whats tyhe most effective number of reps and sets?

glencol

you hear of so many different views of whats the more effective way of training but i was wondering if i could get some points of view of a few of the more experienced builders among you. you hear of 1 rep training to 4 sets of 12 reps.whats the best.ive been doing 4 sets 10/8/6/4 and that worked ok an reached 130kg on the press now im lucky if i can reach 1 rep of 120kg. so please can anyone end the conflicting veiws you read so much about? the problem is the views are usually made by little blokes in white coats in labs an the closest the come to weights is stepping over them on the way out of the university!!!! :? :? :?

TBGB

It varies so much from person to person. You have to try them all and find what works for you.

I used to do between 4 and 5 sets with 12 to 15 reps. I did this for years and got 'stale'. I now swear by doing 3 sets of 6, 5, and 4 reps. Of course, my lifts shot up, my confidence grew and so did I. I even had to change gyms because the weights were too light.

I've never dropped below 6 reps, do you find doing as little as 4 reps beneficial and what difference has this made to you in terms of strength and size gains?

Nidge

I go for the burn factor.

glencol

the 4 reps for me did work especially as it was at the end of the excersise and using the big weight but for me now it all seems to be going in reverse.the reason i posted this topic was because of the worse session ive had in ages this morning.

divie

I dont like dropping below 6 reps as for me it feels like im just lifting and not putting my muscle under enougth strain for long enougth and i dont get a pump or burn when doing under 6 reps and i find form can diminish a bit when doing so little reps.
I do 8-10 reps and use good form and make sure i can feel the burn.

ps everyone is different and i personaly find i need a thew more reps then 4 to place enougth intensity on my muscles to stimulate the growth.

crazycal1

been doing 5x5`s for chins and 3x5 of the other compound movements-same weight each set(obviously increasing the weight each workout)-cumulative fatigue its called i think-if my ego could handle the drop in poundage i`d do 12-15 reps,but i agree all peeps are different -the amount may not be the most important factor-its the quality-i dont use much weight as it goes,but i try to do reps as slow as possible - 3secs x 2-3 secs

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk

SoulCard

i used to do higher weight and lower reps, but recently changed it up and have found significant growth by using as heavy a weight possible to keep my self in the 6-12 rep range...everything ive read indicates that 2-4 reps is strength training range and 6-12 is mass building...of course lifiting heavy weights will make you bigger regardless, however i think the latter is more effective for size as well as strength...

zx9rjas.

2-3 reps is generally for power training

4-6 reps is generally for strength training

6-12 reps is generally for mass (6-8 being the best IMO)

I'm with J on this. Always prefered the 6-8 range. I have a new training partner who talked me into all sorts of odd routines but I've gone back to the 6-8 reps again.
What works for one doesn't work for everyone and it does you good to change from time to time.