# High reps vs low reps



## eaglesfan! (Oct 16, 2011)

Hey so i was wondering, i want to gain size to my arms and i was wondering if it would be best to do high reps low sets medium weight, or low rep high sets high weight? thanks​


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## bjg (Oct 16, 2011)

eaglesfan! said:


> Hey so i was wondering, i want to gain size to my arms and i was wondering if it would be best to do high reps low sets medium weight, or low rep high sets high weight? thanks​



i'll divide it to you in 4 categories although it is not that exact different people react differently and i will give a grade A,B,C to each effect , A being the maximum
heavy weight= low reps 4-8: increase strength ; increase size B ; endurance C 
Medium weight= 8-12 reps: Increase strength B; Increase Size A; endurance C
lighter weight= 12-15 reps: Increase strength C ; Increase size B; endurance B
 and more than 15 reps: increase strength C to none; size C, Endurance A
clear enough?
 so 8-12 reps should suit you
positive lift fast movement , negatives slow
arms : 9-12 set biceps, 9-12 sets triceps  maximum twice a week


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## mapanoy (Oct 17, 2011)

Also eat more protein.


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## Usealittle (Oct 17, 2011)

Do some of both.... High and low.


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## CowPimp (Oct 17, 2011)

What is your training status?  

Lower intensity is fine when you're a beginner.  At the very beginning 40% of your 1RM is sufficient for size/strength gains.  That doesn't last long though, and you will soon be increasing that minimum threshold if you plan to keep getting bigger and stronger.  

For someone who has even an intermediate level of training under their belt, a variety of intesities in the 5-12RM range is proven effective.


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## effinrob (Oct 17, 2011)

i lift heavy and get big..


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## bjg (Oct 17, 2011)

CowPimp said:


> What is your training status?
> 
> Lower intensity is fine when you're a beginner.  At the very beginning 40% of your 1RM is sufficient for size/strength gains.  That doesn't last long though, and you will soon be increasing that minimum threshold if you plan to keep getting bigger and stronger.
> 
> For someone who has even an intermediate level of training under their belt, a variety of intesities in the 5-12RM range is proven effective.



i agree sure a beginner will benefit get size and strength  from any kind of lifting. 
my previous post was a general guideline for someone who wants to lift regularly


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## Ezskanken (Oct 17, 2011)

I fought with myself over this one for a while. I was 190 and repping 225 for bench, squat, and deads fairly easily for 3 sets of 10. Then my family and I did a pretty big move for the millitary and have been out of the gym for 3 months. I'm counting on my muscle memory to kick in soon since I've been back in for a solid 3 weeks now. I am moving all the reps up to 12 on every exercise and it's pretty hard. You wouldn't think that 2 extra reps per set is a lot, but it get's me pretty good no matter what muscle group I'm hitting that day. Like mentioned above 10-12 rep range is a solid goal to hit, but also lifting heavy at lower reps will bring on strength and eventually size. But I like the burn and all out push I have to give to finish the sets with 12 reps. The pump I have afterwards is fun to look at, ha ha! Here's a quick read for you: Bodybuilding.com - What Is The Best Rep And Set Range For Building Muscle?  I lift by myself and don't bother others to ask for a spot.  So the only time I will ever go big will be on a machine if I ever decide to test the waters.  This time around I am working on that "mind-body connection" and feeling my muscle fibers working.  It's been a little slow, but things are finally starting to jump faster.

EDIT: Just popped in my head after I finished with my comment and I laughed, "Everybody want's to be a bodybuilder, but no one want's to lift heavy ass wieghts...I do it though!" - Ronnie Coleman, "Ain't nothing but a peanut..." LOL!


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## jtterrible (Oct 17, 2011)

Form follows function.. High reps with high weight..  So 10 sets of 2 reps or something similar... It lets you use 90% of your 1rm


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## ThreeGigs (Oct 17, 2011)

Do both.
Very high reps with low weight or high reps with medium weight will target slow twitch fibers for growth. Heavy weights with lower reps will target fast twitch for growth.

For arms, it's easy. Get yourself a pair of dumbells, and do high rep work at home. High rep like a weight you can do 30-40 reps with until the lactic acid buildup shuts your muscle down. Do it 3 times a day, maybe an hour or more apart. Do it every day *except* on the days you do heavy arm work.

Do the heavy work at the gym as part of whatever routine you're doing. 3 sets of 8 reps, whatever.

If size is all you want, then definitely do both endurance and heavy work.


