What is the Most Effective Set/Rep Numbers to Gain Muscle?

For gaining lean muscle mass what set/rep amounts ? Heavy weight, low reps? Light weight, high reps? Somewhere in between?

This is a link I found with some good info.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek8.htm

The Question: If you were looking to build muscle as fast as you can, how many sets per bodypart and per workout would you perform? What rep range (or ranges) would you use per set? Give detailed reasons why you believe these ranges are the best, and use as much personal experience AND scientific proof as you can.
BONUS QUESTION: What is the most muscle (not just weight) that a person can gain naturally in 12 weeks? What is the average amount that a person could expect to gain with a good workout, diet, and supplement plan?

Bodybuilders have known intuitively for decades that high volume training is the quickest way to big muscles. When bodybuilding split from Olympic weightlifting in the 1940s, most serious musclemen began training with higher reps and multiple sets (Fair, 1999). It's not because they "felt like it". It's because they saw that it worked.
Exercise science has come a long way since the 1940s. It's no longer a matter of "seeing is believing". We're now able to pinpoint why higher reps and multiple sets work so well at a biological level.
I'll begin by summarising (briefly) how weight training makes muscles grow.

Grow Baby, Grow

Muscle growth (hypertrophy) is caused by a buildup of proteins. Protein buildup can happen in three ways (Booth & Thomason, 1991):

1. The amount of protein going into the muscle increases
2. The amount of protein wasted from the muscle decreases
3. Both 1 and 2

Weight training causes microtrauma (tiny tears in muscle fibres)(McDonagh et al, 1984; Gibala et al, 2000). The body responds to the damage by increasing the amount of protein going into the muscles. This continues for up to two days after weight training (Gibala et al, 1995b).
The rate of repair and muscle growth is also positively affected by testosterone and other hormones (Kraemer et al, 1990; Adams, 1998). Weight training increases the release of these muscle-building hormones in your body (Raastad et al, 2000).
The rate of hypertrophy that occurs during this "healing" process depends on the type of muscle fibre involved. Fast twitch fibres respond better than slow twitch fibres (Alway et al; McCall et al, 1996). Individuals with more fast twitch fibres will grow bigger, quicker.

Training for Ultimate Size

There is an inverse link between strength gains and hypertrophy (Sale, 1992). When you lift weights, your muscles learn to work better (through neural adaptation) and you become stronger. However, your body recruits less muscle fibre the more it adapts (Ploutz et al, 1994). And the less muscle fibre you stimulate, the less you grow.
Trained Olympic lifters, for example, were shown over a two-year period to have significant strength increases with barely noticeable increases in muscle mass (Hakkinen et al, 1988). I had a similar experience when I used AST's Max-OT principals. My strength went up like crazy, but I gained very little size.
Obviously, traditional strength training with low volume and low sets (1-6 reps, 3 or less sets) is not the best approach. Strength training does cause hypertrophy (Hakkinen et al, 1985), but it won't cause maximum hypertrophy.
High volume, multiple set programs (6-12 reps, 3 to 6 sets) have been shown to create greater hypertrophy for two important reasons:

1. The higher workload is more effective at creating microtrauma because of the extra time under tension and extra number of fibres recruited (Shinohara et al, 1998; Smith & Rutherford, 1995; Moss et al, 1997)
2. High volume, multiple set programs are more effective at increasing the body's production of testosterone and growth hormone (Kraemer et al, 1991; Kraemer et al 1990)

Remember the muscle-building process described in Grow Baby, Grow? Microtrauma stimulates increased protein synthesis, and muscle growth is positively affected by a number of hormones that are released after weight training. High volume, multiple set programs cause more microtrauma and greater hormone secretion-so the end result is more muscle!
This probably explains why I was unimpressed with HIT. Although HIT uses high reps, you only perform one "hardcore" set per bodypart. I actually lost muscle and began to feel like I didn't even train!
Now, there's one thing you should be aware of. High volume and multiple sets might pack on muscle quickly, but you shouldn't ONLY train this way. There's something called the "general adaptation syndrome", which means your body will adapt to the program very quickly and you'll run into a massive plateau (Selye, 1976).
An effective science-based way to pack on muscle quickly is to use a periodised routine that emphasises high volume and multiple sets. The periodic variation lets you alter the sets and reps of the program to boost muscle growth and recovery (Potteiger et al, 1995). Sets and reps can be varied per exercise, per workout or per week.

