Less reps = more muscle

[guidew]

I am a little confused on this topic. I have done some research and talked to a few guys that work out. I have concluded that the less reps you do or RM you wont gain more muscle par say but more motor units via the nervous system. So like I bench on a tree method of low reps: 6, 4, 2, 1. My last rep I should barly be able to do if so I go up the next week in weight. Now if I was to extend that tree and do 12, 10, 8, 6 I would increase the protein in the cells and cause more of a burn correct? So from what I gather its better to do one method one day and swap back and forth. Thus in general giving you more power/strenth/bigger muscle. Now I have worked out for 1 month now using the 1st method low reps more weight. I have gone up in weights across the board and I have seen some added size. Can anyone tell me if swapping is better from one day to the next i do target that area?

I will say when I do 21's I feel more of a burn then I do when I bench using the low reps more weight method. With 21's I do 40lbs, again not a lot of weight but high reps. Dont get me wrong a lot of weight does tire me out but no burn...

Please help me in egtting the right answer....or more information, I am sure people ask about this all the time

EDIT: Let me also add that the # of reps is more but sets is the same. SO 10 reps of 3 sets vs 5 reps of 3 sets and 3 reps of 3 sets. We will use that as a guide so we dont get confused

[vicman]

i say there is no right or wrong answer to this question. everyone's body reacts differently to a particular type of training, but whatever method you prefer to use or works better for you, you should change it every once in a while. if you usually do low reps, modyfing your training to higher reps for a while will probably result in new growth.

personally, i prefer higher reps, 8-12. when i've done lower reps, the only thing that that has caused me is to get injured.

[guidew]

well yes injury is very high with high weight becuase people dont know how long it take sthere body to repair itself so waiting a day or 2 might not be enough causing injury.

I am 6 foot 150lbs so i am thin but i can lift no issue there i am trying to get more size, and i know a week 2 weeks wont make me huge, that stakes time. My thing is when do you change it up? monthly?

[ou812]

It all depends on what your body responds to. But theoretically speaking, moderate weight in a moderate rep range is what is ideal for muscular development. The idea is to get the most intense pump into the muscle that you can. Filling it with the most blood and stretching the muscle fascia to allow for greater growth in size. This is not accomplished as easily through through high weight and low reps. That's why power lifters work in a low rep range and typically don't have huge bulging muscles where as bodybuilders work in a moderate rep range to get the more focused isolation on the bodypart, get the deepest pump and ultimately the most increase in size.

[vicman]

well yes injury is very high with high weight becuase people dont know how long it take sthere body to repair itself so waiting a day or 2 might not be enough causing injury.

I am 6 foot 150lbs so i am thin but i can lift no issue there i am trying to get more size, and i know a week 2 weeks wont make me huge, that stakes time. My thing is when do you change it up? monthly?

how long have you been working out? i'm just curious. i had these same questions when i started more seriously lifting 12 years ago.

in all, it isnt really a science. you have to experiment with intensity, frequency, reps, weight, etc. until you more or less determine what your body responds best to.

you could try changing your reps sequence once a month for a week and see how that works. then you might want to change it for a month or two, or go thorugh a yearly cylce where you do higher reps for 1 to 2 months alternating with lowere reps for 1 or 2 months.

[gambitrah]

my 2 cents..

What are you planning to accomplish? Do you want to get buff..get lean..or get strong? or all of them? What is your body like now...what are your goals.

For me: I want to lose body fat and get lean muscle...then when i get to the BF % I am planning for, I will strenghten up. I want to be STRONG, but not look freakishly huge. I want SUPER DENSE muscle fibers, but still look lean(ish).

For this (and for my body) I personally am doing high rep, medium weight at the moment...im talking 12-10-8 and a few to static failure.. or something similar... When I get to the lower BF % i will switch to a powerlifting regime which is totally different because I will cycle between strength and growth.

I also only work a muscle once a week. This is what I am doing, the only changes is anything that involves a machine (cable work) I am subbing with appropiate free weight stuff and I'm on week 3. and fuck my body is lovin it..i'm seeing big changes.

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/13weekfatburningworkout.php

It all depends on your overall goals...

[guidew]

I have been lifting now on and off for like 8 months.

