Reps for muscle gains
My goal is to help you reach your fitness dreams. In order to achieve this goal I must know what is going on in the real world trenches. Therefore I do not spend my time in a lab coat although I do have tremendous respect for some researchers. The mad scientist writing this article uses the gyms of Indiana University as his laboratory. My recommendations stem from my own research, which I conduct through several mediums including reading, consultations with fitness experts and real world experiments. Many of the concepts I will present to you diverge from conventional wisdom, but understand that there is method to my madness. Give these techniques a chance by applying them with sincere execution and you will succeed.
What are you trying to do in the gym? Gain muscle, lose fat, become stronger? Determine what you want to accomplish, and with the right information you can determine appropriate repetition schemes. When deciding what you want to accomplish remember to do one thing at a time. It is fine to have many different goals, but in the iron game you should focus on one dream at a time. One can achieve several goals over a time period by rotating the emphasis of training. In the following paragraphs I will explain how one can gain lean muscle mass.
I see many peculiar training methods while conducting "business" in the gym. My senses are tuned to observe what my peers are doing. One day I watched a gym regular blast off 25 reps of a standard barbell bicep curl. His form was very poor, and it was painful to watch as he bounced the bar off his groin region while violently swaying his back to gain extra momentum. The set took him less than 30 seconds to complete. He shouted at his friend and exclaimed "the more reps the better man, I will be ripped if I can keep doing more reps." I disagree for several reasons with his claims. Gravity did most of the work during his set in which he used a weight that would bring my grandmother to uncontrollable laughter. Furthermore he will not improve physically using this method unless he is a needle in a haystack genetic marvel.
Time Under Tension (TUT) is more than likely a term you have never heard, but it is time to take notice of this concept. TUT is simply the amount of time muscles are working during a set. Manipulation of this factor is a crucial part of the muscle-gaining quest. Sets must last between 40-70 seconds to elicit size gains. Firing off high numbers of reps at a rapid pace is not the way to break into desired TUT length. 10-12 reps is an ideal rep range for hypertrophy (muscle gain). The exact number of reps you perform depends on the load used. If you can do 10 reps then the weight you are using is adequate, but you must increase the load if you can perform 12 reps. The trainee must adjust the speed of each repetition in order to enter the desired TUT range.
Every repetition has four components, which can be easily measured or timed. The concentric phase of a lift is the way up, or the completion. Eccentric motion is the way down, which is when you lower a bar to your chest during a bench press rep. Isometric contractions take place at the point between the eccentric and concentric phases. For example pausing at the chest while maintaining tension is an isometric element. Finally the resetting point or top of the movement must be taken in consideration, which is merely the amount of time it takes you to reset after each rep.
Our bad form buddy mentioned previously takes advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle. This complex mechanism creates elastic energy, which will enable a trainee to lift more weight. This reflexive action should be taken advantage of by strength athletes who are most interested in performance. On the other hand those interested in growing must make the muscles do the work by deliberately controlling the time length of every rep.
Manipulating the tempo or length of each of these four phases is the next step. The eccentric motion should last 3 seconds, but the concentric phase must be fast. Move the load concentrically as fast you can safely with good form on every rep. Accelerating the load will recruit more muscle fibers, which is important for mass and strength gains. The isometric and resetting points should be one second each, and must be kept in exact time proportion. A bench press rep will take you three seconds to lower the bar, one second to pause, one second to lift and one second should be taken at the top of each rep to reset. It is easy to count off in your head after a couple of workouts. 3+1+1+1=6 seconds for each rep, and a ten rep set would take 60 seconds (10x6) putting you in the desired TUT range. Adjusting the TUT every three weeks will keep your muscles growing. Try lowering the number of reps and increasing the load per set while adjusting the tempo to stay within the proper ranges.
scott@infinityfitness.com
Train hard and smart!