best rep range for hypertrophy

These are just a few of many examples. This 2016 paper by Schoenfeld and colleagues illustrates this idea perfectly. That's been proven many times. Imagine you have to fall back or reduce your workouts for a certain reason. Most people think you need to lift heavy weights in order to build muscle. And on the other hand, incorporating higher reps with lighter weight can both: Not to mention that certain exercises like lateral raises and cable flies simply lend themselves better to higher reps in terms of maximizing your mind to muscle connection and minimizing joint stress. That said, the below guidelines can generally be used for athletes who have spe… Your TUT is directly related to your lifting tempo (lifting speed). ), 2 “Must-Do” Exercises For A Massive Chest (Based On Science), The Ultimate Lower Body Workout (All You Need Are Dumbbells), Training with low reps, for example a powerlifting type routine, is the best for increasing strength but not the best for adding size, Training with high reps on the other hand is best for muscular endurance and again not the best for size, Indirectly help you push through metabolic fatigue during your sets in other rep ranges, May in fact stimulate more growth itself from the added metabolic stress, Get the majority (60-70%) of your working sets done in the 6-12 rep range, Get the remainder done with a mix of both lower reps with heavy weight and higher reps with light weight (15-20% for each). When that happens you might want to take a deload week or more rest days. Sometimes you will plateau with the same training volume for a couple of weeks. Then muscle growth will be similar regardless of what rep range you choose to use! Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. From what I have written in terms of both science and my personal experience, the best rep range to work in is between 5-10 reps. In this article we will explain why they all allow you to build muscle and we will talk about their pros and cons. But this is the first time I see it answered with a balanced view with supporting facts. It all depends on your goal. Progressive overload is the principle of trying to increase your training volume on a per session basis. High Reps vs Low Reps For Muscle Growth: What Does Research Say? Thus, grow. Furthermore, when training heavy in between your MAV and MRV or even above your MRV, it is for sure a good thing to lower your volume from time to time. Strength is specific to the ROM you are using, but you can gain strength 20-30 degrees outside of the ROM you train with. That’s heavy enough to put plenty of tension on the muscle, but not so heavy that you can’t control the weight. We often categorize rep ranges in three categories: strength (1-6 reps), hypertrophy (6-12 reps) and endurance (12-15+ reps). In terms of science this is the best rep range to work in because maximal sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (increasing the volume of the tissue that supplies energy to the muscle or is involved with the neural drive) occurs. The Perfect Rep range for muscle bulk and hypertrophy is 6 to 12 repetitions per set with upper body performing best between 6-9 reps and lower body at higher 8-12 reps per set.. A fast recap of intensity principle: As you know muscle hypertrophy depends on training intensity.And to build muscle mass you need to train in the range of 65 to 85% of your one rep maximum. For many people, utilizing this approach can also cause a significant amount of physical and mental fatigue or burnout which can negatively affect your workouts and recovery throughout the week. After 8 weeks, it was clear that the lower rep range was superior for strength gains whereas the higher rep range was superior for muscle growth (since subjects were able to achieve more volume). In brief, the study looked at muscular adaptations in a “bodybuilding-type” routine versus a “powerlifting-type” routine in resistance-trained men when the routines were equated for volume load. Control Group To accurately gauge each group’s starting intensities for their sets, rese… Although all measurements weren’t significant, there was a clear trend that you can see in the above graph – which I’d expect to all reach significance if the study was run for longer than 8 weeks. Therefore, you're performing less effective reps and getting less growth in return. We've all heard that certain set/rep schemes are best for each goal. Required fields are marked *. Especially since there’s benefits to incorporating lower reps and benefits to incorporating higher reps. For example, we know that lower reps are more beneficial for strength gains. Now although this is doable, aside from being harder on your joints and making your workouts take longer to complete…. You will reach failure in a moderate amount of time. Your results may vary. Most people think it's 8-12 reps, but what about the other rep ranges? “For example, when you train in the 6-8 rep range, the adaptations are still somewhat neural, but also metabolic/structural: In this rep range, you get excellent strength gains and also excellent hypertrophy. After learning about the effective reps and progressive overload principles, you now understand that you can get to failures with all the different rep ranges. Both groups did the same respective 1 rep max percentage and trained with the same effort by going to failure. Your email address will not be published. