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How Many Reps To Gain Muscle? Workout Tips
From Tom Venuto
How Many Reps To Gain Muscle?
Q & A With Tom Venuto, author of:
Holy Grail Body Transformation System
Q: I have a question about the ideal rep range
to gain muscle. I find the science behind all this
to be fascinating, yet confusing. What actually
happens within the muscle (metabolically and
physically) in response to the various training
protocols? i.e. Power: 3-5 sets of 1-2 reps at
80-90% of 1 RM, Strength: 2-6 sets,<6 reps at
>85%RM, Hypertrophy: 3-6 sets, 6-12 reps at
67-85%RM. What causes muscles to get bigger
and not necessarily stronger and what should I
do if I want to gain the most muscle muscle size
possible? Thank you.
A: The primary difference between the effects of rep
ranges on the adaptive response depends on whether
the load affects neural factors or metabolic factors.
When you train with low reps (3 - 5), the adaptations that make you stronger are mostly
neurological: You develop an increased ability to recruit more muscle fibers, you stimulate the
higher threshold fibers that are not activated with high rep, low weight sets, you decrease
neuromuscular inhibition, and there's increased coordination between the muscle groups.
High vs Medium vs Low Reps
With low reps, the hypertrophy (size increase) of the muscle fibers is usually minimal. In other
words, reps under 6 make you stronger, but they don't necessarily make you bigger if the strength
gains come from adaptations in the nervous system - the muscle fibers and other muscle cell
structures do not hypertrophy (enlarge). This explains why certain athletes, powerlifters and
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Olympic lifters can be wicked strong but they sometimes don't look as strong as they are.
When you train with medium reps (6-12) the adaptations are more metabolic and cellular and only
moderately neurological. This is why 8-12 reps is the range most often recommended for
bodybuilding and hypertrophy. You get bigger AND stronger in this rep range, but your strength
gains are not maximal. This explains why some bodybuilders look stronger than they are (and why
they are often the brunt of jokes made by powerlifters and weight lifters; i.e. "big, weak, slow,
useless muscles", ha ha ha).
When you train with higher reps (13-20+), the adaptations are mostly metabolic, cellular and
vascular. This rep range produces local muscular endurance, a small degree of hypertrophy in
certain cellular components such as the mitochondria and the capillaries, and very little strength.
There is not a distinct line where neural adaptations end and structural/metabolic adaptations
begin; rather it is a continuum, like temperature or colors of a rainbow.
For example, when you train in the 6-8 rep range, the adaptations are still somewhat neural, but
also metabolic/structural: In this rep range, you get excellent strength gains and also excellent
hypertrophy. In the 8-12 rep range, there is still some neural adaptation, but less than the 6-8
range and much less than the 3-5 range.
The advantage of the 8-12 rep range is that you get maximal hypertrophy (this is the best rep range
for pure size increases when strength is not the number one concern). You will also get stronger, of
course, but not nearly to the degree as you would training with lower reps.
Rep
Range
Percent of 1 Rep
Max
Training Effect
Goal Desired
1-5 reps
85-100%
Neural
Strength & Power, little hypertrophy
6-8 reps
75-85%
Neural 1st, metabolic
Strength 1st, hypertrophy 2nd
2nd
9-12 reps
70-75%
Metabolic 1st, neural
Hypertrophy 1st, strength 2nd
2nd
13-20
reps+
60-70%
Metabolic
Local endurance, some hypertrophy, little
strength
Now, what exactly happens inside the muscle to make it get bigger?
Quite simply, ALL the structures inside the muscle cell grow when exposed to the appropriate
training stimulus.
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Remember back in high school when you had to memorize those diagrams of cellular anatomy (or
you would get an F in the class)? There were all kinds of organelles and cell structures such as the
endoplasmic reticulum, the mitochondria, the golgi complex, ribosomes, centrioles, Lysosomes,
and cytoplasm. Remember all that stuff?
