Best for muscle and strength

GoLdeN M 07 · Post by **GoLdeN M 07** » Sun May 07, 2006 4:59 pm

Which way of exercise is better for building more muscle? Ive bin doing low rep exercises for a while now and im worried if i was wasting it all and thinking i was building more muscle. Low reps exercises are r best for strength.

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:09 pm

i do between 6-10 reps per set, since im on general strength and conditioning routine now. 3 sets 6-10 reps with moderate heavy weight 75-90% of max.
it depends on what people are going for that would determine which is better but for strength and mass lower reps higher weight.

different weight reps for different phases
anatomical adaptation low-med weight low reps
conditioning/stamina low weight high rep
general strength moderate heavy weight low-med reps
mass gain heavy weight low reps
max strength heavy weight low reps with speed

cant remember exactly the specifics and didnt bother to check my physiology notes

anyone else know?

kevin harris · Post by **kevin harris** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:43 pm

why not pyramid
hit a variety of all reps
generally if you want strength lower reps is better(3-6)
for building muscle(8-12)
i never go below 6 reps and never above 15 except on the rare occasion.
i dont care how strong i am, i only want muscle.
however, through training the body building style you will get stronger by default.

how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?

Ryan A · Post by **Ryan A** » Sun May 07, 2006 9:03 pm

True but if you can them up over your head, that usually gets positive reviews.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 07, 2006 9:32 pm

good point

GoLdeN M 07 · Post by **GoLdeN M 07** » Sun May 07, 2006 9:36 pm

kevin harris wrote:why not pyramid
hit a variety of all reps
generally if you want strength lower reps is better(3-6)
for building muscle(8-12)
i never go below 6 reps and never above 15 except on the rare occasion.
i dont care how strong i am, i only want muscle.
however, through training the body building style you will get stronger by default.

how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?

Alright guess im gonna have to change my workout plan quite a bit. Ill train all the strong muscles (anterior delts, chest, quads, triceps) in low reps because theyre the strongest and the good looking muscles (lateral delts, biceps) in 8-12 reps. Wouldnt u still get some muscle even when doing low reps?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 07, 2006 9:59 pm

yes, but the fastest route to a chest that the girlies will love is the body building range of 8-12
if you are seeing gains with a low rep range then by all means continue.
if you are stuck in a rut, it may be time to change with pyramid training you hit the muscle with a wide range of reps.
i never recommend very heavy weight and low reps on the isolation excersizes
the low reps should be done with your meat and potato excersizes(chest-bench press, back -deads or bent rows, legs-squats...etc)
good luck

JeffD · Post by **JeffD** » Sun May 07, 2006 10:03 pm

kevin harris wrote: i dont care how strong i am, i only want muscle.

I am the exact opposite. I'd rather be the guy who may not be as big and muscular, but can outlift and show up the bigger guy. I wouldnt wanna be the fraud who everyone thinks based on looks can lift alot more than they really can.

Stephen Johnson · Post by **Stephen Johnson** » Sun May 07, 2006 10:22 pm

kevin harris wrote:i dont care how strong i am, i only want muscle.

how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?

Hopefully, she won't ask you to move furniture ;-)

JeffD · Post by **JeffD** » Sun May 07, 2006 11:12 pm

Stephen Johnson wrote:
kevin harris wrote:i dont care how strong i am, i only want muscle.

how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?
Hopefully, she won't ask you to move furniture ;-)

lol exactly. After the moving guy has to come over and lifts the couch over his head we'll see who she's more impressed with ;)

John · Post by **John** » Mon May 08, 2006 2:27 am

the 5-6 rep range will build you strength and muscle fibre size,
the 8-12 ish rep range is general condition and the "show"muscle, it is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, an increase in the fluid volume of your muscles, which is why some of the biggest muscluar guys ar the weakest pound for pound because they only train in the 8-12 rep range

if your going for strength try 5-6 reps with heavy weight, lifting heavy weight FAST is power not strength there is a difference generally power range is 1-3 reps lifted as fast as possible while maintaining decent form

Mog16 · Post by **Mog16** » Mon May 08, 2006 2:52 am

answers to your questions contained here: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459411

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:20 am

kevin harris wrote:how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?

i had a girl that i was dating in high school ask me how much i could bench.
i told her that i couldnt do much but told her, with a smirk, i had phenomenal stamina and conditioning. she got mad cause i said it perverted, but i was talking about my running ability.

DubDub · Post by **DubDub** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:31 am

Eric wrote:
kevin harris wrote:how many girls have asked you how much you can bench?
i had a girl that i was dating in high school ask me how much i could bench.
i told her that i couldnt do much but told her, with a smirk, i had phenomenal stamina and conitioning. she got mad cause i said it perverted, but i was talking about my running ability.

That's funny. Made me laugh.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:12 pm

John wrote:the 5-6 rep range will build you strength and muscle fibre size,
the 8-12 ish rep range is general condition and the "show"muscle, it is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, an increase in the fluid volume of your muscles, which is why some of the biggest muscluar guys ar the weakest pound for pound because they only train in the 8-12 rep range

if your going for strength try 5-6 reps with heavy weight, lifting heavy weight FAST is power not strength there is a difference generally power range is 1-3 reps lifted as fast as possible while maintaining decent form

Nice. I'll try that. Will the 8-12 rep stage build more muscle?