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## BigD4life (Oct 17, 2011)

Doing both is the way to go. Yoy want to stimulate both slow and fast twich muscles. Also change up your work out. Dont do the same thing two weeks running. Keep your muscles guessing


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## eaglesfan! (Oct 22, 2011)

thanks this is exactly what i was looking for


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## Pika (Oct 22, 2011)

Lift negatives for arms it's what I think is the best very slow but very hard


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## Madmann (Oct 22, 2011)

eaglesfan! said:


> Hey so i was wondering, i want to gain size to my arms and i was wondering if it would be best to do high reps low sets medium weight, or low rep high sets high weight? thanks​


 


eaglesfan! said:


> thanks this is exactly what i was looking for


 
I hope you have reasonable expectations on this whole size goal of yours.

Genetics are a big factor, so just be understanding if yours aren't good enough.


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## XSlam (Mar 11, 2012)

Variation is great IMO


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## Grizzly Adams (Mar 16, 2012)

ThreeGigs said:


> For arms, it's easy. Get yourself a pair of dumbells, and do high rep work at home. High rep like a weight you can do 30-40 reps with until the lactic acid buildup shuts your muscle down. Do it 3 times a day, maybe an hour or more apart. Do it every day *except* on the days you do heavy arm work.
> 
> Do the heavy work at the gym as part of whatever routine you're doing. 3 sets of 8 reps, whatever.



Has anyone else used a something similar to this with good results? Sounds kinda interesting...

My only concern is how it would impact recovery/effect your main lifts for chest/back if your arms aren't recovering properly.


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## Caretaker (Mar 16, 2012)

BigD4life said:


> Doing both is the way to go. Yoy want to stimulate both slow and fast twich muscles. Also change up your work out. Dont do the same thing two weeks running. Keep your muscles guessing


 
This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Also, I`ve found personally when I train for strength, I get bigger. Lift heavy, tear muscles apart, recover, grow.
Remember, lifting doesn`t BUILD muscle, it destroys it, Nutrition/rest rebuilds it bigger and better than before.


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## dave 236 (Mar 17, 2012)

Ihavehad good success by rotating between a 4x10 program for three weeks to 4x8 for 3 weeks and thena 5x5 for three. The key for me anyway is to usea weight on the 4x10 that i can do 12-15 reps with butdo 10 rest for about 40-45seconds and do the next set andso on. As you switch to 4x8 increase both the weight and the rest period and once again as you move to the 5x5 sequence.  This has given me both strength and size gains on a fairly consistant basis. Shorter rest intervals save timeas well.


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## bigbenj (Mar 17, 2012)

I never stick to a rep range. May go as low as a single and as high as 50 reps, in the same workout.


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## Calves of Steel (Mar 18, 2012)

For arms I find 10-20 reps is the best for size. So I'll do a few sets aiming for 10-12 reps and a few aiming for 18-20 reps. Usually half of my sets are to near-failure, and the other half are to failure (not including warmup).


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## 32bulkcycle (Mar 18, 2012)

The most important thing to remember when trying to put size on to your arms is that your body is going to naturally want to be in proportion so you CANNOT make your arms significantly bigger without making your entire body bigger. Ive seen guys train chest, back, legs, & shoulders all once a week while at the same time training their arms every other day. Its the dumbest shit ever. Not to mention the fact that your arms are being indirectly worked with almost every upper body exercise that you do.


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## fatsopower (Mar 18, 2012)

squats will make your arms grow - yeah, squats..... but real weight for real reps .... guaranteed


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## melochai (Aug 23, 2014)

Subbed!


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## jeffnalma (Sep 15, 2014)

I would lift heavy to get big unless your trying to get toned then I would lift several sets of less weight. hope this helps


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## oldschoolman51 (Sep 17, 2014)

*high --low  reps*

dude i always was a believer in how i feel on this day is how i decide rep range,,,high ,low,,21s, etc all have their benfit,whatever zone your in go for,,id stick with 8 12 reps most time but change due to how you feel and is a good change of pace,,alittle fun too,


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## WINSTON (Oct 5, 2014)

in bodybuilding you need slightly higher reps than in powerlifting . for the pump . but some type two fibers  are reached only by reps of 5 and a bit under . between 5 and 15 would reach everything almost .


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## raysd21 (Oct 5, 2014)

Yes.  Variety is the spice of life.

And helps in BB as well...


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## zerofvcks (Oct 9, 2014)

Lifting heavy never made a huge difference in my arms growth but what did was total focus on the squeeze and executing every rep slowly. Truly focusing on the mind/muscle connection. Some body parts I can get away with doing a little cheating here and there but for my arms, diligently keeping form was the best thing I could of done.


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## aminoman74 (Oct 11, 2014)

Do both for 6 weeks go heavy then switch to high volume.  I do dorian yates training but change the rep range around.


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## WINSTON (Oct 14, 2014)

does superesets works for arms i know biceps triceps combination was used with sucess.


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