Let's talk about the best rep range for muscle growth... here are the references from the video! Peace! www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927075/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25853914/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24714538/
Please make more short form content !!! A platform like this lacks a creator who can give you a meaningful tip within 1 minute. Just don’t rely on it and save a full breakdown for a full vid for the viewer retention!!!
@@RoyRope in his video on junk volume he said it's 10-20 sets per muscle per week. That's the sweet spot all experts pretty much say that too. 10 minimum 20 like max
He probably didnt mention it because of lack of time, but lower rep ranges have a detriment on hypertrophy because they normally have lower volume, and lead to you increase muscle fibre recruitment which increases the weight you can handle without increasing muscle size, so if you train for strength and dont test one rep maxes somewhat often you likely arent getting the volume or instensity you need for hypertrophy.
@@brp1344No one must take steroids to be half that big also genetics matters. I know someone who been training for more than a decade very shredded but skinny cz he never takes even creatine.
I wonder if the best way to train is breaking your sets up into warmup - low rep - cooldown/empty the tank. With heavy weight low rep sets always feel bad to me because I either mess up my form or I feel like I can’t push to my limit far enough to build muscle. With low reps you end up plateauing on a certain number of reps for a long time. So if you have a warmup set at medium weight 10-15reps it should help your muscles remember what good form feels like, then you go to a higher weight and try to push yourself to max, then go back down to the lower weight and rep it out until your muscles feel completely drained. I think this should hit both strength and hypertrophy. It also helps make the set take less time to execute and feel a little less monotonous due to the low reps in the middle. I think this is a pretty typical lifting style for the extremely heavy exercises like deadlift and bench press (however the warmups don’t usually get pushed to failure), but you don’t typically see this being recommended for general exercises. Most programs suggest using the same weight and basically going to failure 3 times in a row and that just doesn’t work well for me.
Perfect explanation. As long as you’re doing something in the gym you’ll see some gains, and for the most part differences are minimal assuming you’re not risking injury. It largely comes down to whatever is more fun and comfortable for you, because for most people that is what will get them to go *consistently* which is the real key.
@@miketaylor1824 there are a lot of studies on what is “optimal” and if you’re going to lift/train consistently no matter what form you’re using then there will be some difference in results. But most people are not training in such a controlled way to see the kinds of changes the studies indicate. If a certain form or split is more fun for you and therefore gets you to go more consistently, then that’ll have a bigger positive impact on your gains than any particular form.
Used to lift mostly 5x5 for a long time, but it's so damn time-consuming. Not only are there more sets, but you need longer breaks to recover from the heavier weights. 3x8-12 is a good sweet spot to get enough volume while minimizing the risk of injuries and avoiding junk volume.
I have an old injury that keeps me from pushing much weight, so it's encouraging to see studies that validate my high rep / low weight protocol for any pressing movements.
Hi jeff, biomedical scientist here. The studies you're looking at are a joke. They are using ultrasound to measure muscle gain in subjects after only 8 weeks of training. Ultrasound does not have high enough resolution compared to MRI to detect small changes in muscle mass after only 8 weeks of training. Hence why the studies are showing no difference between the two training methods. There are in addition a ton of studies showing muscle hypertrophy is best stimulated by metabolic stress (burning sensation caused by lactic acid), time under tension and mechanical tension, all of which are only possible with high intensity, yet high volume training. Therefore, the study that says doing 7 sets of 3 reps is just as effective as doing 3 sets of 10 reps is b.s. Another problem with that study is the fact that subjects doing 3 sets of 10 reps are required to only rest 90 seconds per set which clearly shows a lack of intensity in the training when you only need 90 seconds to rest. And you even said it yourself, 6-12 rep range of high intensity training seems to be most effective. While lower than 5 reps is for strength.
Exactly. Jeff is completely ignoring the fact that there are other systems in the body that are affected by whether you are doing heavy weight or light weight and whether you are doing high reps or low reps. One of this systems is the nervous system. If the nervous system never experiences the demand of using heavy weight near your 1RM then it won’t ever adapt to even heavier weights. Doing super high reps with light weight will never yield similar hypertrophy and strength as compared to doing super low reps with heavy weight.
Also his idea of "high rep range" is nowhere close to reality. You're trying to emulate labor conditions, which is like moving 10-30lb stones all day, or pulling on a rope to isometric limits for four hours of an 8 hours period. You don't get that with 30 reps.
For heavy compounds like bench, squat, deadlift I do 3 sets of 5 after warm up All medium weights are 3 sets of 12. Just a preference, glad to see that whatever I do as long as I get close to failure it builds muscle
For squats I find you can hit a new weight PR every single week or 2 if you squat 1-2x a week if you work up to a max single (weight PR) then once reached lower the weight by about 20kg so you can do 2-3 reps and do that for 2-3 sets, lower it again and do 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps then drop a whole plate from whatever weight you were doing and work in the 8-12 rep range with 1-2 RIR. 7-8 sets in total is ideal but if you’re up for it feel free to do 10 total sets (1x max, 3x 3-5, 3x 5-6, 3x 8-12). Once you reach a new weight PR the next squatting session it’s best to work in the 3-5 rep range for the starting sets but also focus more than you normally do on form and slower and smoother control. Doing it this way you get maximal strength gains by training your body to handle extremely heavy loads, trains your body to be able to control the loads more and allows your working sets and higher rep, hypertrophy/volume based sets to be a heavier weight resulting in more muscle because of the strength. Then move on to your other leg exercises and work between 5-8 reps with maximal power for most of the sets with 1-2 of those sets being slow and controlled in the 12-15 rep range. 5-8 reps definitely seems like the sweet spot for most exercises. You are exerting maximal power and because of how heavy the load is you don’t need to “control” how slow it goes because it’ll already slow down significantly after 4-5 reps so your body is already in a natural state of tension rather than forcing it with lighter weights. It’s beneficial to do some sets in 8-15 rep range to work on your ability to be able to control a heavy weight better.
@@TheBlueFlame112try 85% of your max weight. Maybe 3-4 reps. and if you don’t want to risk going tooo heavy you can try doing 95% of the new one rep max, for two reps instead
Honestly, this is one of the best, most concise videos on this subject I've ever seen. I just wanted to know the basics, not become an expert in exercise sciences or anything. This video did it for me. Thank you for creating such great, solid content. You have a new subscriber here. 👊🏼
Quality of rep is also very important, which is what makes studies so difficult because it's very hard to measure the "quality" of someones rep. Are they keeping tension on eccentric and concentric? Is there a pause on contraction? Are they swinging or using momentum? Best thing I tell my clients is dont over think it, if you're putting effort in and not risking injury you are going to have a positive effect. Mind muscle connection is something that can't really be taught, it has to be felt, and that takes time.
