If you’re a genetically average, steroid-free dude who’s struggling to gain muscle you should forget about doing anything above eight reps for a while.
All the magic, for guys like you, occurs in the 5-8 range.
Lower reps are far superior to the typical 12-15 prescriptions you get from pro bodybuilders. Especially if you have less than two years of proper training experience.
Heavy training targets the muscle fibers with the greatest potential for growth and builds size and strength more effectively than light training will for the typical so called “hardgainer” or skinny guy.
Shocking info, I know.
When you’re a skinny, weak maggot you need some serious overload to kick your body into an anabolic state.
Low reps provide that much needed overload. Simply pumping out sets of 12-15 on a pulldown or dumbbell press won’t cut it. You need to load up the bar for a heavy set of 5-8.
If you must use dumbbells for daily training, use heavy ones with fewer repetitions rather than light bells with numerous repetitions. ” – Arthur Saxon, 1906
In the Golden Era of Physical Culture real men trained with low reps and heavy weight (like my Muscle Gaining Secrets program) to build incredible size and strength. They felt that high reps tired them out and were all but worthless.
Mass monster, Captain Kirk Karwoski seemed to live on a diet of 5’s in his workouts.
Olympic lifters like David Rigert (pictured below) have developed awe inspiring levels of muscle mass with nothing but six reps and under.
The Negatives of High Rep Training
Low reps, performed explosively have a very beneficial effect on the CNS. They energize you and keep you fresh while high rep training, done to excess, can drain you.
When you have less than a few years of serious training under your belt your work capacity will be fairly low. In that case, higher reps cause more overall systemic fatigue and lead to greater levels of soreness. They also cause more localized inflammation.
That’s why when you embark on a high rep program you may look a bit bigger but most of the initial size you put on is intracellular fluid, increased glycogen storage, edema and just overall swelling from the trauma inflicted.
This systemic fatigue and soreness limits your ability to train more frequently in a fresher state, which limits your ability to build muscle faster.
People get confused and claim that they shrink when they abandon high reps. They are actually right; you will shrink. But it’s not real muscle that you’re losing. It’s just swelling.
“Movements or exercises that do not give the muscles the required resistance, but are the kind that involve a great number of repetitions, never break down any tissue, to speak of. These movements involve a forcing process that cause the blood to swell up the muscles, and simply pump them up.”
-George F. Jowett, The Key to Might and Muscle, 1926
Why Lower Rep Training is Actually Safer
Lower reps come with a lower injury risk when training the big lifts. I don’t believe in doing any of the traditional powerlifting or Olympic lifting exercises for more than six reps unless you are a master of technique with years of experience.
Even in that case I’d only do it on a squat or press; never a deadlift or Olympic lifting variation. Both of those would be better suited for sets of 1-3 reps most of the time.
When you go higher than that on the big lifts the injury risk increases exponentially with each rep as form starts to deteriorate. You’d be far safer doing triples with a weight you could handle five or six times.
Remember that one of the keys to developing strength is the ability to maximize tension. You can only maximize tension for 5-6 reps, tops.
That is why numerous strength coaches have always advocated limiting reps to six and under for anyone interested in boosting performance.
An example of the muscle building power of low rep training.
Can You Ever Go Above 8 Reps?
Of course. Plenty of people do and it works for them.
And after you’ve gotten strong and have been training for several years you may actually never go LOWER than eight reps. Doing that will keep you safe and injury free as you get older.
However, if you’re struggling to gain size and strength, have average genetics and are drug-free I’d be willing to bet the farm that you’ll get far superior results with low rep training; at least for a couple of years. Then you can start to widen the range.
While I don’t recommend going above eight reps too often I understand the desire for a good pump and some variety in your training. As long as the majority of your workout is in the money range you could throw in a higher rep pump set here and there.
When doing so use smaller exercises that don’t require as much maximal tension or pose as much of an injury risk. Inverted rows, 45-degree back raises and certain pushup variations would be okay for higher rep work.