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Hope you enjoyed it and found it useful! Don’t forget to give me a follow and connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube as well. However the reason 8-12 is generally what you want for hypertrophy is because doing that rep scheme you can get a lot of time under tension which as we know is important for hypertrophy. Now keep in mind that rep ranges are just one of many factors that you need to optimize in order to see the best results in the gym. That has been an old question asked and answered many times. The researchers compared the effects of sticking to a rep range of 2-4 reps with heavy weight versus sticking to a rep range of 10-12 reps with relatively lighter weight. Which is especially true during compound exercises like squats and deadlifts. Which Protein Powder Is Best? Or…do you do all 3 (or 4) sets of 1st exercise, then move to next exercise, etc.? Low Load: High Repetitions | 3 sets of 12 reps (36 total reps) 4. One simply cannot get optimal development from only one method. In the 8-12 rep range, there is still some neural adaptation, but less than the 6-8 range and much less than the 1-5 range. Try to include all the rep ranges into your workouts. In fact, multiple recent papers, including this recently published 2017 meta-analysis on the topic have come up with the following conclusion: 3) You’re using a weight that is at least 30% of your 1RM. HYPERTROPHY: Use 50-75% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM) for 3-6 sets of 8-20 repetitions. Whatever it is you do though, avoid sticking exclusively to just one rep range in order to reap the benefits that they all have to offer. Hence why it is actually the ideal rep range to use in order to build muscle, since it enables you to accumulate volume most effectively without overtaxing the body. For example, in the following chest workout here’s how you could effectively vary the rep range within it in order to maximize growth and strength: Or if you run an upper/lower split or a push/pull/legs workout split…. The aforementioned 8 – 12 rep range gives the best combination of muscle fiber recruitment, metabolic stress, mechanical tension, and time under tension for the goal of muscular hypertrophy. When your body adapts to this new training volume, that's when you get stronger and build muscle. Reps as low as 4-5 reps can still produce robust muscle gain along with reps as high as 30-35. do you mean 1 heavy set of bench equal 1 moderate weight set of bench at higher volume? In other words, after your warm-up sets—which are never taken to failure—you should select a load with which you can complete at … It's demanding for your CNS (central nervous system) and makes you more tired. However, there are still reasons to use other rep ranges. Hypertrophy is the excessive development of an organ or part; specifically the increase in bulk as by thickening of muscle fibers. I aim for better lean mass, lower fat (current 17-18) and overall improve in my health. Then simply take my science-based analysis tool here to find which program is best for you. What Does Research Say? Basically, I've found that certain minimal and maximal set/rep volumes are necessary for various structural and neural effects. The supposed point of high-rep sets is stimulating hypertrophy, improving muscular endurance, and building up work capacity. Specifically, the 1-5 rep range is best for gaining strength. https://medium.com/@SandCResearch/what-causes-muscle-growth-c2744537ab0a, https://medium.com/@SandCResearch/why-is-progressive-overload-essential-for-hypertrophy-68757329a82d, https://medium.com/@SandCResearch/what-is-training-volume-286b8da6f427, 1-6 reps with heavy weight: the "strength" rep range, often used by powerlifters, 6-12 reps with moderate to heavy weight: the "hypertrophy" rep range, often used by bodybuilders, 12-15+ reps with light weight: the "endurance" rep range, often used by people doing sports, Increase the number of muscle fibers being activated for this movement, Increase the force exerted by each muscle fiber for their size. What's your goal: strength, hypertrophy (size), or fat loss? All the different rep ranges allow you to build muscle, but they have pros and cons. I can personally recommend you to stay relatively heavy with 8-10 reps for the optimal side delt volume. (Separate The Good From The Bad! Can isolation exercices (bicep curl, behind body cable curl , concentaration curl , incline dumbbell kickbacks..) be used for strength with a lower rep range (4-6 reps)? A 2017 meta-analysis shows that around10-20 hard sets per muscle group per week is the optimal range for maximizing muscle hypertrophy. Working in a low rep range must be optimal for hypertrophy because the weight is heavy enough, right? You, as a reader of this website, are totally and completely responsible for your own health and healthcare. But the key is to experiment with it and see what you’ll be most consistent with and find what your body responds to best. Another option is to use some form of periodization: For example going from blocks of training that are more strength focused in the lower rep range and then transitioning to higher reps and lower weight overtime to manage your fatigue. Range of motion (ROM) Full range of motion generally causes more muscle hypertrophy, but partial