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For sure you can build over any rep range. But yeah personally , I definitely also feel like there is value with the typical "Hypertrophy rep range" idea (although I'd probably extend it to like 6-15) Any more than that and on certain lifts I can definitely feel systemic fatigue as a limiting factor along with the mechanical tension. Any less than that and It can beat me up on certain lifts, along with sometimes reducing mind/muscle connection, as I can feel other muscles assist more when going super heavy
To me, it feels like there are certain supporting muscles or portions of the muscles that don't get fully stimulated unless I can get to the point where I'm almost failing reps but I can push through them, which is less likely to happen with very heavy weights (but also doesn't happen easily if the weights are too light).
I love how literally everything we learned from Nippard, the “srs” gang, and so many others 10 years ago are all being debunked now as myths. Makes you wonder what we’ll learn 10 years from now
It is not a myth he is just stupid . And use studies name to gain legtimacy . We won’t have separate powerlifters and bodybuilders if the weights were the same
Smart thinking and approach. I like 1-5 reps for exercise with leverage (bench press, curls, chin-ups...) and higher to high and even descending sets for other exercises.
You're in the hypertrophy rep range so 8 reps is all good, as long as the form is good. Although you do need a deload week, as the CNS system will become fatigued, and you'll be more prone to injury.
Appreciate this I’ve lived with labrum tears right shoulder and hip for like ten years and had to start doing lighter weights higher reps and it’s just as effective but safer on the joints never let an injury stop you! 💪
I'm starting out and I keep encountering strains and pains that slow me down. I don't want to permanently injure myself, but I wanna grow. Thanks for the advice! I'll get back to it. No excuses now.
I find lower rep ranges fun every now and then. But they are incredibly exhausting, which is why I don't do many sets with those and instead try to get more volume in from isolations
It’s funny to see how everyone is a little different. I find high rep sets very exhausting, and trying to keep up with all my cues over 20+ reps to be unsustainable FOR MYSELF. On my most recent meso I tried keeping my rep expectations at 10, continuously raising the weight by either 2.5 or 5 and if I cannot reach 10 reps I keep the weight until I can. Props to you soldier, constantly plowing through hundreds of reps (With good form I assume) is something I currently cannot do comfortably!
@@jessicalloyd2330 Well, for me it gets less exhausting the more reps I have to do. But sometimes, that's just psychology. Sometimes high reps kinda scare me off and just feel bothersome to me, that is when I switch to VERY low reps. But then, that feels extremely hard after a while, so I go back to doing medium - high reps. So I think that partially just what's the most fun at the moment will be the least exhausting
I find high reps 20+ great since I can actually give it All without the fear of burning my CNS up, which was the case when I tried to push hard on the first heavy set, compromising all following exercises, along with making me miserable. Exception for me is squats, 20 reps could be limited on cardio/breath so for squats I limit myself to 15ish.
@@TinCanTapi was about to comment that, exactly, there arr studies on this and its kinda cool to use lower rep ranges with muscle groups with more fast fibers and higher reps with muscles with more slow fibers
@@AS-Stardust Exactly. Higher reps prevent cartilage breakdown by inhibiting inflammation. I like to do compounds in the 8 to 10 range and isolations such as triceps extensionsin the 12-20 range.
I tend to do better at the 10-12 rep range. I'm older now, so I injure easier as well as it's more taxing on my body if i go to a lower rep range. Anything with higher reps, I don't feel the first couple of reps when lifting, so it makes me feel like it's junk volume until you reach halfway and you start to feel the weights.
That’s the muscle endurance coming in. An example I’d use to remind myself is this: if I have I to play a 40 minute basketball game then I’d hope that the first 20 minutes feel easy. But I still have to play the first 20 minutes to get to the point where I’m really tired at 38 minutes. Doesn’t mean the first half was a waste or not building me stronger
When I had to work with very limited equipment I eventually had to start doing way more reps, because there was no more weight to add. I still made obvious muscle gains over time, but the only downside with a huge amount of reps is that it takes soooo damn long. My workout ended up going from ~1 hour to roughly 2 hours. I was so happy when I could return home and finally go to a gym with actual weights in it and reduce the reps from around 30-35 back to 12.
You Mike bootlickers are delusional inserting you and Mike in everywhere when its not even related. There is no "in a sense" here. Mike trained following the principle of minimal dosage response training while Jeff training following maximal recoverable volume. So no in zero sense.
I learned this after rupturing my triceps tendon. When I was cleared to lift, I started on the chest hammer machines using just two five pound plates for slow and controlled high reps. I was astonished that I was still making gains with the light weight. Changed my entire workout philosophy. I’m making great gains a year later without all the joint pain at age 53.
Well said! I’ve been training for more than 20 years and tried many rep ranges for my muscle growth. My conclusion was never sticking to a certain range. Keep trying different ranges and methods. Then everyone will definitely see a sweet result👍🏻 but the most important thing is, ‘push through your limit!’
Easier to go to failure on low reps because the muscle actually gets tired. With lower weights you feel the burn and it takes mental fortitude to get to muscle failure.
I love this! I normally go for 10 reps (generally 8-12) since it’s a little quicker and works for me, but if I have an injury, like you said, I like doing a little lighter to ease back in. This vid shows that you don’t have to change your weight just because you did 15 reps. If 15 felt good to you, go ahead! You’ll still get results
If your goal is pure muscle growth . Best strength gains are 3-5 and used for powerlifters or athletes in off season . 12+ Athletes in their on season to build endurance and power
6-12 is like in beetween, like the all rounder type . But all rounders are like they know a bit of everything while strength and endurance are focused and more specific
This subject matter is crucial based on my particular situation. I’m 44, had 25 unsuccessful knee surgeries from age 27-42. I finally found a dr who was willing to do knee replacements, and it was absolutely the right choice. Now most of the arthritis pain is gone. Yet because of so many unsuccessful knee surgeries in the past, all my muscles have completely atrophied over the years, upper and lower, almost to the point where I am legitimately disabled. Trying to build back basic muscle only seems possible sticking to very very low weights and very very high reps, never less than 30-40. Anytime I try to raise the weight significantly and target the 8-12 rep range for failure, it never feels right, there’s alot of discomfort all throughout my body. I can do the 8-12 pretty easily, but I never feel the correct muscles being activated, only systematic failure and the bad kind of pain (not the good muscle burn I get from doing high reps low weight) It’s a tremendous fuckin challenge having to do every body part very low weight, very high reps, due to systemic failure. Yet through tedious trial and error, it’s the only way my muscles grow back without tearing the shit out of my joints. Right now since my cardiovascular is low too, I workout once every 4 days, give it every ounce of energy I got on my workout day. It takes about 3 full days to recover, which is frustrating because I’m so anxious to build back my cardio now that the knee replacements have corrected my lifelong anatomy problems……..So 2 questions, any insight on how I can get more cardio in without frying my nervous system trying to train to often? And 2nd, which is better for building quads after knee replacements, squats or leg press? Consensus might say leg press is easier, but it’s very difficult finding a functional leg press machine that doesn’t aggravate my knees. Squats actually feel a little more natural, but I don’t really feel any quad burning, since they’re so weak & atrophied. I’m sure there’s a leg press out there that could help but I’ve yet to find the right one. I hate the diagonal leg press, and hate the horizontal one where you’re on a sled and start out with your knees retartedly bent towards your chest. I need the horizontal one where you push out, and the weights move forward, not me moving backwards
Missing a key point here. The more weight you do the less likely you are to reach true failure. You may not be able to do another rep of your 1rm while still being far from true failure. The increments are too wide.