I am looking for more bulk but its been hard for me to get more. I am very cut up/defined...i have a high metabolism and so forth. I am looking for more bulk..i eat like every 3-4 hours, i take weight gainer (just started for 2 weeks). I really dont want to get looked at as being small..i mean when i do my 21's people are suprised i can do that with thats much weight.

[gambitrah]

I have been lifting now on and off for like 8 months.

I am looking for more bulk but its been hard for me to get more. I am very cut up/defined...i have a high metabolism and so forth. I am looking for more bulk..i eat like every 3-4 hours, i take weight gainer (just started for 2 weeks). I really dont want to get looked at as being small..i mean when i do my 21's people are suprised i can do that with thats much weight.

read this workout and see if it'll give u what u want

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/bulking%20to%20the%20next%20levlel.php

[guidew]

that sounds good but i would need a personal trainer or something, there is way to much to remember. I can somwhat incorporate that into what i do now..any ideas

[agentplaya1]

I know you're asking specifically about workout advice, but if you're goal is to build mass, you're diet is more important than whether you're lifting reps of 8-12 or 2-6. Especially with your stats and being a hardgainer. Just make sure your putting as much, if not even more, planning into your diet as well as your workout routine. That means getting the proper caloric intake, proper amount of protein, etc.....

[vicman]

that sounds good but i would need a personal trainer or something, there is way to much to remember. I can somwhat incorporate that into what i do now..any ideas

i know it sounds corny, but you have to look at working out as a "marathon" and not a "sprint" you really have to take the time to discover what type of workout and diet works best for you.

[gambitrah]

that sounds good but i would need a personal trainer or something, there is way to much to remember. I can somwhat incorporate that into what i do now..any ideas

not at all, just print out what you need for the day and go do it. thats what i'm doing and i'm not using a PT. I just make a small printout that lists each exercise , the reps and a check box. when i get done i check it off and move onto the next one. then i can keep track of what i do, the weight, etc.

have to put some time and effort into it

[guidew]

Well i just worked out...i can say the method he described in that routine I kinda did and it deff works you when you have to "jolt" the bar up rather then lift it slow. I remember doing that when i played football, but it got me more tired then lifting more weight less reps or more of a burn.

My diet i am strict about and try to follow but its sometimes hard but if anything i take the weight gainer which gives me an additional 600 calories and 15G of protein not including what else i eat durring the day..I belive i have around 2100 calories a day. My body after calculations needs 1700 for my height and weight.

I also understand my body was not made for mass, i take after the lean side of my family so to change my phisque will be hard in general.

But thanks for the advice guys i appreciate it. I will go back to what i did when i played football since i had gained some size durring that time and just go back and forth over a period to work the diffrent parts of the muscle make up.

[2kool4school]

It all depends on what your body responds to. But theoretically speaking, moderate weight in a moderate rep range is what is ideal for muscular development. The idea is to get the most intense pump into the muscle that you can. Filling it with the most blood and stretching the muscle fascia to allow for greater growth in size. This is not accomplished as easily through through high weight and low reps. That's why power lifters work in a low rep range and typically don't have huge bulging muscles where as bodybuilders work in a moderate rep range to get the more focused isolation on the bodypart, get the deepest pump and ultimately the most increase in size.

Good explanation.

Personally I could care less how much weight a power-lifter can push. Most of them look like nothing with their shirts off.

[agentplaya1]

..I belive i have around 2100 calories a day. My body after calculations needs 1700 for my height and weight.

How did you come up with 1700 cals? It seems extremely low for your size. Even though you're taking in 2100 cals, even that seems too low.

[guidew]

How did you come up with 1700 cals? It seems extremely low for your size. Even though you're taking in 2100 cals, even that seems too low.

some website although i just looked for another and it says 2637...which is A lOT!!. I have no idea how i can get that much? Well besides eating to fatning of a food like burger king etc.

[vicman]

fat (good fat) isnt bad if you are trying to pack on weight. plus, you mention that you have a high metabolism, so you definitely need the extra calories. dont forget to still get some aerobic excersice as well.

[guidew]

I do know that saturated fat is bad, but if you can list some stuff for me thats high in calories and low in fat is possible.

Also even if i keep eating the way i do will my body get any bigger from repairing itself? Or will i continue to get cut up?

