How many weight lifting reps should i do

To paint a clearer picture, you have to understand why we ask this question in the first place. At this point, confusion about what to do next still lingers in the gym because weightlifting and its effects on our bodies are often misunderstood, says Tanner Baze, a certified personal trainer. Hint: It involves a lot more than lifting super-heavy weight or banging out more reps in isolation. To get out of a rut, you actually need a combination of:.

Spoiler alert: Both heavy-weight and high-rep training check those three boxes to ultimately build strength. Lasevicius T, et al. Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy.

DOI: Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. Think of how your bank account grows when you minimize unnecessary spending. If you push it, you could compromise your form and put yourself at risk for injury. Which brings us to…. In , researchers divided athletes into two groups: heavy lifters who did 1 to 5 reps of moves like squats , lunges , and deadlifts , along with moderate lifters who did 8 to 12 reps of the same set of exercises.

At the end of 8 weeks, researchers found that those who lifted heavier weights with fewer reps had more strength. Makes sense. But it also turns out that the higher-rep, lower-weight folks had increased hypertrophy — aka more muscle-building activity. Differential effects of heavy versus moderate loads on measures of strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. A study found that 8 to 12 reps per set was the sweet spot for maximizing strength, compared to the group doing 25 to 35 reps of each exercise omg, who has time for that?

Effects of low- vs. That tight, full feeling under the skin, caused by blood pooling in the muscle, has value beyond its ego-expanding qualities. Studies have demonstrated that the physiological conditions which lead to a pump activate protein synthesis and limit protein breakdown. Thus, more of the protein you eat goes toward muscle construction instead of being burned off for energy. In a scientific twist of good fortune, the fast-twitch fibers appear to be the biggest beneficiaries of this phenomenon.

So how many reps should you be doing to build muscle? In the final analysis, substantial evidence argues that training in a moderate-rep range is the best way to build muscle mass. It increases hormone response, spares protein, and provides the necessary time under tension to spark muscle damage.

These benefits work in unison to get you from pencil neck to powerhouse in no time. But does this mean you should store your low-rep and high-rep regimens away in the closet, underneath your parachute pants and Thriller album? Certainly not. Cycle periods of low-rep training and high-rep training into your overall program, while progressively trying to increase your strength and perfect your exercise form every time you lift.

If your haphazard training has been producing mixed results for a while now, consider periodizing your training. Periodization is a system of training that organizes your workout into distinct cycles. Because each cycle has specific objectives, the number of reps for each varies sharply. Phase 1 : Preparatory, consisting of extremely high volume 15 or more reps, three to five sets and low resistance. Phase 2 : Hypertrophy, or growth, consisting of high volume eight to 12 reps, three to five sets and moderate resistance 50 percent to 75 percent of one-rep max.

Phase 3 : Strength, consisting of moderate volume five or six reps, three to five sets and heavy resistance 80 percent to 88 percent of one-rep max. Phase 4 : Power, consisting of low volume two to four reps, three to five sets and very heavy resistance 90 percent to 95 percent of one-rep max.

To build the explosive strength necessary for competition, athletes frequently use Phase 4, the power phase. Keep reading for a simple three-month periodization cycle that can be used by both gym novices and grizzled veterans. In that case, always listen to your body, pay attention to your form, and cut your reps accordingly so that you can get through them all without breaking form. In a few weeks, you will be able to and then you can up your weights again. For example, if you were doing 3 sets of 12 reps of overhead presses, you may only be able to handle 3 sets of 10 reps when you bump up the weight.

Lifting more weight can be awesome, but it comes with some unwelcome side effects. The big one is delayed-onset muscle soreness , or DOMS. Each time you increase the amount of stress you put on a muscle, more microscopic damage occurs within the muscle cells, leading to an uptick in pain during the 24 to 72 hours following your workout as the muscle repairs itself, Suter says.

If a muscle hurts for more than three days after a workout or if pain comes on suddenly during training, rather than gradually afterward, you may need to ease up on the weights.

Wondering if your form is right? One thing that will help keep your form in check—and reduce your risk of injury—as you lift heavier weights is giving yourself the right amount of rest , both between workouts and between reps. The harder you work, the more essential rest becomes. Juster advises giving yourself at least 45 to 60 seconds of rest between all sets, and 90 to seconds when performing challenging exercises or any sets that are shorter than 8 reps each and hence, very heavy.

And if you are so tired or sore going into a given workout that your technique or strength is off, back off the weights and consider upping your recovery efforts in terms of sleep, nutrition, stress management, and active recovery work like foam rolling , Steele says. Pay attention to the common signs of overtraining: feeling drained, lack of energy, constant soreness, sudden drop in performance, and lack of motivation.

Listen to your body.