To get a pump with low reps you could try doing a larger amount of sets with minimal rest periods.
So you could work up to a heavy set of 3-5 then drop the weight a bit and continue pumping out fives with 30-45 second breaks for another 4-6 sets. Or simply move on to another exercise using that approach, after your main lift.
***
PS. Tired of wasting time and not getting the results you’re after? Check out my Muscle Gaining Secrets program. It’s designed for the skinny hardgainer with less than two years of proper training experience and has worked wonders for countless people.
23. May, 2012
at 6:27 pm #
Taylor you weighed a 135 pounds you would have gained weight lifting in any rep range.
23. May, 2012
at 6:51 pm #
From a bro-science perspective, I lifted for 3 years in high school without gaining a single pound, all while lifting heavy at around 6 to 8 repetitions. Granted, my nutrition wasn’t on par…
Still, for me, high repetitions has always delivered better results, while allowing me to lift with proper form.
But again, lift heavy with low reps for strength, lift medium with high repetitions for size, or, I would think something in between for size and strength.
23. May, 2012
at 6:52 pm #
Lol Not trying to hate, Ben, but lifting at “any rep” range is a little broad…
24. May, 2012
at 5:10 am #
Google Warriors on here
24. May, 2012
at 6:34 am #
Progressive overload is the most important principle behind muscle hypertrophy. That means either increasing the weight, the repetitions or the sets from one workout to the next will all have a positive impact on muscle growth.
Muscles are composed of tubular cells called myocytes (muscle fibers) and these cells contain many chains of myofibrils. Myofibrils are composed sarcomeres. Myofibrils hypertrophy only a small amount when stimulated properly. Sarcomeres hypertrophy larger and their growth is stimulated by a larger rep range (6-12).
Here’s a good hypertrophy plan:
Increase training volume by 5-10% from previous training session. Increase either by reps, weight, or sets.
Perform 2 – 4 exercises per target muscle if not performing a full body routine.
Pick a weight that produces full muscle fatigue between 6-12 repetitions. This should be around 65-80% of 1RM
Perform 3-6 sets per exercise.
Rest a minimum 2 days before working that muscle again.
24. May, 2012
at 6:53 am #
I agree with almost everything you said but now with the volume part.. even if you just increased 5% every workout in 20 workouts you would have increased 100% of the volume..
Even if what you referred as volume is either more intensity or less time doing the same work, a 5% increase in each workout is a good target for an absolute begginer, and even for a begginer it might be too much, altough most bodybuilding magazines say that, experience will tell you otherwise.. orelse every intermediate guy would be squatting 1000 pounds by now..
You can progress thru more volume but the best is surelly thru more intensity, or less time doing the same volume.
More and more volume is the begginers mistake, and i dont think it has its place here..
Just my 2 cents
19. Nov, 2012
at 10:07 pm #
You are like a human encyclopedia my dude. Was all that off the head though, like a freestyle, cause if so, I gotta tell you, that was fucking awesome dude, I learned so much reading this. The myofibrils & glycogen storage, etc.
24. May, 2012
at 7:35 am #
@ Alex
Progressive overload should be your goal. You can’t lift the same weight from workout to workout and expect your muscles to grow. You have to progressively increase something; number of reps, amount of weight, number of sets. Even decreasing rest time between sets is part of progressive overload. More and more volume is not a beginners mistake, if executed properly it’s the right way. Maybe you should pick up a Book called Beyond Braun by Stuart McRobert. The author takes a very conservative & drug free approach to building muscle. It also addresses what you mentioned and your theory of squating 1000 lbs.
24. May, 2012
at 7:44 am #
Agreed Maximus, progressive overload is my main goal, but not thru volume, i’ve gone that road before and ended up with a lot of overuse injuries and overtrained..
Volume is simply the number of exercises, reps and sets you perform during a workout.
Intensitty is a totally different thing, as is the time you spend doing the same exercise..
And i cant see how i need a book to prove wrong that you cant progress 5% on each workout, that is simply impossible, if you have experience you also should know allready.
