REP RANGES...

**fahad** · 04-09-2005, 04:43 PM

Hey guys I have benn training for 3 years now and am making good gains but sometimes I get confused about what rep range I should be using for mass....some people tell me 6-8 reps and some 10-8 and some 12-8 and some 10-12 and some tell me to even go as low as 2 reps per set....and also do u think if i train each body part twice a week will make me better gains than once a week since most the muscles needs 48 hours to recover...and do u think that low rep supersets and all the other training techniques are good for mass....thx....

Ironslave · 04-09-2005, 06:35 PM

I think this question is too vague, you should use a lot of rep ranges to induce hypertrophy from all muscle fibres. I try lots of things during workouts, low reps, high reps, super sets, rest pauses, drop sets, etc. I think it all depends on training two body parts a week, i also think 48 hours is very generous for the muscles to recover. If you are looking to bring up a lagging body part, then you could train the part twice a week or so (maybe more depending on the part), but make sure to cut down on the volume of your other exercises.

Six · 04-10-2005, 04:38 AM

for mass training : 8-10 reps
min 6 reps max 12 reps depending on what exercise and what weight.
you also have to use your instict and feel whats the best for your body
f.e. with one arm triceps extention i do 15 reps cause I feel thats working better for me

my tip:
-keep 2 the basics
-listen 2 your body

Six · 04-10-2005, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdogg345

I think this question is too vague, you should use a lot of rep ranges to induce hypertrophy from all muscle fibres. I try lots of things during workouts, low reps, high reps, super sets, rest pauses, drop sets, etc. I think it all depends on training two body parts a week, i also think 48 hours is very generous for the muscles to recover. If you are looking to bring up a lagging body part, then you could train the part twice a week or so (maybe more depending on the part), but make sure to cut down on the volume of your other exercises.

second that

**fahad** · 04-10-2005, 01:13 PM

thx bro.....

Ironslave · 04-10-2005, 01:37 PM

if you want to send me your split and program paramaters id gladly take a look.

**fahad** · 04-10-2005, 01:54 PM

before i use to train each body part once a week and keep my rep range 6-8 reps in the offseason which i do for 4 months and for the cutting phase i keep my rep range around 12 reps per set.....now for the last 6 weeks i have been training everything twice a week in the rep range of 10-12 reps and i considered still bulking phase cause of my high calorie intake.....so am just trying to see wut works for me the best......am 6 feet tall currently 280 pounds offseason and am 18 years old natural.......and this is my split routine for the past 6 weeks and which most of my rep ranges 10-12 reps....and i have been only taking sundays off...
day1) chest, shoulders, triceps
day2) back, traps, biceps, forearms
day3) hams, quads, calves, abs
and repeat from day 1
Note: I use to swear to my friends by using 6-8 reps and training each body part once per week is best for mass...but i realized that i was gaining mostly strength.....thx...

Ironslave · 04-10-2005, 08:00 PM

Hey fahad,

280 lbs natural at 18? That sounds like A LOT bro, not totally doubting you, but that sounds a little far fetched for someone your age, have a pic?

You are over training. I like your split a lot, ive done that exact grouping before, but your frequency with those twice a week is way too much. Try this:

Day 1: chest, shoudlers, tri's
Day 2: rest
Day 3: back, bi's, traps, forearms
Day 4: hams, quads, calves, abs
Day 5: rest
Day 6: repeat

Also when doing this higher frequency split, i would keep the volume low/moderate.

**fahad** · 04-10-2005, 08:34 PM

u am 280 pounds offseason natural....but let me tell u that most of my mass comes from my legs because of my genetics and my structure is big to u no wut i mean....anyways thx bro......

**fahad** · 04-10-2005, 08:41 PM

and hopfully i will post some pics of me........

Mr.Tee-Jay · 04-23-2005, 01:43 PM

There is no "best" rep range for mass. In principal everything between 1-20 reps can induce hypertrophy. It all depends on the overall structure of your routine, and the level of conditioning of your neuromuscular system.

The primary cause of muscle growth is tension. If your muscles is subjected to a weight that creates a tension level in the muscles, that is greater than what the muscles are conditioned to, then the growth process will be trickered. That goes for both sets of 15 reps and sets of 5 reps.

As long as the tension is big enough, and the time under tension is over a certain treshold level, then the muscles will grow. But even sets of very low reps, that doesnt allow for an advantage amount of time under tension, can work if you compensate for the short time under tension, by increasing the set volume. 20 singles with 90 % of 1RM, with around 30 secs of rest between singles can be a very effective way of stimulating growth in the high-treshold motor units, eventhough singles are normally not thought of as a hypertrophy specific rep range. So it is all relative to a lot of factors. Both physiological factors, but also training routine factors.