When should I focus on reps?

Asked by: Laura Long

1) MUSCULAR ENDURANCE (long-lasting muscle) – Endurance means encouraging and training your muscles to perform for an extended period of time. This means doing a LOT of repetitions. People targeting muscular endurance will aim for a range from 12 to 20+ reps.

Should I focus on reps or time?

The specific rep range and training volume will depend on the goals, such as muscle hypertrophy, increased muscle strength, or simply improved overall fitness. In general, the lower the repetitions, the more strength is built, and the higher the reps, the more endurance.

When should you do more reps?

So, in general, low reps with heavy weight tends to increase muscle mass, while high reps with light weight increases muscle endurance. This doesn’t mean that you have to rely on one method exclusively. Alternating between the two may be the best approach for long-term success.

Should I focus more on reps or weight?

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.

When should you increase reps and sets?

To gain muscle: 3 or more sets of a weight that you can do 6 to 8 reps before you are fatigued. Beginners should work up to this level. To build endurance and health: 1 to 3 sets at a weight that has you fatigued at 12 to 16 reps. Another frequent question is how long you should rest between sets.

Do slow reps build more muscle?

Workouts with slower reps cause your muscles to experience more time under tension, much more than with faster reps. The amount of time your muscles stay strained beneath a certain amount of weight will lead to an increase in muscle size.

Is 15 reps too much?

When training for muscular endurance you want to be in the 12-20 rep range, so 15 is a perfectly reasonable rep count. In contrast, 1-3 reps trains for strength, 3-5 trains better for power, and 6-10 trains better for mass.

Is 20 reps too much?

Anything greater than 20 reps in a set is probably far too many. Performing this many reps in a set will have diminishing returns. If you can easily do more than 20 reps, then the weight you are using is probably too light or too easy to elicit any significant growth.

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 you have to lift heavy to get big?

A loaded barbell isn’t the only path to building muscle. According to a new study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, you don’t have to lift super heavy in order to boost strength and gain muscle. As long as you go to failure, it doesn’t matter how much weight you lift.

When should I up my weights?

“A good rule for when someone should up the weights they use is to see if they can perform all the reps and sets with proper form,” Suter says. “If they had two to three more reps left in them, then it is time to go up in weight.”

Is 5 sets of 12 reps good?

Sets of anywhere from 4–40 reps will stimulate muscle growth quite well, but most research shows that doing 6–20 reps per set is the most efficient way to build muscle. Bodybuilders often use the middle of that range, favouring 8–12 reps per set.

Is 12 sets per week enough?

Krieger’s research into training volume shows maximal muscle growth while training each muscle 2–3 times per week with six sets per workout, yielding an ideal training volume of 12–18 sets per muscle per week.

Is 4 sets enough to build muscle?

If you’re trying to build muscle and get bigger, doing sets of 3 or sets of 5 or sets of 10 will ALL help you get bigger, if you’re eating enough to get bigger! If you’re trying to lose weight, it doesn’t matter if you do sets of 15 or sets of 5 if you are consistently overeating by 1,000 calories a day.

Is 10 sets of 10 reps too much?

You may not be able to perform all sets for 10 reps. If that is the case, then start lowering the weight once you do a set where less than 10 reps are performed. Once you can do all 10 sets for 10 reps, then it is time for you to go up in weight.