High Rep lower weight vs Low Rep higher weight - opinions!

[worldwonder10]

Ive always thought that low rep high weight was best - Mainly because all the massive people do it..
However Ive (as already mentioned) been on a traning regime and experimenting with some things - Today was just under half way and I have been traning different muscle groups in different ways - to keep it short I have been using high reps low weight for tricep extenstions (9kg x 20reps) and have been using high weight low reps for bicep curls (17kg x 6-8 reps) both for the same number of sets...
Im noticing that my triceps seem to hurt for a lot longer than my biceps.. So have decided to adopt high reps lower weight (10kg) and see what a difference that makes in 5 days (as my body fat is low enough on my arms to see even the smallest ones - especially side by side with other photos)

I understand that high weight low reps increases growth hormone and testosterone levels a little but I think if I do enough of everything (especially heavy squats) the stress my body is under should create a similar temporary rise in test. levels..

Go opinions!

 

[Girth Hammer]

About 85% of your muscle is fast twitch and It responds to heavy weight. Words from the great ronnie coleman "everybody want to get big, but dont nobody want to lift these heavy ass weights"

I have done 8-12 rep range and look damn near the same. Than changed to 4-7 reps and start growing right away it felt like. When you train you tear down a thin layer of muscle. damn near nothing but your body will signal to your muscle you need to be prepared next time he want to stress you with weights so it creates more muscle as a side effect and more muscle store more glycogen(carbs/simple sugars).

Im telling you man, you will grow from any type of lifting but as far as getting stronger AND bigger stick with lower weights.

 

[Girth Hammer]

Also when you lift with lighter weights your body will not give your muscles the signal to store more glycogen. As a result your muscle stay the same size.

 

[Girth Hammer]

Also something I thought I should mention is muscles grow from TUT(time under tension) light weights plenty of T=time but no where near enough tension to grow. One thing I do is static reps(hold weight at greatest point of tension of the lift for 5-10 seconds) to futher the tension with heavy weight. This is a 1-2 KO punch for muscle growth.

 

[worldwonder10]

Thanks GH!!


http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/shane6.htm
Also found this article with ways to target fibres.

Deffo a fan of your muscle killing ideas too.

 

[8InchMIKE]

I think there is a typo in here "Im telling you man, you will grow from any type of lifting but as far as getting stronger AND bigger stick with lower weights.".

You meant stick with the low reps right? As in...low reps, heavy ass weight? Cause nothing BUT that will work for true hypertrophy. You need heavy resistance ( more broken down fibers, hence more repair, hence more muscle tissue and glicogen retention abilities ( myofibrilla ) and you need food ( lots of clean food, rest 9h a night ideal, water and diet all in check.)

Keep it simple dudes, also, lift a tiny bit MORE weight EACH workout, it is called progressive overload and causes the CNS ( central nervous system ) to adapt your neuropathways to the added stress each session and in result you get better mind-muscle connection, hence stronger and hence, BIGGER.

Peace out

Mike

 

[REDZULU2003]

Exactly what 8incHydromaxike said and also the higher rep and lighter weight is good for better muscle endurance but wont do as much for size and strength gains.

 

[worldwonder10]

Thanks guys!
Ill try totally destroying myself for the rest of the week.

Managed a whole 10 chin ups today - which was 10 more than I could do on day 1 (this being about a month on) and not even halfway to goal deadline!

 

[TheStick]

A buddy of mine used to be big into bodybuilding- amateur competitions and stuff. He used heavy weight + lower reps to gain mass and lighter weight + higher reps for definition to get that cut look.

 

[8InchMIKE]

A buddy of mine used to be big into bodybuilding- amateur competitions and stuff. He used heavy weight + lower reps to gain mass and lighter weight + higher reps for definition to get that cut look.

Dude, light weight and high reps is aerobic training, not for definition by definition, it serves well to make you sweat but thats it. Just about any form of exercise that takes your heart rate up for a while and makes you sweat can give you muscle definition and striations.

The point of that kind of training is burning calories.

Diet brings definition, when a muscle foundation is already there.

Peace

Mike

 

[REDZULU2003]

Mike knows his stuff!!! All that crap about high reps and low weight for cuts and definition is just that ... bullshit as its diet that does it. Doing lots of reps with a weight will help muscle endurance which is important too, especially for certain sports.

If you want to get BIG STRONG muscles its SIMPLE ... lift HEAVY for less reps and sets. You are placing a stress on the body, that is the stimulus with the heavy weight and like the sun on the skin it can cause a suntan if it goes well or burn if its overdone.

The less reps and sets are because you are lifting such heavy poundage that you literally wont be able to or need to lift more. More is not better!! Example lifting 300lbs in the bench press for 4-7 reps or so for one set to complete momentary muscle failiure [You cant lift it anymore and have to stop] and than doing another 1-3 sets ... this is PATHETHIC ... all your doing is wasting time and your recovery ability.