I workout 260 times a year, if i progressed 5% from workout to workout i would have progressed 1300% per year, ive been working out fo 10, so i should expect a 13000% increase right ? i remember my first squat was 150 pounds, so i should be squating 19500 pounds by now..
24. May, 2012
at 8:53 am #
Alex you know that kind of weight is ludicrous. The book will explain it in better detail. At some point a person will plateau on weight. Increments will become smaller the more advanced a person becomes. A beginner should follow progressive overload as I described until they reach an advanced stage. At which point they would then implement different lifting techniques like supersets, drop sets, rest pause, etc, etc.
A beginner should focus on strict form and slowly progressing in weight adding 5 – 10 pounds on the bar for the big lift exercises like the squat, deadlift, and bench. On smaller lift exercises like barbell curl, french press, etc these would get a smaller increase in weight like 2.5 – 5 pound increases. At some point the increases would slow, so a 1 – 2.5 pound increase would be all that is possible without affecting proper execution of the lift. At that point the lifter should switch to an advanced technique to bust through the plateau or maybe consider an alternate exercise for a period and then return to that exercise to ramp the weight again.
Before a lifter considers increasing weight he should focus on increasing reps. If the lifter is working in the 6-12 rep range he should pick a weight that he could execute the exercise at a minimum of 6 reps to near failure with good form. From workout to workout he would try to increase by one rep. When the lifter reaches 12 reps with that weight, he would then add enough weight to the bar to allow a minimum of 6 reps starting the progression again.
Weight training doesn’t have to be complicated, but over thinking and over analyzing everything will complicate it. You do have to still educate yourself though. You should pick up books and read them. More the better, that way you become more knowledgable in weight training. What is sad is there are more weight lifters more knowledgable in pharmaceuticals than in the science of weight training. And who do most people listen too? The people on gear should not be our mentors, period! It would be nice to not see known steroid users being referenced as examples for drug free bodybuilders and strength trainers.
I’ve used the progressive overload technique for over 15 years and it has help me achieve my maximum genetical potential for muscle mass without the use of steroids. My goal has never been strength, so I sparingly used the 1-5 rep ranges. When I do it’s been to bust through a plateau and I’ve restricted it to just a few weeks as my joints and ligaments suffer from the excessive weight.
24. May, 2012
at 9:27 am #
Sure, that seems like copy paste from a book, but anyway i agree with every point, im in the game for a while now and have read a lot too..
I was just disagreeing with you saying that you can progress 5% from workout to workout, i know that its written in books but in real life it doesnt happen, sometimes you will progress 5%, sometimes nothing, sometimes you even regress, its never linear, because strength gain isnt linear..
If youve been into this for 15 years it sounds awkward to me how you dont agree with me, but thats ok..
24. May, 2012
at 10:46 am #
You can say its cut and paste in an attempt to invalidate the point of view I’m discussing. It’s nonsense to think you can do what you are describing.
I have stated that progression is multifaceted. Starting with a rep increase as the first step. It can take six weeks to go from 6 reps to 12 reps. Then an increase in weight. Then another ramp of 6 to 12 reps with that weight. Then more weight. Keep progressing until you plateau. It’s simple and it works.
24. May, 2012
at 11:04 am #
Im not invalidating anything Maximus, what you are describing is simple progressive overload, thats what we all do from day 1, its nothing new.
What i was describing was an example of how it is impossible to progress 5% every workout.
24. May, 2012
at 12:18 pm #
I’ve explained that 5% rule. It’s not as you describe of simply adding weight to the bar with every work out. Progression starts with reps first. Progressing thru the rep range and then adding weight. It is possible to add weight in 5 – 10% incriment up till a point when gains slow and then stop. That’s when you make changes to your workout. Read the book it may help you get a better grasp of what I’m trying to explain.
