do in each set. The "correct" answer would require quite a bit of information about your current level of fitness, your body type, your fitness goals, and a whole pile of other variables.

However, the good news is that if you are new to weight lifting that almost any program you start will be effective. In fact, there are lots of scientific studies involving people that are new to weightlifting, and so we actually do have a good idea as to what actually works with people that are just starting out. Here's what I would suggest as an easy to use weight training program that will get you started. It's fairly easy to use, takes a minimum amount of time, and requires very little calculation. You will need to keep a detailed log of what you lift, but my experience is that people that won't keep a log of their workouts don't progress.

First of all, stick to the basic compound free-weight exercises like the bench press, the squat, the dead lift, the chin-up, etc. If you are a gym member you will be tempted to use the machines because they look "safer" and easier to use. They're not, and they aren't.

Second of all, don't kill yourself. The studies done with weight training newbies shows that beginners do nearly as well with one set of each exercise as they do with two, and that after two sets there is no added advantage. Advanced weightlifters often respond better to higher levels of volume, but beginners don't. Take time to learn the proper form of the exercises that you do, and make sure you work hard, but don't stick around the gym all day. Get in and get out, and then give your body time to recover.

Here's how it works. Each workout consists of five basic exercises. Use enough weight so that you can do between 6 and 10 reps. With the body weight exercises do as many reps as you can do. If it is less than five reps do another set after a bit of rest. Warm up a bit before your workout, and stretch afterwards. Split your workouts between your upper body and your lower body and abs. If you can do more than 12 reps with a weight then next time you do the same exercise add a bit more weight. Congratulations, you are making headway. On the body weight exercises you can either add a bit of weight, or you can add additional sets, whatever seems like it would be more "fun." Work out with weights at least twice a week, but don't work out more than four times a week (I would suggest three times a week.

Here's an example:

Monday - Upper body workout
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dips
Seated Dumbbell Raise
Chin-ups
Curls

Tuesday
Rest (Cardio?)

Wednesday - Lower body workout
Deadlifts
Lying Leg Curls
Hanging Leg Lifts
Crunches
Calf raises

Thursday
Rest (Cardio?)

Friday
Repeat Upper Body Workout

Saturday
Rest (Cardio?)

Sunday
Rest

Monday
Repeat Lower body workout

None of these workouts should take very long. In fact, the whole workout will probably take around 15 minutes. If it takes longer than that to drive to the gym you might want to consider simply purchasing a barbell some dumbbell handles and a bench and working out at home. Save the gym fees for later when you are interested in more advanced workouts.

Check out this workout: http://www.ironmagazine.com/article65.html

Some guy, we dont know who, but who clearly knows his shit, wrote it out. Works for a lot of people, works really well.

Originally Posted by Eugene

I am however not a professional bodybuilder, so I don't want to log everything, and then analyze it at home. I just haven't time. even if I did, how the hell could I understand which reps range is the best?
I'd have to train years to make a good statistics.

I am not a Pro either, however if you have time to work out, it's a mere few seconds more to log your weight, reps, and comments. How else do you honestly expect to know what works for you? I personally prefer higher reps for my legs, middle range for my chest, and back and shoulders, and lower for my arms. Thats what works for me, might not for you, but only YOU can determine it. If you do not have the time , then maybe BBing is not for you.Trust me, you will know what works and what doesn't fairly quick. BBing is a life long quest for most, not and overnight sensation. Stick with it, log EVERYTHING and you will see it's well worth it!!!

Originally Posted by du510

Check out this workout: http://www.ironmagazine.com/article65.html

Some guy, we dont know who, but who clearly knows his shit, wrote it out. Works for a lot of people, works really well.

Same program I am on. Works for me with a variety of rep ranges.

Originally Posted by du510

Check out this workout: http://www.ironmagazine.com/article65.html

Some guy, we dont know who, but who clearly knows his shit, wrote it out. Works for a lot of people, works really well.

LOL!

Thanks

Originally Posted by jdearl

Here's the deal Eugene. The human body is an adaptation machine. Over time your body will get used to any training regimen that doesn't kill you, once that happens you will cease to get the steady gains that you experience when you first start a program. Weight training also is highly dependent on individual genetics. Everyone responds differently to training, and so a program that works great for one person might not be very effective for you. And finally, not everyone that trains with weights has the same goals. Some folks lift to promote maximum strength, some folks lift to increase their athletic performance in a specific sport, and some folks lift so that they look good naked . That is why the corp of seasoned weight training afficionados here on this board won't give you a specific answer as to how many reps you should do in each set. The "correct" answer would require quite a bit of information about your current level of fitness, your body type, your fitness goals, and a whole pile of other variables.

However, the good news is that if you are new to weight lifting that almost any program you start will be effective. In fact, there are lots of scientific studies involving people that are new to weightlifting, and so we actually do have a good idea as to what actually works with people that are just starting out. Here's what I would suggest as an easy to use weight training program that will get you started. It's fairly easy to use, takes a minimum amount of time, and requires very little calculation. You will need to keep a detailed log of what you lift, but my experience is that people that won't keep a log of their workouts don't progress.

First of all, stick to the basic compound free-weight exercises like the bench press, the squat, the dead lift, the chin-up, etc. If you are a gym member you will be tempted to use the machines because they look "safer" and easier to use. They're not, and they aren't.

Second of all, don't kill yourself. The studies done with weight training newbies shows that beginners do nearly as well with one set of each exercise as they do with two, and that after two sets there is no added advantage. Advanced weightlifters often respond better to higher levels of volume, but beginners don't. Take time to learn the proper form of the exercises that you do, and make sure you work hard, but don't stick around the gym all day. Get in and get out, and then give your body time to recover.