If you put in the most effort and I mean EFFORT here so that you bust your fucking balls off and lift the most intense weight you can than my mates you wont be able to go for a 2nd set and it would be FOOLISH to do so and no more benefit to come from it because for muscle and stength gains you want the all out effort and not going for muscle endurance which you will be hitting with more work ... plus after 60 seconds of muscle contractions and effort 50% of the work than crosses over into the aerobic pathways of the muscle and we want the anaerobic pathways, so keep it brief, heavy and intense.

All that high rep lower weight does is work the muscles aerobic pathways more and improve muscle endurance, it does hardly much for its size and strength apart from fresh newbies who gain from almost anything as its stimulus at the end of the day. Running can be called a high rep low weight workout. Our legs are used to our weight so to them its normal weight. They keep moveing and getting us about so thats your multiple reps. Eventually we fatigue from none-stop walking or running because of the legs giving out, more so with walking than running with the later being down more to cardio fitness. When you imprive your legs muscle endurance than you will find walking for longer is easier, just an example here.

If you want definition than start some treadmill work and watch the diet. You will notice fat come off and with your weight lifting you will look even bigger.

Look into Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones material for the best ways to train and studies have suggested time and time again that one set of the most weight you can lift for low reps is more effective for muscle & strength stimulation than multiple sets and reps ... remember time is against us all and with the gym is NO EXCEPTION , the faster the workout the better but keep the form STRICT and good ... aim for no more than 45 mins and get the fuck out, take that psot workout shake too to avoid catabolism and turn on the anabolic light.

peace

 

[8InchMIKE]

Spot on Red, i see that great minds trully think alike cough cough haha,

It's cool that this site is graced with inteligent people such as yourself bro, this keeps me happy...

Peace,

Mike

 

[Girth Hammer]

thanks mike for the notice I meant to say low reps on that typo above.

To the guy who said light weight for definition, that may be the biggest load of crap thats ever teach the science of weight lifting. more muscle should be your focus and correct diet mistakes to get your bodyfat lower. If dont have a good amount of muscle what do you have to show off by being ripped. "cant paint a house before you build it!" more muscle turns your body into a fat burning furnace. Diet is the only way to get ripped.

Forms of cardio do produce result but at a sacrifice of muscle. remember are body is designed to survive so when you do them light weights and high reps or intense cardio your body will break down muscle tissue for fuel before it even taps into fat stores. The human body is designed so if some how we are deprived of food it has something to use as fuel. Fat takes the longest to use so we are created to store fat. So when you try to force the fat off are body looks for the fastest way to get energy(carbs-proteins"muscle tissue"-fats)

 

[REDZULU2003]

This is why its VITAL if you want to preserve muscle tissue that you consume protein, carbs, L-Leucine, L-Glutamine, Creatine and Taurine before and ESPenis EnlargementCIALLY after your session. You can skip the Creatine & Taurine but the carbs & protein is VITAL and if you can afford it cheap than grab some BCAA aminod acids and use them in the mix.

Doing this will switch the catabolic light off and turn on the anabolic one on which you need to preserve muscle tissue. Those who are built and do lots of cardio will really need to heed this advice as like Girth Hammer said the body will consume its own protein material for energry and that becomes less muscle tissue, so you lose weight and get defined but at a cost of loseing more muscle than you should have ... its fat you want to nail.

I know we all have methods we love and I always recommend before and after shakes from cardio and that is protein & carbs in the mix ... doesnt have to be much but it turns that light on and puts on the other one otherwise the cardio will destroy your muscle tissue in time .... look at marathon runners if you dont trust me ... skinny people with no muscle ... the bodies they have created cant function well with so much muscle running such vast distances so it had to remove the muscle in order for the body to keep going and thats how it survives ... so doing long cardio with no supplements is going to really fuck up your iron work.

Thanks Mike for your comments aswell .. I dont train like the sheep I see around me and often go agaisnt the grain because more times out of ten its the BEST WAY and the crowed avoid that because its also usually the one thats the most hardest or not in the comfort zone.

 

[yog555]

Low rep, high weight is the way to go.

Here a blogger experimented with this system, and gained 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blo...eak-how-i-gained-34-lbs-of-muscle-in-4-weeks/

I've been on a similar system and gained 15 pounds in about a month.

 

[Girth Hammer]

OAK, that program is very similar to what I do and it works wonders. GREAT POST

 

[worldwonder10]

I look pretty much like his "geek" photo..
Bad times - I really like the info though...!

Im trying to bulk up and shed some fat lbs... So I do HIIT every other day with weights, and then usually take the following day off - or a few weights..

If I were to change to 1 day HIIT for 30mins followed by 1set to failure weights, then the following day to more 1set to failure would I get fairly decent results?

I assume they would be a little bit reduced due to the HIIT, but I really need to keep anaerobic tollerance up :/

 

[worldwonder10]

Just thought - If 1 set failure was the best way to go about muscle gain surely there would be more body-builder types?

Does this literally mean 1 set then youve trained the muscle group, or on every set you must reach failure?
The second makes more sence to me, I cant see how 1 set failure would have more effeicient gains than a more widely used 4x7reps, especially if you work to failure every time...

