High vs. Low reps

[KaliBaby]

OK, I want to make sure I'm clear about this...

for bulking up: multiple sets with a lower number of reps (ex. 5X5)

for lean muscle building: min/moderate amount of sets with high reps (ex. 3X15)

is this right? my friend yelled at me again that I'm going to get tree trunks for legs if I follow the first example haha.

[Garou]

Well, you can tell your friend not to worry, cause building muscle is a very slow process. No one wakes up one day and is suddenly bulky from having pumped too much iron. If ever you get to the point where you are as big as you want to get, then you can just go into a maintenance phase.

Typically, if you are training for strength you want to keep your reps down. If you are training for endurance, keep the reps up. If you want to train for size, keep your reps in the middle.

Low reps (1-6) mainly hit the anaerobic fast twitch muscle fiber, which is responsible for strength. High reps (15+) will recruit the aerobic slow twitch muscle fiber for endurance, and because it is aerobic you will burn more calories. Training medium reps (8-12) will hit both types, which helps build size.

[Fallen_Horse]

Well, you can tell your friend not to worry, cause building muscle is a very slow process. No one wakes up one day and is suddenly bulky from having pumped too much iron. If ever you get to the point where you are as big as you want to get, then you can just go into a maintenance phase.

Typically, if you are training for strength you want to keep your reps down. If you are training for endurance, keep the reps up. If you want to train for size, keep your reps in the middle.

Low reps (1-6) mainly hit the anaerobic fast twitch muscle fiber, which is responsible for strength. High reps (15+) will recruit the aerobic slow twitch muscle fiber for endurance, and because it is aerobic you will burn more calories. Training medium reps (8-12) will hit both types, which helps build size.

Perfect post, +1

[ralst]

OK, I want to make sure I'm clear about this...

for bulking up: multiple sets with a lower number of reps (ex. 5X5)

for lean muscle building: min/moderate amount of sets with high reps (ex. 3X15)

is this right? my friend yelled at me again that I'm going to get tree trunks for legs if I follow the first example haha.

Bulking Up: Chocolate cake, brownies, soy ice cream, etc.

Lean Muscle Building: Moderate diet, decent amount of protein, healthy fats and carbs

So far as I know, muscle is muscle. I don't think there's such a thing as muscle that isn't lean. Lean is a product of diet.

5 X 5 will make you stronger (= more muscle) much quicker than a routine of 3 X 15. Lifting heavy weights will always work better than lifting light weights, and you can't lift a heavy weight 15 times.

If your legs are predisposed to turning into tree trunks (doubtful), any exercise that increases your muscle mass will head them along that path. The only reason doing 3 X 15 wouldn't have that effect, and 5 X 5 would, is if the three sets of fifteen are doing nothing. Which for most people doing 3 X 15 is probably the case.

That said, your legs aren't going to turn into tree trunks. Don't worry too much about rep schemes - just lift the heaviest weight possible for you and strive to increase that as often as you are able.

Remember: Stronger = Better Looking

[baldy]

From what I have read and understand.
Sets of 1-8 rep mianly increases strength, 8-15 mainly increases muscle mass and over 15 reps you are just doing cardio and conditioning.

As you do not want to get legs like tree trunks and you probably do enough cardio anyway I would suggest sets of up to 8 reps.

You will not get legs like tree trunks very quickly anyway and if you do, feel free to stop training while they deflate. I suspect that once you have powerful legs, like tree trunks you might actually like them.

[aliquis]

You can't make "bulk muscle" or "lean muscle"*, either you get more muscle or you don't.

Beyond training how much you eat will decide how much muscle you get, but also fat covering it. So eat more and you may get more muscle but also gain more fat so you will indeed get more "bulky."


Edit: Or well, if you train explosive fibers those can grow more which may give you a more bulky appearance as in having more muscle, training more aerobic kind of exercise won't do much for those fiber and the rest can't grow that much so you will indeed look "leaner" as in more weak.

[Patrick Bateman]

Well, you can tell your friend not to worry, cause building muscle is a very slow process. No one wakes up one day and is suddenly bulky from having pumped too much iron. If ever you get to the point where you are as big as you want to get, then you can just go into a maintenance phase.

