Rep Ranges – Are They as Important as you Think?
November 1, 2021
Let’s Chat about Training Goals and Rep Ranges.
Ask a Trainer, a Coach, or a Gym Enthusiast what the best rep range is to build muscle and they will answer with little hesitation 6-12 reps. It is common lore that 6-12 reps are best for building muscle mass.
It has been the go-to rep range since it was first proposed by Dr. Thomas DeLorme in 1945. Delorme was the first one to give the advice of low reps for strength, medium reps for hypertrophy (muscle growth), and high reps for endurance. Advice that has filled the textbooks since.
He also suggested that working outside of these ranges would have no transference over to the others (high reps would not increase strength etc.).
His advice on both fronts is not exactly correct. You can make impressive muscle gain training outside of the 6-12 reps that are commonly prescribed exclusively for hypertrophy. There is no doubt in my mind that you can also gain strength outside of the 1-5 reps.
How do I know this?
Anecdotally, through my experience as a coach and an athlete. I have witnessed remarkable results using a variety of rep ranges. I will regularly use rep ranges of 15 and higher for muscle building, look at CrossFitters for example, many have impressive muscle mass, this mass is gained through a majority of training volumes at higher reps and at a moderate to light load.
Scientifically, research has demonstrated if the load is over 30% of a 1 rep max there is potential to be both muscular and strength gains.
New studies show that when it comes to muscle growth, lifters doing 20 to 35 reps per set got similar gains in muscle thickness as those doing the traditional 6 to 12 reps for hypertrophy.
This could be really beneficial as we can see improvements in strength and lean mass using lighter weights and reducing the risks of injury that come with the heavier loads.
Ohh and if you haven’t ever hit sets of 20+ reps you will find that it isn’t an easy option, those extra reps will bring the pump as you may never have experienced before.
Whilst we have learned through experience what makes a muscle grow there is still a lot of uncertainty on why and how a muscle grows, what are the exact mechanisms for hypertrophy?
The one thing we can be sure of though is the intensity of effort is a critical factor in muscle growth. Whether the reps are high or low doesn’t matter as much as the intensity of your effort to stimulate and encourage muscle growth.
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Rep Ranges – Are They as Important as you Think?
November 1, 2021
Let’s Chat about Training Goals and Rep Ranges.
Ask a Trainer, a Coach, or a Gym Enthusiast what the best rep range is to build muscle and they will answer with little hesitation 6-12 reps. It is common lore that 6-12 reps are best for building muscle mass.
It has been the go-to rep range since it was first proposed by Dr. Thomas DeLorme in 1945. Delorme was the first one to give the advice of low reps for strength, medium reps for hypertrophy (muscle growth), and high reps for endurance. Advice that has filled the textbooks since.
He also suggested that working outside of these ranges would have no transference over to the others (high reps would not increase strength etc.).
His advice on both fronts is not exactly correct. You can make impressive muscle gain training outside of the 6-12 reps that are commonly prescribed exclusively for hypertrophy. There is no doubt in my mind that you can also gain strength outside of the 1-5 reps.
How do I know this?
Anecdotally, through my experience as a coach and an athlete. I have witnessed remarkable results using a variety of rep ranges. I will regularly use rep ranges of 15 and higher for muscle building, look at CrossFitters for example, many have impressive muscle mass, this mass is gained through a majority of training volumes at higher reps and at a moderate to light load.
Scientifically, research has demonstrated if the load is over 30% of a 1 rep max there is potential to be both muscular and strength gains.
New studies show that when it comes to muscle growth, lifters doing 20 to 35 reps per set got similar gains in muscle thickness as those doing the traditional 6 to 12 reps for hypertrophy.
This could be really beneficial as we can see improvements in strength and lean mass using lighter weights and reducing the risks of injury that come with the heavier loads.
Ohh and if you haven’t ever hit sets of 20+ reps you will find that it isn’t an easy option, those extra reps will bring the pump as you may never have experienced before.
Whilst we have learned through experience what makes a muscle grow there is still a lot of uncertainty on why and how a muscle grows, what are the exact mechanisms for hypertrophy?
The one thing we can be sure of though is the intensity of effort is a critical factor in muscle growth. Whether the reps are high or low doesn’t matter as much as the intensity of your effort to stimulate and encourage muscle growth.
