Take a look around any gym and you'll see people making several training mistakes: a guy pressing the bar off his chest, someone doing curls with more movement in his hips than his biceps, another person pressing her flies. These visual disturbances can certainly hinder your training progress, but they aren't the only thing you need to worry about. What about the mistakes you makedoesn'tmet?
None of these mistakes will undermine your training efforts as much as they confuse themdifficulttraining withslimeducation. Training hard is easy, but training smart brings you closer to your goals. For example, let's say you want to build muscle. You can choose a light weight and repeat 50-60 times, or grab a heavier weight and push it maybe 10 times. Both examples are difficult, but one method is superior for building muscle.
Effort is important, but it must be used properly. To optimize your efforts in the gym, you need to understand which specific rep ranges will best help you achieve your goals. Fortunately, researchers have already looked into this topic. Here are the basic rules for choosing the right reps for your fitness needs!
Three goals, three rep sets
1. Training for muscle size (hypertrophy)
If you are training for muscle size, choose a weight that will reach muscle failure within the range of 8-12 reps. In other words, after your warm-up sets – which never fail – you should choose a load that allows you to complete at least 8 reps, but no more than 12.
This means that if you can only do 6-7 reps, the weight is too heavy, so reduce this on subsequent sets. It also means that if you can do more than 12 reps, but just stop at 12, it's not a "real" set. A true set is one where you reach failure (the point at which you can no longer do one rep with good form on your own) within the target rep range of 8-12. If you can easily get more than 12, add weight to your next set so you don't fall within the target range.
By choosing the right load for your muscle-building goal, you effectively target the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are more likely to grow larger and stronger in response to resistance training, with enough volume to stimulate growth.
Of course, the guy who jumps the bar off his chest and the guy who uses every muscle group in his lower body to lift a bunch of curls is using bad form. If you train with poor form, the weight will likely be too heavy no matter when you fail. Learn and practice the textbook technique.
By choosing the right load for your muscle-building goal, you effectively target the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are more likely to grow larger and stronger in response to resistance training, with enough volume to stimulate growth. However, these fibers tire quite quickly, so you cannot often lift a very heavy weight.
Train like a bodybuilder: If you want to maximize muscle size, aim for 8-12 reps per set. sets (average) and choose multi-joint movements, such as bench press, squat, overhead press, bent-over row and deadlift, which recruit more total muscle mass than single-joint movements, allowing you to lift heavier weights.
Hit a target muscle from multiple angles with high volume (sets and reps) to stimulate growth. In general, your rest periods should be between 1 and 2 minutes.
Here is an example of a chest workout you can follow if your goal is hypertrophy:
Training 1
1
Does dumbbell bench press
3 sets, 10, 8, 8 reps
+ 4 more exercises
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2. Training for strength
While choosing a weight where you can only do 8-12 reps builds muscle mass, it undoubtedly also builds strength. But that weight is notoptimalfor strength building. If you're focusing on maximizing your strength, you'll want to train with even heavier loads, which you can lift for just 1-6 reps. These very heavy weights provide the necessary stimuli to become stronger.
This is basically how the biggest and strongest men and women in the world train – especially powerlifters. During the competition they throw superhuman weights, and you can be sure they train the same way.
Train like a strength athlete: Strength trainers differ from bodybuilders in that they typically do not perform sets that lead to muscle failure, which can have a negative effect on the nervous system.
However, most of these people don't always train hard. They alternate periods of high intensity (heavy training) with periods of low intensity to spare the joints, reduce the risk of injuries and peak at the right time for the competition. That is why they usually follow a periodic program of 12 or 16 weeks that becomes increasingly difficult. This means sets of 5 repetitions, 3 and finally 2 and 1. The strength trainer also focuses on the fast muscle fibers. His focus is not only on building and strengthening the muscle fibers themselves, but also on training the nervous system.
Train like a strength athlete: Strength trainers differ from bodybuilders in that they typically do not perform sets that lead to muscle failure, which can have a negative effect on the nervous system. The rest periods between sets for main lifts are quite long – up to 3-5 minutes – so that incomplete recovery does not prevent subsequent sets. After the primary multi-joint exercise, additional movements are incorporated to strengthen weak joints when performing the main lift.