I will try to work my biceps (as a control) to complete failure in 7 reps before bed tonight and see how it feels, but on paper I cant see how that works as well as other methods..

 

[yog555]

The concept is if you aren't working to failure, you're not working out as hard as you can.

If you are not working out as hard as you can, you're not stressing the muscle as much as you can.

Perhaps most people work 2-5 sets per muscle. If you have a longer workout, how can you be working out as hard as you can be?

 

[worldwonder10]

Oh I see, I normally try to get to -total- failure by the 3rd set of 7.

 

[REDZULU2003]

WW10 - Visit Arthur Jones website, I got the link in a thread in this section and it has TONS and TONS of his material for free in PDF format on everything. He was the guy that started the movement of HIT and what us smart guys in this thread are talking about with more weight, shorter sessions and less reps etc.

Also check out those Mike Mentzer audio video clips I linked in another thread in this section. Just search Mike Mentzer & Arthur Jones or browse this section, it should be on page 1 or 2.

That is ALL the info you really need to get this one set thing in your head and those guys have tested it over the years. Arthur Jones did lots of tests on it and proved that 1 set to failiure is more powerful than 5,4,3 and even 2 sets of the same.

I see you mention that if this was the case why not more BB types ... well who wants to look like a BB? not me they look disgusting to be frank with you and not at all attractive and they are mostly blessed by genetics anyway with right bone structure, metabolism etc so they can become massive and they take many drugs.

Also many think that one set isnt enough and add more, they also do more work throughout the week thinking they will get more and hence they kill the cycle.

Lastly not many men can go to 100% muscle failiure ... its HARD mate and is a true test of a man, take it from me. When you lift the maximum your muscles can take in a set amount of time or reps you will be fucked and not be able to do more sets afterwards and if you can do the same afterwards for the same as the prior than you didnt do it intense enough ... use strict form when handleing the weight, do not jerk the weight up and dont let it down fast ... FEEEEEEEEEEEL the contraction.

Goodluck

 

[Girth Hammer]

on the page before this someone asked why do only 1 set(you can do more than one). Muscles dont grow from blasting them and hoping they tear down. Their cells divide and recruit more fibers so they will be able to handle the stress next time you decide to lift. when you do endless sets with weights where your not using max intensity you muscle say"we can deal with this" But when you treat your first set like its your last and and have the mindset of breaking a PR with each lift your muscle recruit more fibers"And say that was scary, We better be strong enough next time he wants to do that" as a side effect we get stronger and bigger muscles.

Your body is made to deal with stress so if you push it to its limit with max intensity it will prepare itself by getting bigger to soak in more nutrients to be ready for next time you want to attack it.

 

[REDZULU2003]

Good to know that men like Mike and Arthur are still around .. men like me, our Mike and you Girth_Hammer plus others on here who logically train with their BRAIN and not their EGOs! I'm also going to post some research links that were done on HIT training being more effective than HVT.

 

[10inchadvantage]

I've been doing Olympic Weightlifting for the past four months. Rarely do I do more than three reps per set, and usually not more than four exercises per session. Why are you doing bicep curls? If you want to get big, strong, or both, you need to stick with compound exercises:

chins/pull ups
deadlifts
squats
(power) cleans/snatchs/jerks
push press/overhead press
bench if you want to get a bigger chest (not a very useful muscle/overhyped exercise)
dips

For better explosion outside of the weightroom:
sprints
plyometrics

Never do long distance running/jogging, it'll just eat your muscle and promotes Type I muscle fibres (non-explosive).

I've increased my vertical 6" in about 8 weeks doing my own olympic weightlifting routine with plyometrics and sprinting at least 6 days a week.

I can now dunk a basketball two-handed from a standing vertical jump.

My reach from a standing position with my right arm straight up is 8'. Because my hands are exactly 8" long, I'll say that in order to dunk a basketball two-handed I need about 10" of room to clear the rim (as you have to cup the hands somewhat, and I can get at least 1-2" over the rim off a vertical jump). This is a conservative (10' - 8' = 24 inches + 10 inches to clear = 34 inches) 34 inch vertical jump from a stand-still. I have no doubt by the end of next year I'll have achieved a true 40" vertical from a dead start.

Explosion (power) is what it's all about.

 

[TheStick]

I said he lifted heavy weights + lower reps for SIZE- FIRST. And by someone's own admission here lower weight higher reps is AEROBIC and ANY AEROBIC workout will burn calories and aid with definition. Sorry I forgot to mention he always ate really clean along with his training. He just hated the treadmill for cardio so he did lower weight higher rep circuit training for cardio. Maybe he wasn't doing it the "right way" but it worked for him.

 

[pnoewbe]

Most people alternate three months of low, medium, high rep work.

In the beginning maybe you just want to adjust your muscle mass up and then nothing beats high rep for that. Say a high school kid bulks up with high rep for two years.

For track sprinters and skill positions and others who must run fast, no high rep just see bearpowered.com about low rep for speed.

High/medium/low rep are all fine for setting up hormones for fat loss. High reps also builds new muscle mass. Low rep builds absolute strength of existing muscle fibers.