Thanks man I injured my wrist a few months ago and it still hurts when I try to carry heavy weight so knowing I can do reach higher reps while still building muscle mass helps me out a lot
it's amazing how the more you learn, the simpler things are. There are so many noob traps for over complicating things. LIFT WEIGHT UP. PUT WEIGHT DOWN. REPEAT UNTIL YOU CAN'T ANYMORE.
Thanks for making this vid. I tend to push for at least 15 reps before I go to a higher weight (because most things I need from my body are more endurance based) and it's nice to get some real confirmation that I'm not just wasting time.
A lot of the info on your channel over the last little bit is great timing for me. Had a long term injury and have been very sick, easing back in and doing things smarter is a must for me. I appreciate the work you do. It really cuts through a sea of bro science
Jeff, I absolutely love your content due to its utility and concision. Thanks to your content, I have been able to build muscle and strength in my late-thirties. Thank you so much 🙏
It's a relief to learn that you can vary your training to a certain degree to do it the way that is most enjoyable for yourself and nevertheless getting your progress. Thank you for enlightening!
💯 agree for the same reasons. Came to this habit organically, although, I think that as I age, I tend to increase the reps and decrease the number of sets with heavier weights. Less prone to injury, which means less chance of having to compensate.
You quoted a study from 2015. A 2022 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that loads ranging from 30% to 85% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) can promote muscle hypertrophy, but heavier loads (closer to 70-85% of 1RM) tend to be more efficient for increasing muscle size. The study emphasized that heavier loads stimulate more type II muscle fibers, which are associated with greater muscle growth.
Dude, great info! I’ve always worked with 5x5s for powerlifting because they seem to be the “gold standard,” but I never knew why. I may have to start switching it up depending on my mood and how I’m feeling each day!
It seems strength needed for powerlifting and hypertrophy needed to bodybuilding are two different things. I'm not sure how significant the difference is for average fitness enthusiasts, but the moments when hypertrophy and strength don't correlate might be worthwhile to some people, such as powerlifters
@@ismailahmad9597 @jeffnippard What does the science say about this? Is muscle growth muscle growth, or are different set sizes better for different types of muscular use cases (strength vs aesthetic)?
Lot of explanation to this , Cool vids edit on the side Hope this still give bit info to other people abt high reps range and still consider if its suitable for them .
Nice. Dealing with an injury in my left leg so I could only squat light weight. I intuitively thought it would be better to squat light for higher reps than to squat heavy and potentially reinjury myself.
time under tension can boost muscle growth as well so its also beneficial to do more reps to failure or at least use negatives to extend the muscle’s time under tension
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 One of the best ways to gain muscle mass is to do periodization and avaliations. Periodize the number of repetitions and vary exercises so that your body becomes increasingly harmonious.
as a beginner in calisthenics, im glad i could just increase the reps and still make gains. when i first started, i was able to do 3 sets of 8 reps pushups, now i can do 14 reps per set. id probably wait till i can do 30 reps per set before i progress to another harder variation of the same exercise. this is really helpful, thanks!
This is what I find to be my personal ideal range. I feel sufficiently tired and pushed if my weights fall into this rep range. The only thing I do extra is really slowing the negatives, so the 10-12 rep range becomes the 6-10 rep range. This gives me a great time under tension and really starts to burn into the last few reps for max muscle fibre recruitment.
I think the best way possible is to vary the reps ranges in the same workout For example a good push session for me its like 3x 6-8 Bench 3x 10-12 incline bench 2x 10-12 military press 3x 10-15 Lateral rises 3x 10-15 triceps excercise i think lateral and tricep can stay in that range forever. BUT you can rotate the first 3 compounds movements load from day to day. so you came second day and: 3x 6-8 incline bench 3x 10-12 Bench 2x 10-12 military press 3x 10-15 Lateral rises 3x 10-15 triceps excercise
My favorite workout is Smolov: 6x6, 7x5, 8x4, 10x3. Sure, it's lots of sets, but no other program has ever built so much strength in me. In 4 months I am now repping my previous 1 rep max in a 6x6 set.
I do various set and rep situations depending on the week. Its generally a 4-5 week cycle. 1st week is 1 rep maxes for main movements, 2nd week is 3x10 at 75% max to build a base, 3rd is 8-12rep at 85%-65%, 4th is 3x8 @85%, 5th is 3x12@65%. Ive found i can usually increase my main movements by 5%-10% by the next max week at this rate. Of course thats just my program, and it obviously includes axillary movements to strengthen the fine muscles and group work as well.
I found that higher reps with slightly lower weight are better for the legs and slightly higher weight with lower reps are better for the arms by nature of how we use those muscles in day-to-day life.
Yep, this makes sense because I've found it to be true through trial and error. In fact, when I started doing sets in the 10 - 15 rep range I got stronger because I wasn't getting injured (I'm in my late 40s). I wish I would have known this when I was younger because I injured myself too many times with heavy weights. I'm stronger now than I was in my late teen years when I had been lifting for 5 years.
Hey Jeff, Love your videos, definitely will use this information for my return to the gym. Years ago one of my knees was filled with liquid and the doctors didnt catch it so for 2 years my knee atrophied, its taken a lot of time to strengthen it but it is significantly weaker than my other knee. Any good advice from you or the community is much needed Have an awesome day everyone
I do 1 set, moderately heavy weight, 6-10 reps to failure, w/ progressively heavier weight each set cycle. For me that's all I need. I work @ a pretty labor intensive (high volume) job already, so I rest 3 days between workouts. Getting the biggest growth of my life @ 40 right now.
I am so happy, that my dad is in the military, because they’re getting fit not for commercial issues, but because of survival issues. There’s no bs. They’ve been saying these things for decades. My dad got natural pretty big with just a 12kg dumbbell.
Good to know, thanks! I think the main downside of high reps is just that it takes longer. For a lot of people, 5-12 reps is perfect because it'll be very efficient use of limited gym time.