If you're anything like me, you defied your biology teacher to explain the reason why you had to
memorize all that crap and what good it would do you in the "real world." Well, now that you're in
the "real world" and you want strength and muscles, here you go:
A muscle cell has all the same cell structures as other body cells, and they all take up space. When
speaking of the muscle cell, you mostly hear about the mitochondria (the cellular powerhouse
where energy production takes place), the myofibrils (the actual muscle fibers themselves) and the
fluid inside the cell (called cytoplasm in other body cells, or in the case of the muscle cell, its called
sarcoplasm).
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is caused most effectively in the 6-8 rep range. This contributes to the
most visible increases in muscle mass and cross sectional width. However, that doesn't mean you
should only train in the 6-8 rep range. If you want to make the other "stuff" in the muscle cell grow
as well, you should train in all rep ranges.
The mitochondria and sarcoplasm also take up a substantial amount of space in the muscle cell and
they are best stimulated with high reps. High rep training can also stimulate increased
capillarization in the muscle (just ask former Mr. Universe and Mr. Legs himself, Tom Platz, about
the effectiveness of high rep leg training done in addition to the low and medium rep training).
In addition, there is more than one type of muscle fiber: you have slow twitch (type I) and fast
twitch (type IIa and IIb). Slow twitch muscle fibers also hypertrophy from higher reps (although
they have the least potential for size increases, which is why you should spend more time below 13
reps if it's muscle mass you're after... plus, myofibrillar hypertrophy is more solid, dense or dare I
say, "real" than sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and pump).
So here are the take home lessons:
If you're an athlete and your primary goal is strength and power for improved sports
performance, then a good majority of your training is going to be in the 3-5 rep range (and
occasionally some singles and doubles). This will help make you stronger, faster and more
powerful without adding muscle bulk.
If you're a bodybuilder or your primary goal is muscle mass, then the majority of your training
should be done in the 6-12 rep range, but you should also do a little bit of training in the 3-5
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rep range for power and strength, which will later facilitate hypertrophy (and prevent the
powerlifters from making fun of you)
If you're a bodybuilder or your primary goal is muscle mass you can also do a little bit of
training in the 13-20+ rep range to facilitate the development of slow twitch muscle fiber,
build mitochondrial density and increase capillarization (that will give you the "polished" and
"pumped" bodybuilder look).
This is where programs like the Holy Grail Body Transformation system come into play:
The power of periodization and rep range variation
The Holy Grail training program, known as "The New Bodybuilding" or T.N.B. is based on using
BOTH REP RANGES: The hypertrophy range and the strength range. You throw in occasional high
rep sets as finishers for good measure. The result of this type of training style is MAXIMUM muscle
size possible, and you still get stronger as well.
The rep ranges and training loads are alternated and cycled in a very precise fashion using a
method known as periodization. Periodization is sometimes portrayed as very complex, but at the
most basic level periodization is simply "planned variation" where you cycle your way through
different rep ranges and progressively increase the loads over time, with periodic de-loads between
cycles.
There are a LOT of programs out there that insist you
should be training heavy all the time - in the 3-6 rep
range or thereabouts. If bodybuilding or hypertrophy
are your primary goals, I think that is a big mistake. It's
an invitation for injury and burnout to load that heavily
all the time (without periodization), but even if you can
handle it, it just doesn't build the physique like some
say it does... except maybe if you're a mesomorph,
fast-twitch freak-o-nature.
I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the
most effective bodybuilding and muscle building
programs in the world emphasize the 8-10 hypertrophy
range, but they do not stay exclusively in any one rep
range - they train in both the strength and hypertrophy
range and they use periodization (planned variation of
reps, loads, exercises) and diligent progressive
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overload.
The TNB training program fits the bill perfectly and is included with the Holy Grail Body
Transformation program as part of an integrated nutrition and training system. Visit the holy grail
home page to learn more.
Tom Venuto, author of
Holy Grail Body Transformation System
(How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time)
www.HolyGrailBodyTransformation.com <==== Click Here
P.S. Already found "The Grail?" Check out the "The Inner Circle."
Copyright Holy Grail Body Transformation.com. Do Not copy or Reprint. Copyright violations will
be detected by COPYSCAPE. Copyright violators will also be banned from eating steak, relegated to
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collector.
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