24. May, 2012
at 9:09 am #
Alex.. overtraining comes with not taking proper breaks. You can’t lift balls to the walls and not stop to regenerate your body. You have to give your body a break with a de-load week.. A de-load week can be either no lifting or light lifting not taken to failure. A light endurance 12-15 rep range would be perfect for a de-load week. You will come back refreshed and finding yourself able to lift a little more wait.
Knowing when to take a de-load week is important. You can schedule them every 8-12 weeks in your routine, but you may have to take them sooner than that depending on how you are lifting.
24. May, 2012
at 9:23 am #
Sure, that is basic.. if you periodize your training it will work even better, but i do take a week off every 8 weeks..
I was just saying that it is impossible to progress 5% from workout to workout, that is great in books but doesnt happen in the gym..
24. May, 2012
at 11:33 am #
Have you heard of the KISS principle? Keep It Simple Stupid. Please don’t take that as me calling you stupid. It’s a principle that good to follow.
Weight training doesn’t need to be complicated. A beginner can follow the example I explained and get excellent results in muscle hypertrophy. It’s basic, it’s simple and it works.
Yes periodization works. I actually use micro-periodization. I use 6-8, 8-10 and 10-12 reps range in my periods. But I’m also far from a beginner.
When I was out for a lay off for four months because of a broken hand, I use the 6-12 rep range for 18 weeks to recondition myself before going back into my current training model.
24. May, 2012
at 2:21 pm #
Yes, deffinitly, the basics are still what works better..
Your periodization looks good, i use a litlle different type because i focus more on performance than looks, so my workout is not a bodybuilding one, it has less volume, and because i engage in many other activities i dont do well with a true bodybuilding split because of recovery.. i use a 5×5, 3×8, 2×15 type of workout periodizing power, speed and different rest periods in macro cycles, around 4 weeks long..
21. May, 2013
at 3:48 pm #
This sounds interesting. How many sets do you suggest for each rep range?
24. May, 2012
at 5:08 pm #
For all this rubbish about this builds strength and this builds size blah blah in general the bigger guys are always the stronger guys.
24. May, 2012
at 8:32 pm #
Not so, just because they are bigger doesn’t make them stronger. It’s all dependent on training style. You can have two individuals that are visually equal in muscle size. One does the typical bodybuilding training model and the other incorporates the more performance driven strength training. So one guy will be all show and no go, and the other all show and ready to go.
25. May, 2012
at 1:28 am #
I totally agree with you on this one Maximus, size doesnt mean just strength..
If someone works out in a gym where only bodybuiders workout they might not see the difference and usually the biggest guy is the strongest because they all workout the same way..
But for example i workout in a gym where we have bodybuilders, powerlifters and powerbuilders, like myself, and i can say that the huge chemically enhanced bodybuilders are much weaker than the smaller powerlifters and us powerbuilders..
We have 180 pound powerlifters outlifting by far the 220-250 pound bodybuilders, and when i say by far i mean sometimes double the weight .
I am not saying that bodybuilders are worse athletes, i used their method for a long time untill i started to focus more on performance than size, and i can say that we have to honour how much volume a bodybuilder can take and how they are able to completelly exaust a muscle and work thru their pain barrier..
The problem in my point of view is different types of training volume and rep range but also that usually most bodybuilders forget and totally put aside their conditioning in order to get the biggest gains in size possible and that also hinders their performance.
Usually just looking at 2 guys the same size you can tell who is the strongest just by how dense their muscles are..
25. May, 2012
at 6:00 am #
I don’t have anything against low rep training. For those not wanting to incorporate the 1-5 rep range because of age, joint stress or what ever other reason (fear of heavy s*#t), the 6-8 rep range would give an ideal combination of neural recruitment for performance/strength and metabolic fatigue for muscle hypertrophy. Time under load is what greater contributes to muscle hypertrophy and te 6-8 rep range will give you the best of both for size and strength.
25. May, 2012
at 6:34 am #
If you think about this for a minute the progressive overload scheme I described with the 6-12 rep range is like micro-periodization. You are starting with 6 reps, then next workout 7 reps, then 8 reps on the next, and so on until you get to 12 reps. You then increase the weight and start over with 6 reps. It’s a 6 week micro-periodization program using a ramping method. It is a good program for the beginner and intermediate level lifter, at the lower end of the rep range you are developing your strength.