I like doing 35 double weighted torso twists, which is nearly to failure for me. This has greatly improved my swimming strength, and I felt it become much easier over time
I just do 3 sets of 3-5 reps on most exercises then another 2-3 sets in the 5-8 rep range and 1-2 sets in the 8-15 rep range. Significant gains in strength and pretty fast muscle growth too. Get both endurance and heavy load strength. This is per exercise but I typically only have around 5 different exercises a session on PPLR. Every 2-3 weeks I’ll work up to a 1 rep max with most exercises. If I hit a new PR then I’ll try and hit it again and try and get an extra rep. If that fails I’ll just hit a new rep PR on a slightly lower weight then the week after that hit a new weight PR again. When I’m hitting PR’s every 2nd week and once I achieve it I lower the weight slightly and try and get 3-5 reps for a couple of sets then lower the weight again and do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. So every week I’m working on total strength but on PR weeks I tend to stick around 3-5 reps for at least half my sets while my other weeks it’s typically 5-8. I always do at least 1-2 sets, usually 3 very slow and controlled in the 8-12 or 10-15 rep range. Sometimes instead of working with 2-3 sets of high rep ranges I’ll just do one massive drop set starting at my max or slightly below until I can’t even physically do the movement without any weights anymore. This is the way to build both muscle and strength and has worked extremely well for me compared to any other way I’ve ever worked out before. Going for 1 rep maxes every session and trying it on the same exercise 2-3 days a week locked me in a very long plateau and I wasn’t even building strength. I was attempting a new PR, failing, lowering the weight and go to failure, lower the weight, failure and repeat etc. Now going for weight PR’s on an exercise every 2 weeks I’m successful most of the time. I also keep 1-2 RIR for squats and bench. This works best for me. I go to failure on every other movement including pull-ups and OHP. For OHP after going for a max I usually just lower the weight and for 3 sets do a challenging but easy enough weight to do 5 sets with 1RIR. Final sets I lower it again and go 5-12 rep range to failure. Strength and muscle is built in every rep range. Just focus on lifting heavy weights close to failure and don’t go to failure every single set. I love going to failure but for bench especially I find 3-5 reps and leaving 1-2RIR results in the best gains. Best results from my experience is: 3 sets of 3-5 with 1RIR (as fast as possible) 2 sets of 5-8 with 0-1 RIR slow on way down, pause, explode on way up) 2 sets of 8-15 with 0-2 RIR (slow on way down, optional pause and either explode or controlled on way up). Avoid actually failing on bench and squat, allow yourself to fail if you’re going for a new rep PR at most once a month with a spotter so you can actually make the most out of the last rep with a slight assistance.
I started to go to the fail since the first set, didn't matter the weight. I set a total rep range and go for it, like 30 curls. I start doing the max reps and if it's more than 2/3 of the reps in the first rep I consider that the weight is to light and I'll up it in the NEXT workout. So many times my sets for 30 reps look like 16/8/6 or 10/8/5/5/2 (the last set can go over 30 total as it is to failure) The point is to go to 30 reps failing every set, don't matter the number of sets, only the total volume of repsXweight Pretty good results both for strength and mass gain and extremely time-efficient
The best way to implement this imo is doing your compound lifts with heavy weight since compounds lead to more growth than isolation and compounds are already more fatiguing than isolation movements you double down on it and plus who doesn’t like to have a big SBD. THEN do your isolation movements with light weight high reps and good form controlling the eccentric and all that fun stuff
I cycle through different rep ranges around every month. I been absent to the gym for a while and just started back up. Currently hitting 8-12 rep range as I retrain my body for endurance and strength training for familiarization. For strength explosiveness, I'll hit high sets low reps heavy weight. And some isolation exercises, I hit anywhere from 10-15.
Let's talk about the best rep range for muscle growth... here are the references from the video! Peace!
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927075/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25853914/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24714538/
Please make more short form content !!! A platform like this lacks a creator who can give you a meaningful tip within 1 minute. Just don’t rely on it and save a full breakdown for a full vid for the viewer retention!!!
But what is enough volume?
@@RoyRope in his video on junk volume he said it's 10-20 sets per muscle per week. That's the sweet spot all experts pretty much say that too. 10 minimum 20 like max
The big question is does doing higher reps burn more calories than lower reps and higher weight when you go to failure on both
Jeff these shorts are great, While all information is valuable I feel like some core principles can get lost in longer form content
Glad you started doing shorts cuz your delivery of information is just so good and easy to understand
for real
He probably didnt mention it because of lack of time, but lower rep ranges have a detriment on hypertrophy because they normally have lower volume, and lead to you increase muscle fibre recruitment which increases the weight you can handle without increasing muscle size, so if you train for strength and dont test one rep maxes somewhat often you likely arent getting the volume or instensity you need for hypertrophy.
What you can't pay attention to a video?
@@TheTyphoon365 who hurt you?
@@TheTyphoon365 What you don't have a social life so you try to get attention in youtube comments?
12 years of training and still never running out of educational moments. Thanks Jeff
U must be huge like Ronnie Coleman
@@brp1344depends, ronnie was on quite a bit of roids 😂
@@brp1344No one must take steroids to be half that big also genetics matters. I know someone who been training for more than a decade very shredded but skinny cz he never takes even creatine.
24 years of training without any supplement here and btw i am vegan too!
@@arpitpandit391
How do you get enough protein?
I use higher rep ranges when it’s hard to maintain proper form due to a weird path of movement, like lateral raises or side leg raises
I wonder if the best way to train is breaking your sets up into warmup - low rep - cooldown/empty the tank.
With heavy weight low rep sets always feel bad to me because I either mess up my form or I feel like I can’t push to my limit far enough to build muscle. With low reps you end up plateauing on a certain number of reps for a long time.
So if you have a warmup set at medium weight 10-15reps it should help your muscles remember what good form feels like, then you go to a higher weight and try to push yourself to max, then go back down to the lower weight and rep it out until your muscles feel completely drained. I think this should hit both strength and hypertrophy. It also helps make the set take less time to execute and feel a little less monotonous due to the low reps in the middle.
I think this is a pretty typical lifting style for the extremely heavy exercises like deadlift and bench press (however the warmups don’t usually get pushed to failure), but you don’t typically see this being recommended for general exercises. Most programs suggest using the same weight and basically going to failure 3 times in a row and that just doesn’t work well for me.
I just train lateral raises in the typical 6-12 rep range because I do them with a cable which removes the weird tension curve
3kg each hand, 20 plus reps x 4 sets delt raises is humbling 😮
@@sansiveria578yeah no, 80+ reps is way too much
@@cedric9165Nah, my delts only started growing when humbling down on the weight and increasing the reps with proper form.
Perfect explanation.
As long as you’re doing something in the gym you’ll see some gains, and for the most part differences are minimal assuming you’re not risking injury. It largely comes down to whatever is more fun and comfortable for you, because for most people that is what will get them to go *consistently* which is the real key.
Didn't explain anything. What studies? There are studies that say different also.
@@miketaylor1824 there are a lot of studies on what is “optimal” and if you’re going to lift/train consistently no matter what form you’re using then there will be some difference in results. But most people are not training in such a controlled way to see the kinds of changes the studies indicate. If a certain form or split is more fun for you and therefore gets you to go more consistently, then that’ll have a bigger positive impact on your gains than any particular form.
@@sheep2826 you can't trust either way because there are polar opposite results. The only way to know for sure is your own trial and error
Used to lift mostly 5x5 for a long time, but it's so damn time-consuming. Not only are there more sets, but you need longer breaks to recover from the heavier weights. 3x8-12 is a good sweet spot to get enough volume while minimizing the risk of injuries and avoiding junk volume.
Perfectly summarized. I'll do a set of 5 here or there but 90% of my volume is in that range now.
