Do you still gain muscle even if you do less reps than last time?

Asked by: Maria Ramos

Do less reps build muscle?

Generally, exercises with higher reps are used to improve muscular endurance, while higher weights with fewer reps are used to increase muscle size and strength.

Why am I doing less reps than last time?

More than likely it’s a cumulative affect from the training you’ve done up till this point, poor nutrition choices, and possibly some life stresses in there. This is normal. Essentially your body needs some relative rest. Take a week and do deload work: half the volume, or half the volume and half the weight.

Why am I lifting less than last week?

Unfortunately, your muscles and liver can only store so much glycogen, so you have to keep replenishing it through diet. If you don’t replace muscle glycogen stores after a workout, and in the time between workouts, you may enter a workout with glycogen-depleted muscles.

How many reps should you do to build muscle?

Generally, between 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will help to build overall muscle size. Your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) is the most weight you can lift at one time. It is used to identify how much weight you should lift for each exercise. If you are trying to add growth or achieve strength, knowing your 1RM is important.

Is 4 sets of 6 reps enough?

So, How Many Reps to Build Muscle? Doing around 6–20 reps per set is usually best for building muscle, with some experts going as wide as 5–30 or even 4–40 reps per set. For bigger lifts, 6–10 reps often works best. For smaller lifts, 12–20 reps often works better.

Is 4 reps too low?

TO RECAP, these are the rep ranges you should be considering: Reps in the 1-5 range build super dense muscle and strength. Reps in the 6-12 range build equal amounts of muscular power, strength, and size. Reps in the 12+ range primarily build muscular endurance and size and also cardiovascular health.

What are signs of overtraining?

Lifestyle-related signs of overtraining

• Prolonged general fatigue.
• Increase in tension, depression, anger or confusion.
• Inability to relax.
• Poor-quality sleep.
• Lack of energy, decreased motivation, moodiness.
• Not feeling joy from things that were once enjoyable.

What if you can’t finish a rep?

If you can’t complete the reps for an exercise during your workout, perform as many repetitions as you can with proper form. If your form fails mid-way through, then use a lesser weight and finish, or give yourself a longer rest period before starting your next set.

Is it better to increase reps or sets?

VeryWell Fit reports that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends higher reps (10-15) per set with lighter weights to support muscle maintenance and 8-12 reps per set with moderate weights to build strength.

How long does it take to see muscle gains?

Gaining muscle is a slow process. It can take about three to four weeks to see a visible change. You’ll see some real results after 12 weeks, but it “all depends on your goals, and what type of strength training you are doing,” says Haroldsdottir.

Is 4 sets of 10 reps too much?

4 sets x 10 reps = 40 reps



Moderate to low intensity. Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance.

Do sets of 3 build muscle?

Are 3 sets of exercises enough for building muscle? Building muscle, or hypertrophy, requires a greater training volume than just three sets. If you have some training experience and you are looking to build muscle, you would do 3 to 6 sets of each exercise and you would aim for two exercises per body part.

Is 4 sets of 10 reps too much?

4 sets x 10 reps = 40 reps



Moderate to low intensity. Most ideal for building muscle, but also suited for endurance.

Do 20 rep sets build muscle?

Research and years of training have previously shown that the rep range of 1-6 per set is best for increasing muscle strength; 7-12 reps per set is best for increasing muscle growth; and reps of 12 and higher are best for increasing muscle endurance.

Is it better to lift heavy or light?

Lifting for pure strength is best partnered with heavy weights. “If you’re trying for strength, or your max force output, the heavier the weight, the more strength gains you’ll have, along with size gains,” Tuminello says. It’s also super time efficient.

How do you force muscle growth?

At that point rather than continuing to increase the reps you could add 10 pounds. And restart the process by going back down to 8 reps. However.