27. May, 2012
at 6:40 am #
You’ll find this interesting. A study presented at the 2009 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting looked at the effects of two different training weights–heavy and light–and the impact that either training to failure or stopping short of failure had on muscle-protein synthesis. Researchers reported that when subjects worked out with 30% of their one-rep max (a weight with which they could complete more than 30 reps) or 90% of their 1RM (a weight with which they could complete only about 4 reps) protein synthesis increased by the same amount. Yes you read that right, both rep ranges to failure were equal in effect. Now there us more, when they trained with 30% of their 1RM and stopped short of failure, protein synthesis only increased by about half of what it went up to when they trained to muscle failure. What does this mean? First, it’s important to train to muscle failure to maximize protein synthesis and, therefore, muscle growth. Second, you can mix up your training, going very heavy (3-5 reps) in some workouts, heavy in some workouts (6-8 reps), moderate in some workouts (8-12 reps) and very light (15-30 reps) in other workouts to prevent stagnation in your training, but still increase muscle growth by ensuring that you train to muscle failure. You must fail to grow and that’s backed by science.
27. May, 2012
at 7:00 am #
Maximus, does the study state if the subjects were begginers or experienced lifters ? im curious..
Anyway, that proves what most people know by experience, and itis the reason why i think that bodybuilders achieve more size, they train all types of muscle fibers.. altough type II fibers are the ones that grow the most you cannot forget to use type I muscle fiber growth if you want to get the most growth possible, altough i think that you shouldnt overdoit, orelse muscle fibers type IIA will start to become more of an endurance type muscle fiber than an explosive type pf muscle fiber, because they can become both..
I use all 3 rep ranges and usually perform sets of even more than 30, like 5×10 drop sets but with much less volume than i use the lower ranges..
29. May, 2012
at 8:43 pm #
Once you’ve been training enough, you’ll realize research done in labs have very little carry over into the real world. I doubt that elite olympic athletes and NFL athletes would screw around with just 30% of their training max on the main lifts at any point in actual training.
All of the magic is in the programing and experience. Experience and any competent coach will know that training to absolute failure on a regular basis is a bad idea.
27. May, 2012
at 4:16 pm #
Don’t out think yourselves and lose sight of what’s really important. The most basic and direct approach is often the most superior approach. This isn’t rocket science. People tend to lose site of the most basic and simple things in favor of various high tech distractions or new trendy schemes. Almost everyone will go through this phase at one point or another. So if what you’re doing isn’t working there’s a good chance it’s because you’ve lost sight of the basics and you’re focusing too much on complicated details.
The point is, muscle hypertrophy isn’t as dependent on rep range as a lot of people think. As long as you use progressive resistance you can build solid muscle doing low reps or high reps. Providing that the volume is equal, reps of 3-5, 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 or even 15 or more (when taken to failure) have been shown to result in exactly the same stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. Obviously the higher rep range will tax muscular energy stores so in addition to increasing the protein synthesis you also get more glycogen storage. In either case the primary stimulus is the same, the muscles activated are the same, and regardless of rep range, reps are not the primary event to muscle hypertrophy.
As I said before, if you want to avoid joint abuse and overtaxing your CNS, limit your 1-5 rep work. It is prefered to use the 6-8 rep range in your training model, as it will provide the ideal combination of CNS recruitment for strength gains and time under load for metabolic fatigue to induce hypertrophy. If your goal is more muscle than strength, then the higher rep range (8-12) will provide the benefit of less joint stress and pack on slabs of muscle.
31. May, 2012
at 3:42 am #
As i said before, I am 45, the low reps 1-5 are now wearing my joints and ligaments out more than it used to do. Joint pain, ligament tearing or any injuries are not what i want to get when working out. I have worked out in the low rep range for years, great for building strength and some muscle gains.