Here's how it works. Each workout consists of five basic exercises. Use enough weight so that you can do between 6 and 10 reps. With the body weight exercises do as many reps as you can do. If it is less than five reps do another set after a bit of rest. Warm up a bit before your workout, and stretch afterwards. Split your workouts between your upper body and your lower body and abs. If you can do more than 12 reps with a weight then next time you do the same exercise add a bit more weight. Congratulations, you are making headway. On the body weight exercises you can either add a bit of weight, or you can add additional sets, whatever seems like it would be more "fun." Work out with weights at least twice a week, but don't work out more than four times a week (I would suggest three times a week.

Here's an example:

Monday - Upper body workout
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dips
Seated Dumbbell Raise
Chin-ups
Curls

Tuesday
Rest (Cardio?)

Wednesday - Lower body workout
Deadlifts
Lying Leg Curls
Hanging Leg Lifts
Crunches
Calf raises

Thursday
Rest (Cardio?)

Friday
Repeat Upper Body Workout

Saturday
Rest (Cardio?)

Sunday
Rest

Monday
Repeat Lower body workout

None of these workouts should take very long. In fact, the whole workout will probably take around 15 minutes. If it takes longer than that to drive to the gym you might want to consider simply purchasing a barbell some dumbbell handles and a bench and working out at home. Save the gym fees for later when you are interested in more advanced workouts.

Yeah!

Originally Posted by du510

Check out this workout: http://www.ironmagazine.com/article65.html

Some guy, we dont know who, but who clearly knows his shit, wrote it out. Works for a lot of people, works really well.

That's a great workout, but, it is far too complicated for a newbie. Dropsets? Supersets? Four week cycles? all of those things are great for folks that have hit their initial plateaus, but they are overkill for the guy trying to figure out how how many sets and reps he should do. Get the guy hooked on the iron first with straightforward workouts that are easy to follow and that show real results. Then when he hits his first plateau he can experiment with volume, learn to cycle his training routine, and the rest of the tricks that turn the merely strong into freaks of nature.

There is plenty of research that shows that for beginning lifters the extra sets go to waste anyhow. Heck, that's where the HIT trainers get all of their ammunition. Clinical research on weight training invariably uses untrained college students as the guinnea pigs. Untrained college students are available, cheap, easy to motivate about sticking with a lifting program for 6 weeks, and they don't complain about the workout program that they are given. Getting a whole pile of serious powerlifters or body builders to follow someone else's program is a completely lost cause.

There are literally piles of studies that show that with untrained lifters there is little or no difference between doing one set of 8-12 reps to failure and doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps to failure. The only difference is how much time and effort the workout takes. From my own experience getting my friends and family to start lifting I have found that new lifters are far more likely to actually start working out if the required workout is simple and short. The key is getting the person to stick with the program long enough to start seeing some results.

Once the person starts seeing the difference that 45 minutes a week of hoisting weights around can make, they are far more likely to be interested in really accelerating their growth. Once they start seeing some gains and get hooked on the iron then you can start talking to them about fancy advanced training routines or eating six meals a day. Tell a newbie that you gained thirty pounds of lean muscle by spending an hour in the gym every day and eating six meals a day of protein powder and tuna fish, and they are likely to write you off as a zealot (no matter how good you look). They might admire your drive, but they won't want to emulate your example. Tell someone who has made some initial gains and who is hooked on the iron that they can get HUGE by working in a little more volume or getting 200g of protein a day and next thing you know that person is writing down everything they eat and mixing up their routine.

Originally Posted by Eugene

Well, quite a newbie question.

From what I know, most people in the gym do about 10 reps each set. However in some articles here, especially in the thread "10 things to do to gain mass", I'v seen that there should be about 4-6 reps. Is that true? How many reps should I do to look good?

Depends on the exercise and volume. The speed of your workout makes a difference as well. For size I like 6-8 reps. Honestly mix it up because there are more ways to get big or look good than one...

Originally Posted by Eugene

Well, thank you guys for the answers, but I'm still a bit lost.
Most of you say that I should decide what is good for me, and what is good for a particular exercise. I am however not a professional bodybuilder, so I don't want to log everything, and then analyze it at home. I just haven't time. And even if I did, how the hell could I understand which reps range is the best?
I'd have to train years to make a good statistics.

You will learn very quickly. Start in a generic range, like 8-12. Toy around with other rep ranges occasionally, and you will learn.

CowPimp is suggesting that I do as little as possible reps as long as I don't overstress my CNS.

That's not really what I said. I suggested dipping into the 1-3 rep range occasionally. It can't be done regularly, unless periodized properly, or you will overtrain your CNS. It sounds like bodybuilding is your goal anyway, and working in this rep range is not optimal for hypertrophy. However, increasing strength will eventually lead to mass if you put it to use properly.

If thats the optimal training, how many reps exactly should I do, and how many sets?

Thanks again.

If you go to failure on every working set, then you really only need to do 1-3 sets for each body part. If you are working just short of failure, then it really depends. For example, I deem 2-5 sets plenty for your biceps, but the back requires more like 10-14 sets.

how often should you mix and match the excersise you should do on a certain body part.. would it be okay to change it up every time you lift on that body part..
example..
chest day 1- flat bench 3 x 8-10
decline bench 3 x 8-10
incline bench 3 x 8-10
chest day 2- cable flyes top, middle, and lowest angles 3 x 8-10
chest day 3- flat dumbell press 3 x 8-10
incline db press 3 x 8-10
decline db press 3 x 8-10

or should i just stick with one of those for about 2 weeks or so and then switch it up

There's nothing wrong with changing exercises every time, but it's not at all necessary. Waiting until you hit a plateau is fine as well. I find it hard to track progress if I change exercises too frequently.