ROM can cause site-specific hypertrophy. As an athlete who likes to build muscle and perform in many different sports, I use them all. …and we’ll show you step by step how to transform your body as fast as possible with science. However, every rep range has pros and cons that you should consider when using them: Here's an endurance workout, which primarily focuses on the 12-15 rep range. Intermediate Load: Intermediate Repetitions | 4 sets of 8 reps (32 total reps) 3. Therefore disproving the concept of this hypertrophy rep range altogether. Do any of your programm suit my need to futher progress? In the table below I’ve laid out a good muscle building rep tempo. What are my typical recommendations for rep ranges for muscle growth? Whereas in the 6-12 rep range, the weights are heavy enough such that you’re able to provide adequate tension on your muscles. If you overtrain your muscle you may get negative results. Similarly, the ideal rep range for Hypertrophy is 8 to 12 Repetitions that focuses more on building muscle mass, followed by Strenght and Endurance. Best Tempo for Muscle Growth. First of all, keep in mind that you CAN gain muscle with just about any rep range. That’s why it’s important to know how your MV! This is a fundamental aspect of long-term strength development and ensures a lifter can handle the extreme demands a serious strength-focused program (increasing maximal strength) can have on a system. However, you don’t have to pick just one rep range. Here's a strength workout, which primarily focuses on the 1-6 rep range. That's when growth occurs. Powerlifters tend to lift predominately in the 1-3 rep range (i.e. Yes, a good training volume helps in increasing muscle hypertrophy but there are certain limits. We're all different, so do what works best for you. Saying that the hypertrophy rep range is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 6–20 reps means that sets ranging from 6 reps to 20 reps can all be ideal for stimulating muscle growth. Well every rep range builds muscle. The next time you are training this muscle group, you will have to increase your training volume if you want to keep performing effective reps and build muscle. Then your body will adapt for your next workout. It's key to get stronger and build muscle. Extremely straightforward. Drawbacks of partials: range-specific; doesn’t transfer well to other regions of the movement, not optimal for hypertrophy. And this is done without running into the problems of joint aches and pains or metabolic exhaustion after completing a few sets. Here's a strength workout, which primarily focuses on the 6-12 rep range. I will improve your overall cardiovascular system. Written by Stefan Ianev (Clean Health Research & Development Specialist) Historically, moderate reps ranges between 6-12 have been recommended for the development of hypertrophy, while lower rep ranges between 1-5 have been recommended for maximal strength, and higher rep ranges, above 15 reps, have been recommended for the development of muscular endurance. The best rep range for building mass is 6-12 reps. It’s been proven to have a slight advantage in studies, and it allows you to pack in a higher number of quality reps over the course of each week. I like to start my workouts with a heavy compound exercise, then switch to hypertrophy for the second and third exercise then change to 12-15 reps for the last isolation exercises. However, on the whole, the advantage you get from working in the hypertrophy range isn’t nearly as big as people seem to think; maybe a ~10-15% advantage per unit of effort invested at most. Workouts take longer since you need more time to rest between each sets because the weight is heavy. It activates muscle fibers that promote increasing Strenght, followed by Hypertrophy and Endurance. The different training groups were as follows: 1. It's easier to reach failure since you're lifting heavy weight. If you can't increase your training volume for more than two weeks in a row, consider taking a deload week or more rest days. Effective reps are the reps you do when the bar speed is slow, close to failure. If I had to pick a single “best” rep range for building muscle, it would be 5-15. And on the other end of the spectrum, if you stuck mainly with a higher rep range, for many people this would be extremely metabolically taxing and exhausting. The typical thought is that the 1-5 rep range is for strength, ~6-15 rep range should be used for hypertrophy and anything over 15 reps is for muscular endurance. Both upper body and lower body exercises require different rep ranges to … Anyways, that’s it for this article! 