HST is an example of a routine that periodises on a per-exercise basis (i.e HST uses rep ranges between 2-15 for every exercise). I made good size gains using HST, but I didn't become a big fan of using such varied rep ranges each workout. I thought I could have been more productive. To me, HST felt like doing two half-arsed workouts in one session, with one aimed at hypertrophy and the other targeting strength. Then I started periodising on a per-workout basis. I now workout with a 2:1 hypertrophy:strength rotation. This means that I do 2 hypertrophy workouts (8-12 reps, 6 sets) for every 1 strength workout (4-6 reps, 3 sets). It looks like a little something like this (using back and biceps day as an example):

• Monday (Back and biceps)
  Hypertrophy Thursday (Back and biceps)
  Hypertrophy
  Monday (Back and biceps)
  Strength

Got the idea? I've found that, by using the 2:1 rotation, I can give maximal attention to training each characteristic. Emphasising high volume, multiple set training gives me the quickest progression in muscle size.
Slotting in a strength day helps me lift more on my hypertrophy days. Lifting more weight for higher reps makes my muscles bigger. And so the circle of growth continues!

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There isn't one. Its about volume and load.
In a recent study comparing strength training and bodybulding styled training programs, it was found that between both types of training no significant difference in the amount of hypertrophy(growth) was found. The strength based training improved 1RM greater (as expected) than that of the bodybuilding program, though 1RM was still increased.
A large plus for this study, which hasn't been done before was that both programs were structured to have the same amount of volume. This study wasn't conducted to find out which type of training was best, but to note what the differences were between each style.
By this point you are probably thinking, well why not just train for strength to achieve the same growth with added 1RM increases. This is not necessarily the case. Something that has been overlooked by many people only reading the abstract or even just the title is that to equate the same amount of volume in each program it meant that the strength program took over 1 hour whereas the BB style only took 17 minutes. So in saying that the BB program shows greater efficiency, with less chance of injury as there is less weight required on the bar to achieve equal volume.

A well structured program will include both types of training whilst maintaining fundamental progressive overload, frequency and periodization.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/re...ions-in-well-trained-men-research-review.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24714538

As I've stated, all things work, over many years you'll try all sorts of combinations and you'll stay with it until you stop enjoying it.

with HIT, it's not one set to fatigue, it's about going hard, balls to the wall workouts, it's about using a hand full of exercises (full body) going to fatigue and then holding for for time in the contracted position and then being picked up and dragged to the next exercise, it's tough it's quick, it needs to be, there are very few people who know how to workout this way, it cannot be done often, because of the efficacy and time taken this method also requires the added option of cardio, as the short intense duration of this method, doesn't burn as much fat as the higher volume lower intensity workouts.

ive seen some video of extremely difficult workouts that would look just plain scary to a person not experienced at weight lifting.

dr Ken Liestner is well known for taking pro footballers through these rugged routines, fantastic to watch.

This is something I thought about recently and applies to all things training really
There is often a pendulum swing in training, low carb, high carb, low reps, high reps, arnolds training, HIT

Most people look at this and find the "sensible" middle ground. Maybe 8-12 reps for building muscle. Unfortunately it doesn't really work like that.
I think that over time, you should AVERAGE something in the middle but not simply stay in the middle the whole time. Do some low reps, do some high reps, do some middle ground. Train with high volume and train with low volume.

The answer to questions like "what is better, high or low reps" is always "Yes"

Also every time someone asks what’s most important or worries about whether a hormone is optimally stimulated, you’re seeing reductionist thinking in action.Whenever that comes up, just remember: Biology Is Not Like That.

Sweet Jesus

As others have said, lots of things work, especially when you combine them and keep your training routine varied.


I think the biggest factors however are consistency and not getting comfortable.