Now i have started to focus on a bit higher rep range, 8-12, and time under tension, perfect form, slower on the eccentric, and the gains are great, and the joints are great again, and all ligaments are healing. There always have to be a deload week ( rest week ) and a shock week ( 1-5 reps week ) every 8 – 12 weeks )
Like Maximus says you have to apply progresive overload trough more reps, sets, less rest, more weight.
So guys ;-) no matter what you say when you are in your 30´s you have to be aware of not fucking up your joints with to much weight for to long time. It will bite you in the ass when you get older … and you spend your later half of your life wishing you had taking more care.
My advise is: no matter how you train, for strenght or size, or both …..or endurance, NEVER ever do less then perfect form, if you cant, then you are not strong enough for that weight, and you have to back off a bit.
Heavy is not the only answer tough it is cool to say you can deadlift heavy load ;-)
Look at this guy :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ySblouCKs
30. May, 2012
at 11:58 am #
Hi Jason,
In a previous article you said women typically get better results with the 8-15 rep range, but does that also apply to deadlifts and squats? I’ve been doing 3-5 reps per set since I learned how to properly deadlift, and I’ve recently been using the 3/2/1 wave system developed by Christian Thibaudeau. I really like the wave system for the deadlifts, but should I maybe use one that requires higher reps?
31. May, 2012
at 3:04 am #
Here is my new workout that was given to me. Been using this for last few weeks and found excellent gains. Loving it:-
CHEST / BACK
Exercise 1 - 4sets 5 reps
Exercise 2 3 4 – 4s x 6-8r
LEGS
Exercise 1 – 4sets 5 reps
Exercise 2 3 4 5 6 – 4s x 6-8r
BICEPS / TRICEPS
Exercise 1 – 4s x 5r
Exercise 2 3 4 – 3s x 6-8r
DELTS TRAPS
Exercise 1 – 4s x 5r
Exercise 2 3 4 5 6 – 3s x 6-8r
At end of every exercise, drop set by 1/2weight.
30 sec rest between all sets.
Day 1 Chest Biceps
Day 2 Back Triceps
Day 3 Legs
Day 4 Delts Traps
Day 5 Off
Day 6 Repeat
21. May, 2013
at 12:36 pm #
You’ve experienced excellent pure muscle gains in a few weeks? I only know one person who can experience muscle gain any quicker and his name is Bruce Banner. Maybe you lost some fat that showed the muscle you already had?
You work your back the day after your biceps and your triceps the day after your chest.
Your back (and by association, your biceps) warrants an entire training day on its own as it will hopefully incorporate a lot of heavy lifting that engages your legs and core.
You will want a day of rest before and after your leg day, as it will involve squatting and you shouldn’t feel like running back to the gym after this.
Put shoulders away from chest day – put it with leg day.
Every day is leg day because legs involve using the entire body. Base your workout around your legs and back.
01. Jun, 2012
at 10:01 am #
@ Ken
In regards to failure, that is why proper rest/recovery, diet and incorporating deload weeks are important. Also, lets look at DC Training; it relies on taking the activation set and following mini-sets to failure, then it incorporates static holds and extreme stretching. DC is a proven method to build incredible mass. Lifting to failure works and it’s proven through experience.
If real science has very little carry over into the real world of the gym, then try telling that to Borge Fagerli the creator of the Myo-reps training technique. His research, muscle biopsies, EMGs, etc has proven that this lifting technique works to activate all muscle fiber types and incredible mass. Myo is not using super heavy weight and not going to failure. It’s moderate weight (8-12 RM) to near failure.
FYI, I work at a prison and the inmates have no weight training equipment. I’ve seen these guys build incredible size by just doing body weight exercises only using high volume and going to failure. We are taking super extended sets, like 300 to 500 push-ups total in a set using rest pause technique. These guys simply do body weight squats, dips, pull-ups, inverted shoulder presses and push-ups.
