# More weight less reps, more reps less weight?



## shaun.palmer (Mar 12, 2011)

just a quick noob question

To build muscle is it better to lift weights that i can just about handle for less reps, or lighter weight for more reps?

Sorry for what might seem a silly question to you guys

Cheers

shaun


----------



## ianm2585 (Mar 14, 2010)

I thought about this during my first training spell and made the mistake of following others as HIT was all the rage then this time i listened to my body and for me its worked out to be reps in the 10 to 12 range


----------



## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

If your new to training id suggest keeping reps between 5-10.


----------



## shaun.palmer (Mar 12, 2011)

At the minute im at 15 reps with most exercises, but ive started increasing the weight and managing a few less reps on my last set and i can feel it more. Was just wondering if its better to push them untill i cant do anymore to build rather than tone


----------



## musio (Jan 25, 2008)

Alternating should shock the body and is needed. If your progress is stalling, change it up. You can't progress forever doing the *same* thing


----------



## pixiesfan (Apr 2, 2011)

Building muscle is a anaerobic activity (without oxygen), the high reps i would say 16+ would become a slow duration activity stimulus ie aerobic. using oxygen for energy, thus not creating stimulus for growth, and utilizing your muscle type 1 fibers. Your type 2 muscle fibers can use your CP system or lactate system to produce force against your resistant activity.

You want to produce a slow controlled stimulus so your type 2 can react. To use these types of energy systems you use High intensity training. for the CP this is 95-100% of your max effort, and the lactate 60-95%.

The lactate system produces energy uses glycogen from your muscle and blood as energy, this is why before i go to train i have complex and wait for digestion to make sure I have enough glucose in the blood for energy. The lactate system uses these to produce energy, and produces lactic acid as a waste product, because your body did not use oxygen in the chemical reaction to assist the exercise, this produces a burning sensation and feels satisfying afterwards.

The CP system uses creatine phosphate from your muscles (which is very limited and increased partially when you resistance train over time) to add to create in simple terms a chemical reaction, released very quickly for chemical you 1 rep max exertion, this will not give you a waste product of lactic acid.

CP system would be used by strength training as it increases the adaptation to strength, however the lactate system would encourage your body to adapt to a continuous stimulus, like sending a computer the right command like a ubuntu terminal. I found that 3-4 sets with 8-10 is good for muscle, while 3 sets with 4-6 reps for strength and to rest 2min between sets (can be adapted to increase or decrease intensity) in both cases and both styles of training imo compliment each other.

guidelines usually are reps:

6-12 for hypertrophy

strength: 1-5

endurance 13+

i uses a volume of 3-4 sets and no more than 4 exercises, because i find it to give the appropriate burn, as long as you appropriately overload you should feel tired, out of breathe and sore, if you do not you did not cause a progressive overload for your body to adapt, you may feel the soreness the next day in that case the boy did good. Interval training will help your body clear the lactic acid, to reduce soreness. I usually take like 45 mins to train and an hour with a warm-up and cool down.

Aslong as you don't go to high with reps and sets (aerobic), otherwise you will be hitting the type 1 fibers and not get much bigger. In my experience strength CP system and lactate help to achieve the goal of progressive overload. The variable you will need to play with will be duration of rep, volume of exercises, time between rest and exercise. The denser the amount of exercise the less intense it just feels intense, however can you really do a full body routine every day to failure? Thats why most to a split body routine, with rest days.

But all these variable change from people to people, but the guidelines are the same. Maybe use 10 reps and 4 sets for three weeks then go heavy 6-8 and then change the program, do what you feel is best for you, as long as you work out intense and properly overload you will make progress to the extent of what your genetics will allow.

Hope you can figure out what will work for you!  Im kinda at a plateau...


----------



## sakso (Mar 14, 2011)

simple answer is:

you want mass and size: heavy weights and less reps...

you want lean: lighter weights and more reps.

simples


----------



## MarkFranco (Aug 26, 2010)

sakso said:


> simple answer is:
> 
> you want mass and size: heavy weights and less reps...
> 
> ...


Corrected it


----------



## shaun.palmer (Mar 12, 2011)

pixiesfan said:


> Building muscle is a anaerobic activity (without oxygen), the high reps i would say 16+ would become a slow duration activity stimulus ie aerobic. using oxygen for energy, thus not creating stimulus for growth, and utilizing your muscle type 1 fibers. Your type 2 muscle fibers can use your CP system or lactate system to produce force against your resistant activity.
> 
> You want to produce a slow controlled stimulus so your type 2 can react. To use these types of energy systems you use High intensity training. for the CP this is 95-100% of your max effort, and the lactate 60-95%.
> 
> ...


bloody hell lol, good read if not a bit confusing, cheers


----------



## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

Strength = size at the end of the day.

If you're not getting stronger, you're not growing in my experience. It's progressive overload that provides the stimulus to grow, so you do this either via more reps (time under tension) or more total weight being shifted. You can always use double progression too:

wk1 60kg x 3 x 5

wk2 60kg x 3 x 8

wk3 60kg x 3 x 10

Start again at 65kg etc.

I can't believe people still think high reps are for getting lean too...


----------



## shaun.palmer (Mar 12, 2011)

the thing is ive increased in strength a fair bit since i started 3 weeks ago, for example, leg press went from 40kg 3x15 to 80kg 3x15 struggling on the last few reps, but i dont feel im getting physically bigger


----------



## Geonix (Apr 4, 2011)

General rule of thumb.hypertrophy is 5-12 reps, heavy weights. Your body for maximum results will need 'fresh' stimulation therefore mixing up the number of sets, repetitions, supersets, tempo speed and other factors will trick your body into thinking it's a new exercise when it isn't. Your body clocks onto the fact you've done stuff before as it has adapted, this is why you may notice if you do the same thing for a long period of time e/g more then 6 weeks, you amount of gains you get have majority decreased.


----------



## scouse2010 (Mar 17, 2010)

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/program_design_101

from what I have read If you want size then heavy weight 5-8 reps and 3-5 sets on the compond lifts for most of the iso lifts you want a weight what you can do for about 10-15 reps and about 4 sets.

theres also a 10x10 workout


----------



## shinobi_85 (Feb 20, 2011)

more reps for leg hypertrophy anyone?


----------

