2-3 High Weight Reps a Good Idea?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Hey, so yesterday I was doing shoulders and I was trying to get a new weight up with a goal of 8 reps and only did 6 for my first set.
This guy told me to grab a weight that’s 15 more pounds than that even and just press that 2-3 times. He said it would “tear” the shoulder and next week, I’ll be able to press the weight I’m moving up to for 8 reps.

I did this. I try to not go below 8 reps generally, but I did the highest weight that I’ve ever shoulder pressed for 2-3 reps for 3 sets. Then, I did my 3x8 with the lighter weight.

My shoulders felt genuinely exhausted. I was able to take the shoulder press to actual failure and almost hurt my elbow when my shoulders just gave out on my last slow negative.

I also wasn’t able to do front and side lat raises as well as I normally can after this.

What do you think of this? Is doing this 2-3 high weight reps thing a good idea? I was thinking of maybe from now on, doing my regular rep sets for each exercise and doing a set or 2 of 2-3 reps with higher weight last so that it wouldn’t effect my working sets.

What do you think?
Thanks

2

lol lift heavy!

strength and size comes with a low volume high intensity workout.

From a strength aspect the 2-3 reps is great.

I like a 4x6 rep scheme with as heavy of weight I can lift, with good form, as possible.

I feel I make great size and strength gains doing this.

Make sure to be eating enough food in general while doing this or your joints will take a beating.

hope all has been well for you man, it sounds like it and sounds like you’ve been making some improvements.

DG

3

Hey Gerdy, thanks. How often should I do this though? Obviously, after I do a very heavy weight for 2-3 reps, my working sets would be compromised. Should I do it in every workout, or is it like a once a month thing?

I’m still doing the 3x8 upper 4x14 lower that you showed me.
So OK, let’s use chest as an example:
I’d do 3x8 dumbbell flat, incline, and decline. Then, 3x8 machine flys and a high rep (30+) set of flys to finish off.

Where in this workout would be the appropriate time to do a set or two of 2-3 high weight reps?
Would I do it for incline, decline, and flat or should I just do it for flat at the end or something?

Also, is it OK to do this for legs too, or am I going to hurt myself? I’ve only been doing legs with high reps so far.

4

you can pick one compound exercise that you do for each bodypart to work up to 2-3 reps and then do all the other exercises at 3x8. Then, you can cycle which exercise you are going to go heavy on each workout.

Once day, do go heavy on flat, then another day you can do heavy on incline or decline.

And for legs, yes, you could do the same thing.

5

[quote]ukrainian wrote:
you can pick one compound exercise that you do for each bodypart to work up to 2-3 reps and then do all the other exercises at 3x8. Then, you can cycle which exercise you are going to go heavy on each workout.

Once day, do go heavy on flat, then another day you can do heavy on incline or decline.

And for legs, yes, you could do the same thing.

[/quote]

I agree here, but I personally like to alter my training for my goals.

If strength is your main focus then change the training to gear towards that. The 2-3 reps will be your working sets, just add more sets. I start doing 4x4-6 reps when doing this because it seems to work best for me.

If hypertrophy is your mainfocus then change the training to gear towards that. Then you ar in the 8-12 rep range for probably less sets.

the rule of 24 is good to gear off of. Each exercise should end up around that many reps broken into sets, with the exception of legs imo…

DG

6

[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
you can pick one compound exercise that you do for each bodypart to work up to 2-3 reps and then do all the other exercises at 3x8. Then, you can cycle which exercise you are going to go heavy on each workout.

Once day, do go heavy on flat, then another day you can do heavy on incline or decline.

And for legs, yes, you could do the same thing.

I agree here, but I personally like to alter my training for my goals.

If strength is your main focus then change the training to gear towards that. The 2-3 reps will be your working sets, just add more sets. I start doing 4x4-6 reps when doing this because it seems to work best for me.

If hypertrophy is your mainfocus then change the training to gear towards that. Then you ar in the 8-12 rep range for probably less sets.

the rule of 24 is good to gear off of. Each exercise should end up around that many reps broken into sets, with the exception of legs imo…

DG[/quote]

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.

7

[quote]ukrainian wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
you can pick one compound exercise that you do for each bodypart to work up to 2-3 reps and then do all the other exercises at 3x8. Then, you can cycle which exercise you are going to go heavy on each workout.

