Lower weights, more reps?

Hey ppl, jus wondering is lower weight and higgher reps the way to go to build muscle if high weight and low reps dont work for u??

lower weight/high rep will help put on muscle size and improve muscular endurance. If you combine this type of workout with a lot of food, it will help build mass

Doing high weight low reps will bulk you up and get you stronger. It is good to do a mixture of both

light weight more reps = definition
heavy weight less reps = strength

what's your current program and diet like ?

well at the moment i am trying to cut, but when i am done i am gonna bulk again. My macro breakdown wen i bulk is about 300g protein, 450g carbs and 100g fats. that seem aight??

does this forum get used?? seems no one posts on it.

In general, high rep (15 or so), low weights builds strength and muscular endurance with a minimal size increase. Pure strength increases are limited. Runners who are looking at weight training as a way to help prevent injury or don't want to add mass they have to carry during races often use this as their main weight training.

Low rep (3-8) high weight build power and size. Good for bulking up, but minimal muscular endurance. Powerlifters use this as their main area.

Middle ground (8-12 reps) builds strength, size and definition. People who are lifting to "look better" and gain bone strength advantages use this range as their main area. Most weight training books are written for these people, because they're the bulk of weight trainers in most gyms.



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ok the low range 3-8 and mid range 8-10 sorta havent worked for me. what should i do?? i been using them for thr past few years i been training in the hope they make me bigger.

i cant hbelp but feel this thread and forum dont get much action. either that or i am ignored.

what does your current workout program consist of ?

well everytinhg atm, i am trying ti devise a decent one, was on 5 day split...dunno wat to do now was thinkin 4 days, on a 2 part split like upper n lower.

mondo said:

ok the low range 3-8 and mid range 8-10 sorta havent worked for me. what should i do?? i been using them for thr past few years i been training in the hope they make me bigger.

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What do you mean they haven't worked for you? Size is mostly built in the kitchen along with adequate rest to enable the body to rebuild. If you have a good training regime, diet & recovery are in order, almost anything will produce results to one degree or another. If your routine is balanced & based around compound movements that work the entire body not just the chest & arms routine alot of people do, results will come.

Whenever I hear people say they can't put on size, or something doesn't work, it is my opinion they are not eating enough, or well enough. Most people object & tell you how much they do eat, but when asked to write a diet log over a 1 month period, all becomes apparent.

As for rep ranges etc, I dont really agree with this rep range is for strength, this one for definition etc. Work in high reps, you build strength in higher reps. Everything works, but nothing works forever IMO. Going from low to high volume & vice versa provokes change, the same as going from high to low reps & vice versa. I dont mean changing after a few weeks, after a decent time period of training one way, changing things up tends to provoke results IMO.

ok i hav posted several j0urnals on several forums and apparently they are fine. i train hard and wen i say tat they dont work i mean i hav not yet got one single results from training. no growth or incrweease in size or weight or up in strength nothing. infact i hav gotten worse, i lost weight, got smaller and hav gotten weaker though i am eatting more then i used to.

mondo said:

ok i hav posted several j0urnals on several forums and apparently they are fine. i train hard and wen i say tat they dont work i mean i hav not yet got one single results from training. no growth or incrweease in size or weight or up in strength nothing. infact i hav gotten worse, i lost weight, got smaller and hav gotten weaker though i am eatting more then i used to.

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Can you point us in the direction of those journals? Are they just your training or do they include your diet? If you have lost size, I am guessing your diet is poor / & or you are overtraining, ie giving your body insufficient time to recover & rebuild. If you want more help, you need to supply specifics with your training & diet.

i do 4 days (2 day upper and lower style split) atm, and eat approx 3800cals, 280g protein, 450g carbs and 100g fat. is that alright or not? i eat every 2 hours, tons of meats, shakes after training and before bed.

Mondo

You should be aiming to achieve 8 to 12 repetitions in good, strict form and going to muscular failure, irrespective of the resistance used. Once you achieve a 12th repetition, increase your resistance by around 5% or less of the weight used.

In respect to definition, higher reps do not necessarily increase it. Diet is the key: energy in, as per AMOUNT of food, as opposed to energy out, exercise and normal activity between eating.