Here's an example of a chest workout you can follow if your goal is strength:
Training 2
1
Barbell Incline Bench Press met medium grip
3 sets, 3 reps
+ 3 more exercises
BodyFit
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- Step-by-step training tips
- Workout at the gym or at home
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- Access to Bodyfit app
- Shop discounts
Do you already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit?Log in ind
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional videos
Don't risk training incorrectly! Prevent injuries and keep your fitness under control with in-depth instructional videos.
- How to take photos
View our huge library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you try it.
- Step-by-step instructions
Quickly read our step-by-step guide to ensure you get each exercise right the first time, every time.
Training for muscular endurance
Your eye may be on getting as big or strong as possible, but not everyone wants to pursue that goal. The classic example of the marathon runner running more than 26 miles at a steady pace is one aimed at improving muscular endurance. In the gym, this means using a lighter load for 15 or more reps.
Low-intensity exercise is typically considered aerobic exercise because oxygen plays a key role in energy or energy production. This allows you to maintain your activity level for a longer period of time. This energy process occurs primarily in slow-twitch muscle fibers, so low-intensity, high-repetition training builds the mechanisms in the muscle cell that make it aerobically more efficient.
This type of training increases muscle endurance without necessarily increasing itmaatof the muscle. Highly trained aerobic athletes can do many repetitions for long periods of time without getting tired, but you don't usually see a sprinter's body in a marathon runner.
Focusing on muscular endurance means choosing relatively light weights that can be held for 15-20 repetitions or more.
Train like an endurance athlete: Most endurance sports are not fitness based, so duplicating their movements with weights is difficult. Low weight/high repetition multi-joint lower body exercises and even Olympic lifts can be done to improve muscular endurance, as long as form is never compromised in an attempt to keep a set going.
Rest periods should be kept relatively short because oxygen uptake and lactic acid removal should not be limiting factors during exercise.
Here's an example of a chest workout you can follow if your goal is endurance:
Training 3
1
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
3 sets, 12, 10, 8 reps
+ 3 more exercises
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2.500+individual training sessions created by experts
- 3.500+videos on how to practice
- Detailed training instructions
- Step-by-step training tips
- Workout at the gym or at home
- Access to training plans
- Access to Bodyfit app
- Shop discounts
Do you already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit?Log in ind
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional videos
Don't risk training incorrectly! Prevent injuries and keep your fitness under control with in-depth instructional videos.
- How to take photos
View our huge library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you try it.
- Step-by-step instructions
Quickly read our step-by-step guide to ensure you get each exercise right the first time, every time.
The relationship between reps and weight
When you figure out how many reps to do, you also know how much weight to lift. The two are inextricably linked. If you were to draw a graph, you would discover an almost linear inverse relationship between the two: add more weight and you can do fewer reps; with a lighter weight you can do more repetitions.
I'm always surprised when I train with a new partner who is committed to a specific weight and rep schedule, for example. dumbbell bench press with 80 pounds for 8 reps. I'll ask him to pick up the 90s, to which he'll reply, "I can't do that!" Well, he can - just not for 8 reps. Invariably it will handle the 90s, and with the renewed sense of power you can even try the 95s and 100s.
Over time, you will understand your personal strength curve and the relationship between weight and reps for each exercise you do. By recording your numbers in a logbook or on BodySpace, you can keep track of your reps and weights used.
This brings up an important point: you don't always have to train in one rep range. You can start a training with a heavy compound exercise of 5 sets of 5 repetitions. To focus on building muscle, you can follow this up with a few exercises from 8 to 12. To complete the workout, you can even tap into your slow-twitch reserves and end the session with an isolation exercise in the range from 15-20.
Over time, you will understand your personal strength curve and the relationship between weight and reps for each exercise you do. Write down your numbers in a logbook or onBody spacehelps you keep track of your reps and weights used. This is important because as you get stronger, you'll want to lift more weight in the same rep range. As you build muscle, it's time to increase the resistance by about 5-10 percent if you can do more than about 12 reps with a core lift.
The weight you choose along your strength curve should match the number of reps you want to achieve, which matches your training goals. In that sense, your workouts should never be haphazard, where you just grab any old weight; there is the best weight and the optimal number of reps to perform. It just depends on which goal you want to prioritize!