06. Jun, 2012
at 4:23 am #
HI Jason
I have read somewhere that good figures to aim for would be:-
Bench: Your bodyweight.
Squat: 1.5 times your bodyweight.
Deadlift: twice your bodyweight.
Would this apply to 5 – 8 reps?
09. Jun, 2012
at 7:16 am #
I have experimented with both styles for years on myself and on clients (strength and conditioning specialist/trainer). I can clearly tell you from experimenting that the low reps even while performed in a circuit, paired sets, or combo training with explosive full body movements elicit a better recovery, and a happier athlete or client. The willingness to train is much higher and measurable from doing low rep sets even in high volume vs. the higher reps. I find my clients shot down and have low willingness to come back in after crushing out 15 plus reps on compound exercises. I work with many ex championship bodybuilders who would disagree with me, but in my rebuttal they only look to get a pump set not to increase strength or performance. Just my own input…
13. Jun, 2012
at 6:55 am #
Well i’ve been doing 3 sets of 20 on 12.5kg dumbells frequently enough and it has built me up over a long time but now i will start on low reps of 5 – 8 on 20kg dumbells and i will be back 1 months time!
10. Aug, 2012
at 10:49 am #
Really good avice I like it.
23. Sep, 2012
at 7:41 am #
Good players have good and bad days, great players have good and great days. With higher reps training, it’s easy to become a good player. To explain, my gains were average, I had puffy muscles and my nervous system was really taxed. By the end of a training week I was sore, swollen, tired and my intensity (% 1 rep max I could lift) would begin to suffer. It’s very frustrating to know you are not lifting at your full potential because of fatigue. So I took your advice and lowered my rep range with 8 being the absolute maximum I could lift. I went from 3 sets of 10-12 reps to 4 sets of 6-8 reps. Not only have I increased muscle and strength but my nervous system is way LESS taxed. I have more energy and my muscle is starting to look and feel more dense. You spend the time giving this advice, so it’s only worth while if we use it, and I did and I thank you.
02. Oct, 2012
at 2:09 pm #
Higher rep training actually can require more rest in many people.
08. Nov, 2012
at 4:09 pm #
@Ben
No way this is true. Just look at the light powerlifting weight classes.
18. Dec, 2012
at 3:02 am #
Hey Jason, Ive checked out all your articles and man you have Helped change a lot of lives. This is my favorite article the 5-8 rep range and captain Kirk really was the deal breaker for me . however, I’m taking a DELOAD week and I’m not going to lift for 7 days or do any Plyos , parachute sprints, any type of resistance . Now can i still do sprints everyday to keep my conditioning up to par ????? Or do I have to lay off the sprinting I heard its easier on your joints than long distance runs and sprinting Is a completely natural way to exercise . I’d really appreciate it if you could get back to me thanks !
21. May, 2013
at 12:22 pm #
Protein synthesis does not equal muscle growth.
Most people do not make enough pure muscle from a genetic standpoint to make noticeable changes to their body in short periods of time – you can minus lean tissue and fat derived from overeating that disappears when you stop eating so much fat boys.
The reason that the notion that low reps does not build muscle is that everyone wants to swap and change too much(with each new edition of Mens Health probably.) Therefore, they never give the time to low rep training to reap its rewards. It takes a lot of strength to build a little muscle.
I doubt you could really find anyone in your gym (sorry, not you, hardcore lifters who seem to have access to gyms resembling Westside) who can pick up 500 lbs off the floor at a reasonable body weight (12-15% bodyfat).
I know, I know, EVERYONE in YOUR gym does 20 rep deadlifts with 500lbs bro! WIth chains bro!! We actually beat up people who don’t warm up with with six plates at my place. We laugh at them and we use an Arrrgnolds laugh too. Look at ze weakling, we crush him yes? Yes, ve crush him.
But, in reality, if you can pick up 2,5 x your bodyweight off the floor and press your bodyweight overhead for about 5 reps, you are strong, probably look pretty good and can now bask in the glory of your lifting prowess. Go and buy some short shorts and hit the beach you manly man.