I hope this helps.

Mesh

thanks mesh but i just wanna add mass not defention i can cut up easy as, my main goal and want is to build muscle mass.

Meshwork said:

Mondo

You should be aiming to achieve 8 to 12 repetitions in good, strict form and going to muscular failure, irrespective of the resistance used. Once you achieve a 12th repetition, increase your resistance by around 5% or less of the weight used.

In respect to definition, higher reps do not necessarily increase it. Diet is the key: energy in, as per AMOUNT of food, as opposed to energy out, exercise and normal activity between eating.

I hope this helps.

Mesh

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What are you basing this rep range on Meshwork?

Dan

The range of 8 - 12 repetitions is based on using the heaviest weight possible, with the strictest form, where this moderate number of reps provide the safest set possible whilst providing the maximum degree of growth stimulation. The final repetition would be to positive failure.

If you've managed to increase the number of repetitions beyond 12, then you are obviously using too light a weight - which will of course provide less growth stimulation than the heavier resistance set.

If you've managed to achieve less than 8 repetitions - and this is usually where novices attempt to demonstrate their strengths - then the set becomes less safe than that of the 8 - 12 range.

Also, repetitions should always be deliberately slow, ie 2 seconds on the posititive rep, 4 seconds on the negative. And most importantly, it's the first few repetitions that are the most dangerous - so one should hold back, adhering to the principle above on positive speed and negative speed. Towards the conclusion of the set the effort should be a maximum one - and this is the safest rep, where in fact the actual speed during the positive rep will by then still be slow; you'll still need to ensure that the negative is slow, as per above, right through the set.

Mondo

Two or three days per week - and no split routine - will provide enough growth stimulation where your body will be able to grow in between the days of training. A workout should take you about 45 minutes and, following preliminary warm up sets, particularly at the commencement of your workout, you should do ONE set of each exercise to momentary muscular failure at a total of around ten to twelve exercises for one out of two or three of your weekly workouts.

In my opinion you're overtraining with a high volume of anaerobic exercise, and have been for years now. You need to aim at increasing the resistance level of your weights, maintain strict form and increase intensity on your one set of each exercise to momentary muscular failure. High intensity training is very taxing on your recovery ability, so you'll need to train a lot less than what you are currently doing. The results from this type of training, however, will surprise you - as long as you allow for growth to take place. And it will, if you train briefly and intensely.

Remember, the resistance level of the weight you are using in STRICT FORM for 8 - 12 reps for a particular exercise parallels directly with YOUR level of development. Hence, if you're stronger, then you must be bigger. And if you want to get bigger, then you must increase the resistance of your exercise, and that can best be achieved through the principles outlined above, which means training hard and training briefly.

I hope this helps.

Mesh

dude i dont understand u telling me to train less??? wont that just make me go fat?? and anaerobic?? i am not doing any aerobic exercise i havent done any form of cardio since march cause i was told to stop it as that may be wat was holding me bak, but turnsa out it wasnt. and i do train hard but i need a spotter but no damn person in this world takes me seriously enough to want to help me out in the gym or train with me, it p*sses me off big time, i need help but no one will help me out!!!!

takes awhile for one to become fat , not something that happens overnight, as long as you keep a balanced healthy diet and a regular workout schedule

mondo said:

dude i dont understand u telling me to train less??? wont that just make me go fat?? and anaerobic?? i am not doing any aerobic exercise i havent done any form of cardio since march cause i was told to stop it as that may be wat was holding me bak, but turnsa out it wasnt. and i do train hard but i need a spotter but no damn person in this world takes me seriously enough to want to help me out in the gym or train with me, it p*sses me off big time, i need help but no one will help me out!!!!

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Fat gain can be controlled via diet. As for a spotter, you can still train effectively without one. If your goal is size and you train alone, lift weights that you can control with strict form, ie you could stop at any point in the movement. Train to form failure, ie stop when you cannot maintain strict form, rather than muscular failure which presents safety issues when training alone. Use safety equipment such as a squat cage etc whereever you can.

I would still like to see your exact program Mondo so we can have a better idea of exactly what you are doing. Include exercises, sets, reps, weights, frequency etc