Once day, do go heavy on flat, then another day you can do heavy on incline or decline.

And for legs, yes, you could do the same thing.

I agree here, but I personally like to alter my training for my goals.

If strength is your main focus then change the training to gear towards that. The 2-3 reps will be your working sets, just add more sets. I start doing 4x4-6 reps when doing this because it seems to work best for me.

If hypertrophy is your mainfocus then change the training to gear towards that. Then you ar in the 8-12 rep range for probably less sets.

the rule of 24 is good to gear off of. Each exercise should end up around that many reps broken into sets, with the exception of legs imo…

DG

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.[/quote]

From a bodybuilding standpoint going to about 12 reps on my last exercises of the muscle groups have helped me out a lot. From a strength training standpoint I hate it too.

I prefer to train 3x8 or 4x6 with my last exercise being 2x12 with strict form.

sometimes I go haywire and do super low or super high reps, but they never stick in a routine for that long.

currently started 10x10 squats on leg day in a pyramid fashion and I’m liking it from a hypertrophy/bodybuilding standpoint. I have never gotten a lower body pump better than training with the 10x10.

DG

8

[quote]ukrainian wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.[/quote]

Same here, once over 12 is just brutal. I prefer the 5-8 range.

9

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.

Same here, once over 12 is just brutal. I prefer the 5-8 range.
[/quote]

Unilateral alternating legs exercises with 12+reps per side are basically death.

I haven’t tried 20 reps squats, but one day I will. That’ll be the day I die.

10

As it has been said already, definitely do the low rep sets first in your workout.

As an added benefit, the heavy weight you can use when in the 1-3 rep range may help you get more reps in your subsequent higher rep sets, provided you don’t go to failure on the heavy sets and don’t wait too long in between.

In the same vein, you could try something like the 1-6 Principle from Poliquin:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459575

11

Aren’t you usually supposed to warm up to your highest weight?

12

[quote]Artem wrote:
Aren’t you usually supposed to warm up to your highest weight?[/quote]

Yes, you are.

I was talking about work sets as I usually don’t count the warm up sets when referring to how I train. Do as many warm up sets as needed to get you mentally and physically ready for the task without fatiguing yourself.

13

[quote]Flow wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.

Same here, once over 12 is just brutal. I prefer the 5-8 range.

Unilateral alternating legs exercises with 12+reps per side are basically death.

I haven’t tried 20 reps squats, but one day I will. That’ll be the day I die.[/quote]

Spot on. Doing 15 reps with lunges or step ups is brutal.

Here’s a word of advice on 20 rep squats.

Do NOT do them under the following ciircumstances:

A. You take a week off from leg work because you’re on vacation and go hiking in the mountains for 2 days.
B. You want to do lighter weight because you’re nursing a nagging knee injury

For the past 2 days the DOMS in my legs is unreal. I don’t mind DOMS, but this was brutal. They’re still a little sore today but getting better.

2 sets of 20 rep squats
2 sets of Sumoe DLs
2 sets of lunges

is enough to put a hurtin on ya

14

[quote]Flow wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
ukrainian wrote:

True. I just hate higher reps. Anything above ten I hate doing, but that’s just me.

Same here, once over 12 is just brutal. I prefer the 5-8 range.

Unilateral alternating legs exercises with 12+reps per side are basically death.

I haven’t tried 20 reps squats, but one day I will. That’ll be the day I die.[/quote]

I remember one week in football where we had to do a 4x25. One day had squats, bench, reverse lunge, and jammers. I felt like dying.

15

[quote]Artem wrote:

I try to not go below 8 reps generally, [/quote]

Theres your first mistake.

Sounds like you could benefit greatly from some strength training.

16

Which successful bodybuilders regularly do 2 to 3 reps during training? Almost none.

17

I’m a 4x6 kinda of guy when I feel like powerlifter. I think using a low rep range from time to time helps break plateaus that you might be experiencing. I don’t solely base my routine on such a rep range but I cycle it in every now and then. Gotta show people hows 'posed be done! Light weight baby!

18

I’ve been using a 54321 format for lifting just for the sake of strength for about 3 months now. I think its important to switch things up a bit though so I’ve decided to stay under five reps for my first week and then try 8-12 reps on the second, because constant heavy loads can really take its toll on the joints.