I think 4x6 or 5x5 is great for bench, squat, and deadlift but 3x8 is best for your other exercises
@@senshi5274 Agreed.
5x5s aren't for hypertrophy
@@isthatcreed9780Trust me bro
I have an old injury that keeps me from pushing much weight, so it's encouraging to see studies that validate my high rep / low weight protocol for any pressing movements.
Hi jeff, biomedical scientist here. The studies you're looking at are a joke. They are using ultrasound to measure muscle gain in subjects after only 8 weeks of training. Ultrasound does not have high enough resolution compared to MRI to detect small changes in muscle mass after only 8 weeks of training. Hence why the studies are showing no difference between the two training methods. There are in addition a ton of studies showing muscle hypertrophy is best stimulated by metabolic stress (burning sensation caused by lactic acid), time under tension and mechanical tension, all of which are only possible with high intensity, yet high volume training. Therefore, the study that says doing 7 sets of 3 reps is just as effective as doing 3 sets of 10 reps is b.s. Another problem with that study is the fact that subjects doing 3 sets of 10 reps are required to only rest 90 seconds per set which clearly shows a lack of intensity in the training when you only need 90 seconds to rest. And you even said it yourself, 6-12 rep range of high intensity training seems to be most effective. While lower than 5 reps is for strength.
Interesting take, lets see if he wants to answer this
4 months old video, so probably not@@Johanlob1
Exactly. Jeff is completely ignoring the fact that there are other systems in the body that are affected by whether you are doing heavy weight or light weight and whether you are doing high reps or low reps. One of this systems is the nervous system. If the nervous system never experiences the demand of using heavy weight near your 1RM then it won’t ever adapt to even heavier weights. Doing super high reps with light weight will never yield similar hypertrophy and strength as compared to doing super low reps with heavy weight.
@@irfuelfor me it's other way around I usually lose a rep per set more or less
Also his idea of "high rep range" is nowhere close to reality. You're trying to emulate labor conditions, which is like moving 10-30lb stones all day, or pulling on a rope to isometric limits for four hours of an 8 hours period. You don't get that with 30 reps.
For heavy compounds like bench, squat, deadlift I do 3 sets of 5 after warm up
All medium weights are 3 sets of 12.
Just a preference, glad to see that whatever I do as long as I get close to failure it builds muscle
For squats I find you can hit a new weight PR every single week or 2 if you squat 1-2x a week if you work up to a max single (weight PR) then once reached lower the weight by about 20kg so you can do 2-3 reps and do that for 2-3 sets, lower it again and do 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps then drop a whole plate from whatever weight you were doing and work in the 8-12 rep range with 1-2 RIR. 7-8 sets in total is ideal but if you’re up for it feel free to do 10 total sets (1x max, 3x 3-5, 3x 5-6, 3x 8-12).
Once you reach a new weight PR the next squatting session it’s best to work in the 3-5 rep range for the starting sets but also focus more than you normally do on form and slower and smoother control.
Doing it this way you get maximal strength gains by training your body to handle extremely heavy loads, trains your body to be able to control the loads more and allows your working sets and higher rep, hypertrophy/volume based sets to be a heavier weight resulting in more muscle because of the strength.
Then move on to your other leg exercises and work between 5-8 reps with maximal power for most of the sets with 1-2 of those sets being slow and controlled in the 12-15 rep range.
5-8 reps definitely seems like the sweet spot for most exercises. You are exerting maximal power and because of how heavy the load is you don’t need to “control” how slow it goes because it’ll already slow down significantly after 4-5 reps so your body is already in a natural state of tension rather than forcing it with lighter weights. It’s beneficial to do some sets in 8-15 rep range to work on your ability to be able to control a heavy weight better.
im too scared to go for high weight on squat. what if you cant follow through? you break your legs
@@TheBlueFlame112try 85% of your max weight. Maybe 3-4 reps. and if you don’t want to risk going tooo heavy you can try doing 95% of the new one rep max, for two reps instead
Gotta say I've watched Jeff for years and the man knows his stuff! 🏆
Honestly, this is one of the best, most concise videos on this subject I've ever seen. I just wanted to know the basics, not become an expert in exercise sciences or anything. This video did it for me. Thank you for creating such great, solid content. You have a new subscriber here. 👊🏼
Quality of rep is also very important, which is what makes studies so difficult because it's very hard to measure the "quality" of someones rep. Are they keeping tension on eccentric and concentric? Is there a pause on contraction? Are they swinging or using momentum? Best thing I tell my clients is dont over think it, if you're putting effort in and not risking injury you are going to have a positive effect. Mind muscle connection is something that can't really be taught, it has to be felt, and that takes time.
btw your voice is actually really calming to listen to. It's soothing!
Blinken ‘seriously undermined the negotiations’: Report
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has published a report quoting unnamed Israeli sources who say Blinken “seriously undermined the negotiations and demonstrated a lack of understanding” when he claimed that Netanyahu had accepted a US-backed proposal that could bring about a suspension of fighting in Gaza.
Blinken’s statement was met with surprise by Israeli negotiators, who have accused Netanyahu of “putting forth new demands with the aim of hindering the negotiations”, according to a report by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
A source told Yedioth Ahronoth that Blinken’s claim offered Netanyahu a “gift” by making Hamas appear as the major obstacle to an agreement, dealing a potential “death blow” to efforts to reach a deal.
@@primaryesthethicinstincts4832
Free Palestine ✊🇵🇸🙏
For sure you can build over any rep range. But yeah personally , I definitely also feel like there is value with the typical "Hypertrophy rep range" idea (although I'd probably extend it to like 6-15)
Any more than that and on certain lifts I can definitely feel systemic fatigue as a limiting factor along with the mechanical tension.
Any less than that and It can beat me up on certain lifts, along with sometimes reducing mind/muscle connection, as I can feel other muscles assist more when going super heavy
To me, it feels like there are certain supporting muscles or portions of the muscles that don't get fully stimulated unless I can get to the point where I'm almost failing reps but I can push through them, which is less likely to happen with very heavy weights (but also doesn't happen easily if the weights are too light).
@@AJ-on-youtubeyoure on to something there.
I've been stuck in the same routine for months. This video has motivated me to experiment with my rep ranges.
I love how literally everything we learned from Nippard, the “srs” gang, and so many others 10 years ago are all being debunked now as myths. Makes you wonder what we’ll learn 10 years from now
It is not a myth he is just stupid . And use studies name to gain legtimacy . We won’t have separate powerlifters and bodybuilders if the weights were the same
Literally the only guys advice I follow. Incorporates actual scientific based studies not bro science
Squat University has similar videos too. Him and Jeff are my goto when it comes to fitness advice backed by scientific based studies.
Loving the short uploads
Smart thinking and approach. I like 1-5 reps for exercise with leverage (bench press, curls, chin-ups...) and higher to high and even descending sets for other exercises.
I haven't gone above 8 reps in years. I like to stick around the 5 to 8 range. Sometimes I'll go up to 12 on isolation exercises.
