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What benefits You get From Doing Certain Amounts of Reps

This is a list I made of what benefits you will get from doing certain amounts of reps in each set. Hopefully this will help you with your goals...

  • 1-3 Reps. This is typically what Olympic weightlifters and powerlifers use to train with. Olympic weightlifters do this because THAT IS WHAT THEIR SPORT REQUIRES! This is one rep scheme that I certainly do not recommend. Although strength gains come at this setting, it is too risky for safety and not an effective way to build muscle mass. Scientists have proven thught that lower rep lifting (1-6 reps) helps you obtain strentgh in much greater proportion compared to your incease in muscle mass. Useful for those who have weight-class limits. I think not. Not only will they effectively ruin their joints, they will also make their weight class. Great idea! Why not just train for muscle mass and strength and then train to lose bodyfat to make your weight class. Sounds more practical to me!

  • 6-12 reps. This is the rep scheme I use for most major upper body movements. It allows you to effectively control the weight your dealing with. Scientists have also proven that working in the 6-12 rep range is ideal for gaining muscle mass and strength. I suggest this rep scheme for trainers who want to lift some serious weight and stay injury-free.

  • 12-15 Endurance training. You won't gain as much strength and mass, but you will be able to use your maximum strength for a longer period of time (endurance). Don't think that means that huge increases in mass and strength can't be made at this level either. It can. I personally use this rep scheme for my smaller upper body muscles, like biceps and triceps Some bodybuilders use this setting to burn more calories while dieting, but I think it is more effective to keep the reps lower in most major compound exercises (bench press, barbell rows, etc.) because you will retain more muscle mass and might even build msucle while losing fat. Instead, use cardio to burn more calories or just cut back on the deluxe-fudge cake a bit!

  • 15-20 I use this setting to train my legs a lot. I use this setting because the legs naturally have more endurance capacity than the upper body muscles and therefore can be fatigued better at this range. I also use this range for biceps, deltoids, and triceps at times because I can better concentrate and isolate the muscles.

  • 20-??. Hey whats up, pogo stick? Stay away from this setting unless your goal is to look like Doug from Nickelodeon.

    Remember, you have you have to lift as much as you can for the number of reps you do. YOU WILL NOT GAIN BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING DOING A VERY LOW, EASY SETTING FOR 3 REPS!!! It's common sense people. Good luck with your goals.