How to choose the right rep range for your workout (2024)

RANGE OF PLANNINGengages in a well-planned strength training routine. You determine the number of training sessions per week, have an inventory of the material at hand and perfectly put together a series of exercises. The one factor that may come last on this list is determining how many sets and reps of each exercise to perform.

By far the most common piece of wisdom given to newbies is the “3x10” rule. This means that whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per set is a good start. excercise. The schedule works for the most part, especially if you're new to strength training — becausealtworks initially.

However, once your beginner gains are done, you'll want to tailor your training to your specific goals. this may mean changing your sets and reps from the classic 3x10 format. Target rep ranges will change depending on which attribute of the workout you want to improve.

How many reps should I do?

Set and rep ranges should be changed based on what you want to achieve with your training. There are three basic rep schemes that every lifter should know:

Strength and power

If your goal is strength or power (think heavy lifting or explosive movements), the textbook advice is to perform 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 6 reps per set. excercise.

Hypertrophy

If that's your goalhypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

Muscular endurance

If that's your goalmuscular endurance, shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps.

In any case, the key is to use the heaviest resistance so that you can complete all your reps and sets with good form. You also want to give yourself just enough time to recover between sets to maintain a high level of performance: 2 to 5 minutes for strength and power, 30 to 90 seconds for hypertrophy, and just 30 seconds for endurance.

How to choose which representative scheme works for you

Focus on the training plan that best suits your fitness goals, but don't hesitate to include others in your training plan as well. Why? Because their benefits overlap.

For example, if your goal is hypertrophy, lifting primarily in the 6 to 12 rep range will help you target your type II muscle fibers, which are the largest and have the greatest growth potential. But if you want to maximize your gains, you can't neglect your more endurance-oriented Type I fibers, which respond best to high-rep sets.

Including a range of reps and sets in your training plan will ensure that you optimize your training stimuli and maintain your results.