Always a good idea to change things up. Your muscles react well to change even if its not the "optimal" workout
@@rherd yea training desensitization is a thing, so its good to switch things up a bit once in a while
Yeah bro 5-8 is where ive noticed the biggest gains for me personally. Def the sweet spot.
You're in the hypertrophy rep range so 8 reps is all good, as long as the form is good. Although you do need a deload week, as the CNS system will become fatigued, and you'll be more prone to injury.
@HadynsTVdoc what's a deload week and how often I need to do it. It sounds like ur saying train less hard/longer
Appreciate this I’ve lived with labrum tears right shoulder and hip for like ten years and had to start doing lighter weights higher reps and it’s just as effective but safer on the joints never let an injury stop you! 💪
Do one on eggs and cholesterol
Thats a whole new cult
I don't think the cholesterol from eggs is bad
Stay away from eggs. I started eating eggs and I turned into a 5’4 manlet
@@kungfoochicken08 As a 5'4 manlet, I can confirm that I regularly eat eggs
I started eating 5 eggs a day and now I’m gay
I'm starting out and I keep encountering strains and pains that slow me down. I don't want to permanently injure myself, but I wanna grow.
Thanks for the advice! I'll get back to it. No excuses now.
I find lower rep ranges fun every now and then. But they are incredibly exhausting, which is why I don't do many sets with those and instead try to get more volume in from isolations
It’s funny to see how everyone is a little different. I find high rep sets very exhausting, and trying to keep up with all my cues over 20+ reps to be unsustainable FOR MYSELF.
On my most recent meso I tried keeping my rep expectations at 10, continuously raising the weight by either 2.5 or 5 and if I cannot reach 10 reps I keep the weight until I can.
Props to you soldier, constantly plowing through hundreds of reps (With good form I assume) is something I currently cannot do comfortably!
@@jessicalloyd2330 Well, for me it gets less exhausting the more reps I have to do.
But sometimes, that's just psychology. Sometimes high reps kinda scare me off and just feel bothersome to me, that is when I switch to VERY low reps. But then, that feels extremely hard after a while, so I go back to doing medium - high reps.
So I think that partially just what's the most fun at the moment will be the least exhausting
I find high reps 20+ great since I can actually give it All without the fear of burning my CNS up, which was the case when I tried to push hard on the first heavy set, compromising all following exercises, along with making me miserable.
Exception for me is squats, 20 reps could be limited on cardio/breath so for squats I limit myself to 15ish.
@@jessicalloyd2330yep 100 percent agree
I have been troubled on weather to do light weight high rep or heavy weight low reps or middle but now I found this video and it’s helped alot
Still don't do above like 15 reps because the first 8-10 reps are just junk volume at that point
@ thanks
It would be interesting to find muscle group specific studies.
it depends on ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch in a given muscle
@@TinCanTapi was about to comment that, exactly, there arr studies on this and its kinda cool to use lower rep ranges with muscle groups with more fast fibers and higher reps with muscles with more slow fibers
@@TinCanTapalso need to consider safety of the joints involved. Example would be don't do high rep range with your elbows
@@philmcgroinI would have thought the exact opposite, preferring lighter weights for tricep extensions and exercises that are hard on the elbow
@@AS-Stardust Exactly. Higher reps prevent cartilage breakdown by inhibiting inflammation. I like to do compounds in the 8 to 10 range and isolations such as triceps extensionsin the 12-20 range.
you had me at "(my) hypertrophy sweet spot", it's outstanding how you express the opinion as one and facts as facts
I find 1 rep times 1 set does the job for me
????
@@utliscarletaaron6287 did he stutter?!
🗿
Mike mentzer has entered the chat😂😂
@@jordanaloysius5532mike mentzer doesn’t administer cpr to those in need to avoid overtraining his chest
No bullshit.. this guy straight to the point ❤
I tend to do better at the 10-12 rep range. I'm older now, so I injure easier as well as it's more taxing on my body if i go to a lower rep range. Anything with higher reps, I don't feel the first couple of reps when lifting, so it makes me feel like it's junk volume until you reach halfway and you start to feel the weights.
That’s the muscle endurance coming in. An example I’d use to remind myself is this: if I have I to play a 40 minute basketball game then I’d hope that the first 20 minutes feel easy.
But I still have to play the first 20 minutes to get to the point where I’m really tired at 38 minutes. Doesn’t mean the first half was a waste or not building me stronger
@@BabuM3RK😮
When I had to work with very limited equipment I eventually had to start doing way more reps, because there was no more weight to add. I still made obvious muscle gains over time, but the only downside with a huge amount of reps is that it takes soooo damn long. My workout ended up going from ~1 hour to roughly 2 hours.
I was so happy when I could return home and finally go to a gym with actual weights in it and reduce the reps from around 30-35 back to 12.
In a sense you are underlining Heavy Duty practiced by Mike Mentzer and others.
Learning alot from you Jeff 👍
You Mike bootlickers are delusional inserting you and Mike in everywhere when its not even related.
There is no "in a sense" here.
Mike trained following the principle of minimal dosage response training while Jeff training following maximal recoverable volume.
So no in zero sense.
I learned this after rupturing my triceps tendon. When I was cleared to lift, I started on the chest hammer machines using just two five pound plates for slow and controlled high reps. I was astonished that I was still making gains with the light weight. Changed my entire workout philosophy. I’m making great gains a year later without all the joint pain at age 53.
In Spain for long years time we said methode Bilbo in this case 🏋🏻♀️
Well said! I’ve been training for more than 20 years and tried many rep ranges for my muscle growth. My conclusion was never sticking to a certain range. Keep trying different ranges and methods. Then everyone will definitely see a sweet result👍🏻 but the most important thing is, ‘push through your limit!’
Easier to go to failure on low reps because the muscle actually gets tired. With lower weights you feel the burn and it takes mental fortitude to get to muscle failure.
Don't know why more people don't get this
factual
You're not hitting true muscle failure on those lower reps.
I love this! I normally go for 10 reps (generally 8-12) since it’s a little quicker and works for me, but if I have an injury, like you said, I like doing a little lighter to ease back in. This vid shows that you don’t have to change your weight just because you did 15 reps. If 15 felt good to you, go ahead! You’ll still get results
“6-12 reps is a myth”… “but it’s kind of actually the best way to workout”
If your goal is pure muscle growth . Best strength gains are 3-5 and used for powerlifters or athletes in off season .