Typically, if you are training for strength you want to keep your reps down. If you are training for endurance, keep the reps up. If you want to train for size, keep your reps in the middle.

Low reps (1-6) mainly hit the anaerobic fast twitch muscle fiber, which is responsible for strength. High reps (15+) will recruit the aerobic slow twitch muscle fiber for endurance, and because it is aerobic you will burn more calories. Training medium reps (8-12) will hit both types, which helps build size.

This is really helpful as i'm doing from 8 up to 12 reps and i'm trying to build a little bit more muscle mass.

Like others have said eating more also helps. Cookies and a soya shake after a workout are the order of the day!

[aliquis]

Cookies? wtf

[KaliBaby]

You will not get legs like tree trunks very quickly anyway and if you do, feel free to stop training while they deflate. I suspect that once you have powerful legs, like tree trunks you might actually like them.

that made me giggle

High reps (15+) will recruit the aerobic slow twitch muscle fiber for endurance, and because it is aerobic you will burn more calories.

I'm not aiming for any higher than 15 reps, just following the guidelines from a body sculpting book I'm currently using. Burning calories is always a plus but I don't necessarily need to lose that much weight (I'm probably 3-5 lbs from my best weight/fittest self.... just need to lay off the damn salsa chips!).

5 X 5 will make you stronger (= more muscle) much quicker than a routine of 3 X 15. Lifting heavy weights will always work better than lifting light weights, and you can't lift a heavy weight 15 times.*

If your legs are predisposed to turning into tree trunks (doubtful), any exercise that increases your muscle mass will head them along that path. The only reason doing 3 X 15 wouldn't have that effect, and 5 X 5 would, is if the three sets of fifteen are doing nothing. Which for most people doing 3 X 15 is probably the case.

* true true. you really think 3 sets of 15 do nothing though? harsh!

I guess I'll modify my workouts from now on so that I'm doing 3X of 8/10 instead of the 2X of 15 I've usually been doing.

I didn't mean to insult anyone by the tree trunk legs comment

[baldy]

I guess I'll modify my workouts from now on so that I'm doing 3X of 8/10 instead of the 2X of 15 I've usually been doing.

I didn't mean to insult anyone by the tree trunk legs comment

Stop beating around the bush and join all us newbie guys doing 5x5 routines. None of us have legs like tree trunks yet.

[Patrick Bateman]

Cookies? wtf

Or biscuits if you prefer the english name.

Hell yeah, dunk em in your protein shake! Sugar is good after a workout, no?

[Kryptonite V]

Sets of 1-8 rep mianly increases strength, 8-15 mainly increases muscle mass and over 15 reps you are just doing cardio and conditioning.

That is a very common misconception in my eyes.
It's not that easy, unfortunately.
Basically, for hypertrophy one needs to lift very heavy weights with strict form as often as possible. This leads to volume training or intensity techniques for forced reps.
The number of reps per set is secondary. For instance, if you always train 20 reps but increase the weight by 20kg per year, i guess we all agree that you're getting a lot stronger. There are tons of training systems for size and/or strength. The rep range is only ONE parameter of dozens you can change.

[Dave Noisy]

my friend yelled at me again that I'm going to get tree trunks for legs if I follow the first example haha.

You make it sound as tho this would be a bad thing?!!

[draco880]

I'll toss my experience in for what it's worth. I spent a lot of time doing lower weights with big reps and got exactly nowhere. I think it's easier to take it easy on that sort of program, although I'm sure lots of people use it successfully for something. Then I started doing heavy weights, low reps, protein immediately afterwards, and now I have pecs and lats and stuff. I also get free endorphins during every workout!
Also, I second what's been said about stronger women being better looking. It's actually really hard for a woman to get to the point where she has big scary fuck-off muscles without taking steroids, so I really wouldn't worry about it.

[^toby^]

kali (Hara Kali Ma~), if what yr friend is right fruitbat will be as big as buzz.

Pure strength: Doing 15total rep with a load u can lift 2 to 4 times, twice a wk
Strength and mass: doing 25 total reps with a load u can lift 4 to 6times, 3times a week.