[vicman]

if you eat to many carbs you will also get fat. fat is not entirely bad for you. add a couple of tablespoons of PB or flax seed oil or something to your weight gainer and thats like 160 calories right there.

and i ont know how you are eating nor how your body respoinds to what you eat. but yeah, some of the wieght you will probably be fat, that is why aerobic exercise is so important.

[guidew]

if you eat to many carbs you will also get fat. fat is not entirely bad for you. add a couple of tablespoons of PB or flax seed oil or something to your weight gainer and thats like 160 calories right there.

and i ont know how you are eating nor how your body respoinds to what you eat. but yeah, some of the wieght you will probably be fat, that is why aerobic exercise is so important.

Well for work i am consistantly moving around so I would consider that a lot of activity. I must walk 2-4/5 miles a day at work sometimes more.

I dunno i feel that that many calories at that point is too much or i would consume to much bad stuff (sat fat being 1) I cant image eating that much of a fatning source to get the calories. Hence why i am so confused by that high #, or maybe i eat healthy?

[vicman]

Well for work i am consistantly moving around so I would consider that a lot of activity. I must walk 2-4/5 miles a day at work sometimes more.

I dunno i feel that that many calories at that point is too much or i would consume to much bad stuff (sat fat being 1) I cant image eating that much of a fatning source to get the calories. Hence why i am so confused by that high #, or maybe i eat healthy?

if you are walking 2-5 miles a day for wotk, then chances are you need to consume even more calories if you want to gain wieght.

high metabolism + lots of walking + working out + wanting to get bigger = you need to consume your reccomended daily allowance PLUS a bit more so you can start gaining weight. as long as you dont add like 1000 calories a day you should have no problem with adding fat to your frame. try adding 300 calories a day and see if you gain wieght. if you dont, then add 100-200 more and see if you start getting bigger (not fatter).

i would be more worried in consuming too many carbs and not enough good fats than eating too much fat. what does your diet look like? i generally try to keep my diet 40-30-30. 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. i find that if i eat a lot of carbs, i just get bloated and dont recover well but 40% more or less the carbs that i need to have an adequate level of sugar in my blood.

[bullseye]

what has always worked for me is, more manageable (spelling) weight, more reps and sets. plus a good diet and good genes

[guidew]

Well i do eat a lot of carbs some times i eat a bagel for breakfast. Then lunch is typically a sub or pizza, or maybe wendy's. Dinner is normally chicken fish or pasta. Then there is always the hoho's or some chocolate thing, some soda, gatorade, milk, chocolate milk. And thn maybe cerial for late night. I guess that sums it up on what i eat...

If you help me develop a plan i will follow it

[agentplaya1]

Is that all you're eating for breakfast, a bagel? It really is the most important meal of the day next to postworkout meal so I hope you're getting some protein along with that bagel for breakfast. And not all carbs are bad. Just make sure theyre complex carbs like oats, grains, wheat, veggies. You dont need the sugary kind except for postworkout and maybe breakfast, although since you have a fast metabolism and are pretty active, I really wouldnt even worry so much about carbs. Just make sure youre getting enough protein, 1.5g per lb of bodyweight, which means you should be getting AT LEAST 225g a day, so if youre not already getting that much, start eating more protein.

You definitely need to up your calorie intake too if you want to gain weight. It seems you have only 4 meals a day from your last post and just over 2000 calories? Thats really not a lot. Just to give you a base of comparison i'm only 5'8 and I take in 3,500cals a day, and I eat 7 meals a day. I have a fast metab. too so if I want to gain weight I need to eat this much. It may seem like a lot to you at first but just start adding like one extra meal every couple of weeks until you get used to the extra food.

Some good sources of extra cals that are not high in sat. fat are oatmeal, lowfat milk/cottage cheese/yogurt, eggs, peanuts, tuna, natural peanut butter, and make sure you get some protein just before bed too so you're muscles dont waste away. Diet is really key if trying to gain weight. You can go to the gym everyday and workout for hours, if you're diet isnt in check and you're not giving youre body enough materials to recover and build, you're not gonna grow.

[guidew]

yea i hear that...i just dont have time in the morning

And i do eat tuna, peanutbutter and so forth. Also it seems the more i eat the more i shit so I doubt what i do eat extra now actually stays in...