12+ Athletes in their on season to build endurance and power
6-12 is like in beetween, like the all rounder type . But all rounders are like they know a bit of everything while strength and endurance are focused and more specific
Really hope you keep delivering on shorts because it has been such a saviour recently
This subject matter is crucial based on my particular situation. I’m 44, had 25 unsuccessful knee surgeries from age 27-42. I finally found a dr who was willing to do knee replacements, and it was absolutely the right choice. Now most of the arthritis pain is gone. Yet because of so many unsuccessful knee surgeries in the past, all my muscles have completely atrophied over the years, upper and lower, almost to the point where I am legitimately disabled. Trying to build back basic muscle only seems possible sticking to very very low weights and very very high reps, never less than 30-40. Anytime I try to raise the weight significantly and target the 8-12 rep range for failure, it never feels right, there’s alot of discomfort all throughout my body. I can do the 8-12 pretty easily, but I never feel the correct muscles being activated, only systematic failure and the bad kind of pain (not the good muscle burn I get from doing high reps low weight) It’s a tremendous fuckin challenge having to do every body part very low weight, very high reps, due to systemic failure. Yet through tedious trial and error, it’s the only way my muscles grow back without tearing the shit out of my joints. Right now since my cardiovascular is low too, I workout once every 4 days, give it every ounce of energy I got on my workout day. It takes about 3 full days to recover, which is frustrating because I’m so anxious to build back my cardio now that the knee replacements have corrected my lifelong anatomy problems……..So 2 questions, any insight on how I can get more cardio in without frying my nervous system trying to train to often? And 2nd, which is better for building quads after knee replacements, squats or leg press? Consensus might say leg press is easier, but it’s very difficult finding a functional leg press machine that doesn’t aggravate my knees. Squats actually feel a little more natural, but I don’t really feel any quad burning, since they’re so weak & atrophied. I’m sure there’s a leg press out there that could help but I’ve yet to find the right one. I hate the diagonal leg press, and hate the horizontal one where you’re on a sled and start out with your knees retartedly bent towards your chest. I need the horizontal one where you push out, and the weights move forward, not me moving backwards
Can't weight to watch more of these shorts!
Thanks!
Lower rep ranges to failure also tend to stress the ligaments and tendons more, so doing that often can lead to injury.
warm up properly, stretch, you will be fine
Also builds strength in those ligaments and tendons over time and will age well
I don't think that's a real concern if you are using proper form.
Nope not if your form is right with proper form it's shown to strengthen them
@@skylermccloud6230 exactly, idk why people just spew out their completely incorrect info like its fact lmao
Missing a key point here. The more weight you do the less likely you are to reach true failure. You may not be able to do another rep of your 1rm while still being far from true failure. The increments are too wide.
This
Thanks man I injured my wrist a few months ago and it still hurts when I try to carry heavy weight so knowing I can do reach higher reps while still building muscle mass helps me out a lot
it's amazing how the more you learn, the simpler things are. There are so many noob traps for over complicating things. LIFT WEIGHT UP. PUT WEIGHT DOWN. REPEAT UNTIL YOU CAN'T ANYMORE.
This video really changed my perspective on the rep range. I always thought 6-12 was the golden rule, but now I see there's more to it.
It's crazy how you contradict everything you're saying and you don't even realize it
Explain?
Thanks for making this vid. I tend to push for at least 15 reps before I go to a higher weight (because most things I need from my body are more endurance based) and it's nice to get some real confirmation that I'm not just wasting time.
A lot of the info on your channel over the last little bit is great timing for me. Had a long term injury and have been very sick, easing back in and doing things smarter is a must for me. I appreciate the work you do. It really cuts through a sea of bro science
The broski who made fall in love with training again👊🏾
Jeff, I absolutely love your content due to its utility and concision. Thanks to your content, I have been able to build muscle and strength in my late-thirties. Thank you so much 🙏
It's a relief to learn that you can vary your training to a certain degree to do it the way that is most enjoyable for yourself and nevertheless getting your progress. Thank you for enlightening!
💯 agree for the same reasons. Came to this habit organically, although, I think that as I age, I tend to increase the reps and decrease the number of sets with heavier weights. Less prone to injury, which means less chance of having to compensate.
Love this guy !!
Good to see advice from someone that’s not all steroids
I'm just getting back into lifting and it's so helpful to get some smart info and good reminders! Keep the good stuff coming sir!! Cheers!
You quoted a study from 2015.
A 2022 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that loads ranging from 30% to 85% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) can promote muscle hypertrophy, but heavier loads (closer to 70-85% of 1RM) tend to be more efficient for increasing muscle size. The study emphasized that heavier loads stimulate more type II muscle fibers, which are associated with greater muscle growth.
Link the study!
No one will take your word for it unless you cite the source.
I love low weight high rep, the range of motion and mind muscle connection you get are unmatched.
I hate how well you convey your message in such a short and concise manner! I need more info XD
Dude, great info! I’ve always worked with 5x5s for powerlifting because they seem to be the “gold standard,” but I never knew why. I may have to start switching it up depending on my mood and how I’m feeling each day!
It seems strength needed for powerlifting and hypertrophy needed to bodybuilding are two different things. I'm not sure how significant the difference is for average fitness enthusiasts, but the moments when hypertrophy and strength don't correlate might be worthwhile to some people, such as powerlifters
@@ismailahmad9597 @jeffnippard What does the science say about this? Is muscle growth muscle growth, or are different set sizes better for different types of muscular use cases (strength vs aesthetic)?
i don't know what you are thinking but these shorts are a godsend.d straight and concise to the point.
Very informative short, thanks babe!
That’s good to know because I have a work related back injury and am finally able to start exercising after two years.
This is a life changer, imma reduce my weight to work around my should we impingement, thank you!!
Lot of explanation to this , Cool vids edit on the side
Hope this still give bit info to other people abt high reps range and still consider if its suitable for them .
Nice. Dealing with an injury in my left leg so I could only squat light weight. I intuitively thought it would be better to squat light for higher reps than to squat heavy and potentially reinjury myself.
time under tension can boost muscle growth as well so its also beneficial to do more reps to failure or at least use negatives to extend the muscle’s time under tension
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 One of the best ways to gain muscle mass is to do periodization and avaliations. Periodize the number of repetitions and vary exercises so that your body becomes increasingly harmonious.
Just read a research review that said this so the fact you're saying it has made me decide you'll be my youtube guy for weight lifting
as a beginner in calisthenics, im glad i could just increase the reps and still make gains. when i first started, i was able to do 3 sets of 8 reps pushups, now i can do 14 reps per set. id probably wait till i can do 30 reps per set before i progress to another harder variation of the same exercise. this is really helpful, thanks!
This is what I find to be my personal ideal range. I feel sufficiently tired and pushed if my weights fall into this rep range. The only thing I do extra is really slowing the negatives, so the 10-12 rep range becomes the 6-10 rep range. This gives me a great time under tension and really starts to burn into the last few reps for max muscle fibre recruitment.
It's a good thing this was a short video. I would have been mad if I watched a long one only to come back to 6 to 12 reps.
Makes sense, but I wouldn't wanna go around weights I can only lift three times cause I'll most likely hurt myself
I think the best way possible is to vary the reps ranges in the same workout
For example a good push session for me its like
3x 6-8 Bench
3x 10-12 incline bench
2x 10-12 military press
3x 10-15 Lateral rises
3x 10-15 triceps excercise
i think lateral and tricep can stay in that range forever. BUT you can rotate the first 3 compounds movements load from day to day.
so you came second day and:
3x 6-8 incline bench
3x 10-12 Bench
2x 10-12 military press
3x 10-15 Lateral rises
3x 10-15 triceps excercise
My favorite workout is Smolov: 6x6, 7x5, 8x4, 10x3. Sure, it's lots of sets, but no other program has ever built so much strength in me. In 4 months I am now repping my previous 1 rep max in a 6x6 set.