The people who go to the gym year in and year out without ever making significant results have patchy training routines and diets. They only go to the gym when they feel like it and don't make an effort when 'life' gets in the way. They also tend to eat whatever and think of their body as a magic black box where it will sort itself out regardless of what you put in it. For example, I pack my lunch and protein shakes every day so I'm never caught out buying whatever. This also lets me have a shake straight after training instead of waiting until I get home. However I very rarely see anyone else drinking post workout shakes which I think is weird. They all come prepared with the latest pre workout though to drink up with their bro dudes and talk about their pump.

The other factor is when people don't go outside of their comfort zone. They find things that are easy like machine chest presses and stick with them, keeping the reps and weight pretty much the same while expecting continuing results. They won't try anything they're not used or challenge themselves.

That did turn into a bit of a rant, sorry, but I think these things play a bigger part than simply the number of reps. Building muscle is a slow process you need to be consistent with.

How long is a piece of string?

How much can a koala bear?

for bodybuilders, training with 10+ reps is reasonable and better.

I was going to say that there is no answer to this question and then state why but in doing so I answered the question. This post took me somewhere I didn't know I was going when I started. Hope it makes sense to someone.

There is no right answer to this question because the question is focused on the wrong aspect of the training.

If you look at training as a process, the critical factors for hypertrophy are not related to the beginning of the process but where you choose to end it. The body is simply a machine, albeit a machine that has the capacity to adapt to its environment. Hypertrophy is simply an adaptation so the training needs to challenge the machine to a point that adaptation is required.

If the machine is challenged appropriately it will adapt. If it is given sufficient rest and nutrition then that adaptation will take the form of additional muscle.

If your goal is hypertrophy, continue your sets beyond the point where you become uncomfortable. I describe it as one rep short of failure which is probably not a good description but it's all I've got. If you manage to do this several times during a workout, your machine will adapt to more appropriately match the environment in which it lives.

So, having said that, is there a weight (% of 1RM) that is most effective for this process. The answer to that is, "Not exactly." Adaptation is all about the time spent in that zone of discomfort so, is there a %1RM that allows more work under those conditions?

There are certainly weights that do not allow for much work under those conditions. Very heavy weight 85%+ is ineffective IMO because each successive rep takes too much from your capacity to continue. Perhaps at this %1RM a series of singles with short rest periods may duplicate a lower weight but there seems to be little point.

Very low weights -50% 1RM take a long time to reach the point of challenge and quite possibly challenge other systems before they challenge muscular failure.

So now we have an answer to the question that has no answer. Choose a weight that is significant but not heavy and use it to sneak up on muscular failure one rep at a time. When it gets difficult you are getting close to creating an environment where your body needs to adapt. If you follow that process on a regular basis and provide the other conditions for hypertrophy, you will consistently add muscle to your frame.

I know I still didn't really answer the question because you have a 35% range to work in. That's where variety comes in. Use all of that 35% at different times because it all works. The critical aspect is not where you start but where you choose to stop.

I find that it's not really about going beyond some comfort zone that is trapped in time and place (as is the case during a workout). I find that overtime, by applying a gradual progressive overload (whatever that may be for you and in whatever shape it comes), would be the ultimate way to insure muscle hypertrophy. It goes without saying that everything I've said so far is only one part of a two part equation. The first is providing a catalyst (a reason to grow via the path of GPO), and the other is through appropriate recovering.



Fadi.

But what rep range for toning?

jzpowahz said:

But what rep range for toning?

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That's more exercise selection.
Push-ups over bench press
Step-ups over squats
Curl and presses

This is the secret to tone

Pilates and taking photos of your yoghurt will get the best toning results.

Let's leave step-ups out of this thanks.

Obviously the best way to lose fat and gain muscle is to sit on the leg press with no weight on, and do 500 reps while you read 50 shades of grey. Afterwards, treat yourself to Mcdonalds dinner and a take-home icecream, but make sure the soda is a 'diet' coke.

Would 5 reps of the same weight be more effective than 10 if the first set was used to fully engage and stretch the target muscles, very slowly on the negative with great contraction, yet the latter set you just moved the weight?
Numbers numbers numbers

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Failure is failure
Fatigue is fatigue