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Ok, when I first started my fitness, specifically strength training, journey I, like most, focused on muscle size. My trainer at the time preached three sets of ten, and that's what I was doing until recently. I have decent enough definition but now I want strength and size. Courtesy of this forum I learned that I should lift heavier and do less reps. I've increased the Dumbbells by five pounds and do three sets of 8. I hit failure around that point. Am I doing things right or is 10 the way to go? Suggestions? I'm 41, female if that matters. Thanks!
Recalling rule-of-thumb from prehistoric days: 1-2 for sudden explosive power; 4-6 for strength; 8-12 for hypertrophy (size). This was actually preached by NFL strength coaches back in the day.
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Very high reps would hit the endurance fibers.
Yep, that's what was preached. But I've known baseball players during an era when lifting was taboo because it would make you too knotted up, who would do nothing more than use hand squeezers doing reps on top of reps and develop forearms that looked like Popeye.
I think that is a hard question. Do you know about the StrongLifts 5x5? 5 exercises, each set is 5 reps. https://stronglifts.com/5x5/
I think all numbers can give you results, but the question is always which results do you want.
Stronglifts 5x5 is highly overrated. It's not really that good of a program. Plus, I have a hard time adopting the training methods of a guy who has been lifting for over 10 years who's not even as strong as I am. There are much better programs out there.
Thanks guys. very informative.
well I am sore now, more sore than before. I can always stand to have even more size but I think diet may also play a role in that. My profile pic shows my current state...I am definitely a newb lifter but have done ok. I think I want to take things to another level. I want strength not just the aesthetic. Again, courtesy of y'all, I realize that there's a difference and how you train makes a difference.
You don't "lift heavier and do less reps".
If you want to gain strength, you steadily increase weight moved. this automatically reduces your ability to do reps. Number of reps should be limited by weight moved, not by your decision. Last 2 reps should be performed with maxx effort. That is the gauge.
It is old principle of pyramids.
Say, after warm up, you can do biceps curl with most effort and 50 lb per arm. Just a number.
That sets your benchmark. 100% weight. 1 rep.
Then you design a set like this:
50% warm up reps.
1 minute rest
65%
1 minute rest
80%
1 minute rest
90-95%
1 minute rest
100%
1 minute rest
60% backoff reps.
When you can do 100% x3, you reset your benchmark to the new weight, heavier. One that you can do only 1 rep with absolute effort.
Of course, this is for pure form.
You start with 2 pyramids like this and progress to 3.
Do not do more than 3 pyramid sets per muscle group
You should alternate pyramids with 21s and strips. Do month of pyramids, thgen 2 weeks of 21s two weeks of strips go back to pyramids.
When you get hang of pyramids, circle back here, we can discuss how to overcome plateaus.
Stronglifts 5x5 is highly overrated. It's not really that good of a program. Plus, I have a hard time adopting the training methods of a guy who has been lifting for over 10 years who's not even as strong as I am. There are much better programs out there.
It is for new people, works well for them in my opinion, given it is structured and new people generally do not know enough to structure their own program nor follow something more advanced. But once someone starts approaching intermediate, its benefits drop quickly and they should know enough by then to find programs, or create one, that fit their goals.
Yeah I train for strength lately and my top "set" is only 1-2 reps, I'm basically one rep maxing the bench press. I try to do 2 or 3 but realistically it's at the maximum of my capabilities. I do also believe you can do both, though, as described in a few articles where your workout week may look like:
Upper body / strength (high weight, low rep)
Lower body / strength (high weight, low rep)
Upper body / hypertrophy (high rep, lower weight)
Lower body / hypertrophy (high rep, lower weight)
People say you can't train for both at once, and they're right and wrong. Yeah, you can't train *in the same workout* very easily or effectively for both strength and hypertrophy if you're an experienced lifter (you probably can if you're a beginner, though), but you absolutely can in the same week.
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