I do various set and rep situations depending on the week. Its generally a 4-5 week cycle. 1st week is 1 rep maxes for main movements, 2nd week is 3x10 at 75% max to build a base, 3rd is 8-12rep at 85%-65%, 4th is 3x8 @85%, 5th is 3x12@65%. Ive found i can usually increase my main movements by 5%-10% by the next max week at this rate. Of course thats just my program, and it obviously includes axillary movements to strengthen the fine muscles and group work as well.
I found that higher reps with slightly lower weight are better for the legs and slightly higher weight with lower reps are better for the arms by nature of how we use those muscles in day-to-day life.
i always felt that but never had the scientific confirmation, thanks
This is awesome Jeff but old time lifters have known this since Roger Eateps time.
I think it just depends per person, but also your own preference. For me, I like to switch between 4x10 and 5x5 reps every six weeks.
Yep, this makes sense because I've found it to be true through trial and error. In fact, when I started doing sets in the 10 - 15 rep range I got stronger because I wasn't getting injured (I'm in my late 40s). I wish I would have known this when I was younger because I injured myself too many times with heavy weights. I'm stronger now than I was in my late teen years when I had been lifting for 5 years.
What I’ve learned and experienced is low reps high weight grows strength and high reps low weight grows endurance
Hey Jeff, Love your videos, definitely will use this information for my return to the gym. Years ago one of my knees was filled with liquid and the doctors didnt catch it so for 2 years my knee atrophied, its taken a lot of time to strengthen it but it is significantly weaker than my other knee. Any good advice from you or the community is much needed
Have an awesome day everyone
RP just had the guy who did the study and apparently the people doing 7x3 were throwing up and hating their lives. Really interesting video.
Would be interesting to see injury risk across rep ranges
I do 1 set, moderately heavy weight, 6-10 reps to failure, w/ progressively heavier weight each set cycle. For me that's all I need. I work @ a pretty labor intensive (high volume) job already, so I rest 3 days between workouts. Getting the biggest growth of my life @ 40 right now.
Bro as someone who just got injured i needed to hear this my strength on my left tricep dropped hard
I am so happy, that my dad is in the military, because they’re getting fit not for commercial issues, but because of survival issues. There’s no bs. They’ve been saying these things for decades.
My dad got natural pretty big with just a 12kg dumbbell.
Usually the recommended is to use low reps for compound exercises to build less fatigue and use higher reps on isolated muscles to prevent injury
Two things to consider though is muscle endurance and your body composition, those things should influence your rep range
Good to know, thanks! I think the main downside of high reps is just that it takes longer. For a lot of people, 5-12 reps is perfect because it'll be very efficient use of limited gym time.
Jeff is love your videos i want you to make a separate video on how you can engage upper back muscles and get good results
I like doing 35 double weighted torso twists, which is nearly to failure for me. This has greatly improved my swimming strength, and I felt it become much easier over time
I just do 3 sets of 3-5 reps on most exercises then another 2-3 sets in the 5-8 rep range and 1-2 sets in the 8-15 rep range. Significant gains in strength and pretty fast muscle growth too. Get both endurance and heavy load strength. This is per exercise but I typically only have around 5 different exercises a session on PPLR.
Every 2-3 weeks I’ll work up to a 1 rep max with most exercises. If I hit a new PR then I’ll try and hit it again and try and get an extra rep. If that fails I’ll just hit a new rep PR on a slightly lower weight then the week after that hit a new weight PR again.
When I’m hitting PR’s every 2nd week and once I achieve it I lower the weight slightly and try and get 3-5 reps for a couple of sets then lower the weight again and do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
So every week I’m working on total strength but on PR weeks I tend to stick around 3-5 reps for at least half my sets while my other weeks it’s typically 5-8. I always do at least 1-2 sets, usually 3 very slow and controlled in the 8-12 or 10-15 rep range.
Sometimes instead of working with 2-3 sets of high rep ranges I’ll just do one massive drop set starting at my max or slightly below until I can’t even physically do the movement without any weights anymore.
This is the way to build both muscle and strength and has worked extremely well for me compared to any other way I’ve ever worked out before.
Going for 1 rep maxes every session and trying it on the same exercise 2-3 days a week locked me in a very long plateau and I wasn’t even building strength. I was attempting a new PR, failing, lowering the weight and go to failure, lower the weight, failure and repeat etc. Now going for weight PR’s on an exercise every 2 weeks I’m successful most of the time. I also keep 1-2 RIR for squats and bench. This works best for me. I go to failure on every other movement including pull-ups and OHP. For OHP after going for a max I usually just lower the weight and for 3 sets do a challenging but easy enough weight to do 5 sets with 1RIR. Final sets I lower it again and go 5-12 rep range to failure.
Strength and muscle is built in every rep range. Just focus on lifting heavy weights close to failure and don’t go to failure every single set. I love going to failure but for bench especially I find 3-5 reps and leaving 1-2RIR results in the best gains.
Best results from my experience is:
3 sets of 3-5 with 1RIR (as fast as possible)
2 sets of 5-8 with 0-1 RIR slow on way down, pause, explode on way up)
2 sets of 8-15 with 0-2 RIR (slow on way down, optional pause and either explode or controlled on way up).
Avoid actually failing on bench and squat, allow yourself to fail if you’re going for a new rep PR at most once a month with a spotter so you can actually make the most out of the last rep with a slight assistance.
I started to go to the fail since the first set, didn't matter the weight.
I set a total rep range and go for it, like 30 curls.
I start doing the max reps and if it's more than 2/3 of the reps in the first rep I consider that the weight is to light and I'll up it in the NEXT workout.
So many times my sets for 30 reps look like 16/8/6 or 10/8/5/5/2 (the last set can go over 30 total as it is to failure)
The point is to go to 30 reps failing every set, don't matter the number of sets, only the total volume of repsXweight
Pretty good results both for strength and mass gain and extremely time-efficient
Mix them, use certain ranges for certain moves. Go heavy progression with squats, mid with lunges and high for extensions etc.
Jeff rocked the green posers stringers
The best way to implement this imo is doing your compound lifts with heavy weight since compounds lead to more growth than isolation and compounds are already more fatiguing than isolation movements you double down on it and plus who doesn’t like to have a big SBD. THEN do your isolation movements with light weight high reps and good form controlling the eccentric and all that fun stuff
It all really boils down to what exercise you are doing. I would never go 3-5 reps on lateral raises
I cycle through different rep ranges around every month. I been absent to the gym for a while and just started back up. Currently hitting 8-12 rep range as I retrain my body for endurance and strength training for familiarization. For strength explosiveness, I'll hit high sets low reps heavy weight. And some isolation exercises, I hit anywhere from 10-15.