Thread: Mass building reps?

prolly anywhere from 8-12 just experiment

For mass, train in 6-12 rep range, for compounds I would stay in the lower end, and for isolation I would stay in the higher end.

Over the long term it becomes necessary to utilize any rep range from 1-12 to build mass.

unbelievable

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

Why is it that you guys are saying that the reps for hypertrophy are 8-12, but in the sticky for 10 mass building tips it says ur reps should be 4-8?

For mass I would not go under 4 or over 12.

Read up on skeletal muscle hypertrophy; these fools seem to think you can build power without size but they are wrong as usual.


1-50 reps will build you up, 5-15 might be best for Bodybuildiung but a mix of all is best.

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

unbelievable

After a while if you are only training in one rep range (8-12 or so) you will be unable to continue overloading. Then you would have to train heavier. Once your strength gains from that have tapered off, deload, and then realise your newfound fitness levels in a different rep range. That's how it works. You can't just stay in one rep range your entire training carreer and make good gains.

In the long run it becomes necessary to venture out of the traditional 6-12 hypertrophy range if you want to grow.

In my opinion sometimes you have to venture into the < 4 rep range in order to make hypertrophy gains in the long run.

Worry most about TUT, or how long a muscle is under tension during each set. Anywhere between 40-70 seconds is best for mass building. How many reps that means for you depends on your tempo.

At 5/1/2 that would mean that 5-8 reps would get you in range. At 3/1/1 that would mean that 8-14 reps would get you in range.

Most people do not have the patience to perform overly long reps, and usually train at about a 1/0/1 tempo, LOL!

I would say that the 3/1/1 tempo I mentioned is pretty decent to deal with on most exercises...thus around 8-14 reps will get the job done.

Well right now im doing all my mass building exercises in 8-12 reps, so thats ok right?
I've been hearing a whole load of different info about hypertrophy in my life and i really dont know what to believe. Since muscle weighs more than fat and building it will gain ur weight, I thought mass building was supposed to be about building muscle size which u will get with 6-12 reps, not building strength where u wouldnt be adding as much muscle.

Originally Posted by gopro

Worry most about TUT, or how long a muscle is under tension during each set. Anywhere between 40-70 seconds is best for mass building. How many reps that means for you depends on your tempo.

At 5/1/2 that would mean that 5-8 reps would get you in range. At 3/1/1 that would mean that 8-14 reps would get you in range.

Most people do not have the patience to perform overly long reps, and usually train at about a 1/0/1 tempo, LOL!

I would say that the 3/1/1 tempo I mentioned is pretty decent to deal with on most exercises...thus around 8-14 reps will get the job done.

Will doing that much reps really get u mass, even with compound exercises?

6-12 is the general recommendation, but that doesn't mean that you should never go heavier or lighter than that. Going heavier and sparking increases in neural efficiency can be used to your advantage when trying to gain muscle mass. Going lighter, increasing TUT, increasing metabolic activity, and forcing the storage of additional energy substrates as well as other more endurance oriented adaptations can also be advantageous when it comes to getting bigger.

Ok let me just get a few things straight and u people wont need to answer any more questions from me.
1) You will gain weight/mass when there is an increase in muscle size from doing high 6-12 reps right?
2) You would gain mass with doing 6-12 reps with compound exercises too right, or do u need to do lower reps with compounds?

I just wanted to make sure if the things ive been doing so far to build mass was correct.

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

Ok let me just get a few things straight and u people wont need to answer any more questions from me.
1) You will gain weight/mass when there is an increase in muscle size from doing high 6-12 reps right?
2) You would gain mass with doing 6-12 reps with compound exercises too right, or do u need to do lower reps with compounds?

I just wanted to make sure if the things ive been doing so far to build mass was correct.

1) Yes. A bigger muscle weighs more than a smaller muscle.

2) That applies to compound exercises as well, yes.

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

Ok let me just get a few things straight and u people wont need to answer any more questions from me.
1) You will gain weight/mass when there is an increase in muscle size from doing high 6-12 reps right?
2) You would gain mass with doing 6-12 reps with compound exercises too right, or do u need to do lower reps with compounds?

I just wanted to make sure if the things ive been doing so far to build mass was correct.

1) Ofcourse if you add size you will add weight, and yes hypertrophy training is generally done in the 6-12 rep range, it is not only the reps you have to worry about, there are many other factors.

2)No you do not need to do lower reps woth compunds, but for isolation make sure you stay above 8 reps.

Alright thanks. My mind was really getting messed up from all these responces so i wanted to get a few things straight.

Originally Posted by mike456

1) Ofcourse if you add size you will add weight, and yes hypertrophy training is generally done in the 6-12 rep range, it is not only the reps you have to worry about, there are many other factors.

2)No you do not need to do lower reps woth compunds, but for isolation make sure you stay above 8 reps.

How long have you been lifting?

TUT is great but over 60 seconds is a waste of time for mass. Anaerobic training is best in the 40 second range or less with weights.

1) 5-8 reps (anything above 80% intensity) will activate all motor units. Higher reps will not. So, it is neurologically stimulating to train a little heavier then 8-12 reps, in order to build strength which can help lead to more weight lifted and great muscle mass.

2) 8-12 reps is going to increase mechanical work and metabolic activity which is going to help spur hypertrophy via metabolic factors (ie...higher amounts of lactic acid can be correlated to higher amounts of growth hormone).

use both rep ranges effectively.

ok will I build a good amount of mass if I did 5-8 reps for pullups and 9-12 reps for my sea-saw presses? Some of you guys are saying that there should be lower reps for compounds but ive been really getting good results with the 9-12 rep range when see-saw pressing so I though i would stick with that.

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

ok will I build a good amount of mass if I did 5-8 reps for pullups and 9-12 reps for my sea-saw presses? Some of you guys are saying that there should be lower reps for compounds but ive been really getting good results with the 9-12 rep range when see-saw pressing so I though i would stick with that.

an example of what I am talking about might look like this:

day 1
upper horizontal push/pull- high intensity (5-8 reps)
upper vertical push/pull- moderate intensity (10-12)

day2
upper vertical push/pull- high intensity (5-8)
upper horizontal push/pull- mosterate intesity (10-12)

You want the best overall strategy for building mass? One that will stimulate hypertrophy from every angle?

Try P/RR/S training...period.

Alright thats cool. Basically u guys are just telling me to experiment with things. Do u have an article or something about P/RR/S training?

http://ironmagazine.com/article65.html

damn Im definately trying that. Changing ur back routine evey week to different goals sounds good. Thanks.

O sorry just one more question. Would doing Straight-arm plate pullovers (with like a 35 or 45 lb plate) still target the lats even though its a hammer/verticle grip. I want to put this in my routine.

yes, it is a lat exercise (shoulder ext).