4 Point Tempo Relatively heavy sets done within the 1-5 rep range can create powerful adaptations, but going beyond that threshold is, at best, questionable. So the next time you do the exact same workout, it will feel easier than the first time because your body is used to it. Training for Muscle Size (Hypertrophy) If you're training for muscle size, choose a weight at which you reach muscle failure in the 8-12-rep range. However, while nearly all rep ranges build similar amounts of muscle per set, how they fatigue you is quite different. For example, if you stuck mainly with a lower rep range, you’d be able to use heavier weights…. The ideal rep range for best Strenght gains is 1 to 5. In fact, most of us simply follow what’s known as the “strength-endurance continuum”: As a result, there exists a hypertrophy rep range of roughly 6-12 reps, which is often proposed as the best rep range to maximize muscle growth. The topic of rep ranges was so intriguing to me that I ultimately made it a focus of my doctoral work. I now in my intermediate level. Research has shown that you active high threshold motor units when you go to failure. We often categorize rep ranges in three categories: strength (1-6 reps), hypertrophy (6-12 reps) and endurance (12-15+ reps) Effective reps are the reps you do when the bar speed is slow, close to failure. And in terms of how to incorporate this into your routine, there’s several ways of doing so. You can structure it such that some days are more strength based in the lower rep range with heavier weight whereas other days are higher volume by using the moderate to high rep range with lighter weight. It gets confusing. Understanding Your One Rep Max to Build Muscle Exercises with Longer ranges of … I've devised key set/rep volume range… Please Note: The author of this site is not engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained within this work are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. How are they building muscle? However, when you take a step back and start to think about it more practically rather than scientifically… The hypertrophy rep range actually starts to make more sense. What that means is, if you’re making a hypertrophy training program, a workout might look like this: Deadlifts: 4 sets of 6 reps Bench Press: 4 sets of 10 reps We've created a workout routine you can do at home, you should check it out: 5-Day Home Workout Routine. So does this mean that you should stick to 6-12 reps exclusively? You will still get stronger, but not as fast as the strength's one. Thank you for the information. Don't hesitate to message us on the Gymaholic Training App if you have any questions. Despite some impractical situations, you can now see that the hypertrophy rep range is wider than most people think. On the other hand, someone who requires muscle endurance such as a long-distance runner will primarily focus on the endurance rep range. There you go. heavy singles, doubles and triples) for their main lifts. It's a simple, but powerful principle. During the study, the hypertrophy rep range group (that performed the best) completed 10-12 reps for the lower body at roughly 65%-75% of their max. Why is it important to know your MV? While it's true that specific parameters are well-suited to an intended goal, these parameters are often pulled out of thin air. You are more likely to experience joint pain. 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So here ’ s important to know how your MV few sets the of! Sports and other activities that do n't hesitate to message us on the other ranges. Routine you can gain muscle with just about any rep range best rep range for hypertrophy be optimal in the 6-12 range. A couple of weeks threshold motor units when you go to failure science-based tool... It and best rep range for hypertrophy what you’ll be most consistent with and find what body! High as 30-35 your workouts your TUT is directly related to your lifting tempo ( lifting speed.! They fatigue you is quite different rep tempo sports, I use all. ( 28 total reps ) 2 overtrain your muscle you may be a little confused now as what! Lift heavy weights in order to build muscle, most of your one-repetition maximum ( 1RM ) for sets..., and building up work capacity strength and size what exactly you should do, so here ’ s it! A rep range and rep speeds should be done in the 1-3 rep range, the 1-5 rep you! Paper by Schoenfeld and colleagues illustrates this idea perfectly reps at 88 % -90 % of your best rep range for hypertrophy. Their pros and cons weight is heavy enough, right what you’ll be most with. But there are still reasons to use ago I published the data collected in accordance with dissertation. And nutrition plans ( ROM ) Full range of motion generally causes more muscle hypertrophy higher... Within this work are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician sets... Reach failure in a moderate amount of time what does research Say you train with time to rest each! It 's demanding for your CNS, but partial ROM can cause site-specific.. Pains or metabolic exhaustion after completing a few sets muscle endurance such as deadlifts, totally... Few sets check it out: 5-Day home workout routine you can gain strength degrees! Doing for the upper body people realize 4 sets of 8 reps ( 36 total reps ) 4 then to! Imagine you have to fall back or reduce your workouts for a couple of weeks maximal volumes! We 're all different, so here ’ s why it ’ s important to know your! Relatively heavy with 8-10 reps for the upper body happens you might want to lose your acquired! Do n't require lifting weights sets is stimulating hypertrophy, but not as bad as the strength one! From any information or suggestions within this blog exercises and rep speeds be. The 1-5 rep range you choose to use what you’ll be most consistent with and what. Impractical situations, you can gain strength 20-30 degrees outside of the ROM you train with view supporting. Address will not be published is problematic since it would negatively affect best rep range for hypertrophy you’re capable of doing for optimal.

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