Hi guys,
I like to think i have a pretty decent knowledge about training. However there has always been one thing that i can’t get straight in my head. There is so much contradiction out there on the subject of reps.
To my knowledge the best range to aim for in bodybuilding is 8-12 reps.
This will give you bigger muscles but if you’re training for size and strength you should be lifting heavier, with lower reps. Correct?
So pro bodybuilders, did they have to start out lifting like a powerlifter, building a huge frame and then raise the reps, or can you achieve a body like theirs when you always lift in the 8-12 range?
Currently i’m bulking, i’m doing pyramid sets going from 12 down to 2. I have gotten a lot bigger over the past year lifting like this. So if i was to say i’m going to change my reps and lift in the 8-12 range and -‘fill in my new larger frame’, would that make sense?
At the moment my muscles are big but dont get much bigger when i flex so would lifting 8-12 reps, keep me the same size cold but when i flex my muscles will bulge out?
Will i loose strength by doing this?
Sorry about the long winded post, i cant get the question i want to ask to come out properly!!
Also, is there any good articles that explain this in detail that you could link for me?
lol not every pro trains in the “8-12” rep area. I think most train in anywhere from the 6-15 rep area. Kevin Levrone for example. Likes training in the 6-8 rep area cause he felt his body responded better using that range in some movements. Bottom line every person is different and you have to find what works for you…
So pro bodybuilders, did they have to start out lifting like a powerlifter, building a huge frame and then raise the reps, or can you achieve a body like theirs when you always lift in the 8-12 range?
Where to begin? Achieving a body like theirs is pretty damn hard! But for those guys (pros) they have the genetics to lift banana’s and still look good.
So your question is I believe whether to use that rep range? Or is that range the best for hypertrophy?
Well I think most people would say 6-12 is a good range for most exercises but as i said earlier, if you have good (bodybuilding) genetics you’ll look pretty good even with lower reps.
To the op, the only thing that matters is getting stronger while eating enough to support growth.
Find your own way to train, get some method, what matters is that you find some way to get mongoloid strong as fast as possible, while eating to support growth.
Obssessing if 8-12 reps or five reps will lead to more hypertrophy is paralyzing.
You can do both , why not?
But nothing will happen if you dont double the weight you use in your exercises in time.
And do this for reps please, but dont obssess if are 5 or 7 reps and a partial.
By the way, your muscles possibly dont bulge more because your bodyfat is high.
By saying this im NOT suggesting that you try to cut or something.
irongutted - I’m not trying to get my muscles to bulge, personally i’m training for my sport (Gaelic football) so keeping a certain degree of fat is ok.
I’m just trying to find an answer to a question thats bugging me, a question that i cant explain properly!!
Ok, say for example you’re bulking, your diet is great, but is there any difference in training 5x5, 3x12, pyramid sets, etc?
I think it is pretty rare for bodybuilders and even powerlifters to not utilize ALL rep ranges.
How many bodybuilders can anyone name that really do 4-8 reps on every exercise? Sure maybe flat bench, but certainly not cable flies.
Not concentration curls.
And how many bodybuilders do deadlifts for 15 reps? But plenty do high reps of pullups and DB rows.
How many powerlifters only EVER lift with singles, doubles, and triples? Every one I’ve ever met and read about online does plenty of accessory exercises anywhere from 3-20 repetitions.
My general advice for people who ask me about this is, try to get a weight 10 times before you move up on your main exercises, and try to get a weight 15 times before moving up on smaller exercises.
Ok, in one of arnie’s books he explained how Franco Columbo could squat much more than him. Franco had big legs which didn’t change when he flexed.
Arnie’s legs would bulge out and look much bigger when flexed.
Franco then traded powerlifting for bodybuilding and won 2 olympias. Powerlifting gave him a great base of size, do modern bodybuilders powerlift in their early days to get that good base?
[quote]G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
Ok, in one of arnie’s books he explained how Franco Columbo could squat much more than him. Franco had big legs which didn’t change when he flexed.
Arnie’s legs would bulge out and look much bigger when flexed.
Franco then traded powerlifting for bodybuilding and won 2 olympias. Powerlifting gave him a great base of size, do modern bodybuilders powerlift in their early days to get that good base?[/quote]
You are making my head hurt. Franco’s muscles did look different when flexed just like everyone else. You aren’t making much sense. Who do you know of who flexes but the muscle doesn’t change at all?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
Ok, in one of arnie’s books he explained how Franco Columbo could squat much more than him. Franco had big legs which didn’t change when he flexed.
Arnie’s legs would bulge out and look much bigger when flexed.
Franco then traded powerlifting for bodybuilding and won 2 olympias. Powerlifting gave him a great base of size, do modern bodybuilders powerlift in their early days to get that good base?
You are making my head hurt. Franco’s muscles did look different when flexed just like everyone else. You aren’t making much sense. Who do you know of who flexes but the muscle doesn’t change at all?[/quote]
I knew i wasn’t making much sense but i was hoping that someone would know what i was trying to say!
Well i was always under the impression that there was a big difference in powerlifters training and bodybuilders training. And thus giving different results.
[quote]G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
Professor X wrote:
G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
Ok, in one of arnie’s books he explained how Franco Columbo could squat much more than him. Franco had big legs which didn’t change when he flexed.
Arnie’s legs would bulge out and look much bigger when flexed.
Franco then traded powerlifting for bodybuilding and won 2 olympias. Powerlifting gave him a great base of size, do modern bodybuilders powerlift in their early days to get that good base?
You are making my head hurt. Franco’s muscles did look different when flexed just like everyone else. You aren’t making much sense. Who do you know of who flexes but the muscle doesn’t change at all?
I knew i wasn’t making much sense but i was hoping that someone would know what i was trying to say!
Well i was always under the impression that there was a big difference in powerlifters training and bodybuilders training. And thus giving different results.[/quote]
No, there isn’t a big difference. They all lift heavy and eat more to gain more strength and grow. The biggest difference is powerlifters are training to do a max weight for a single rep in competition (mostly). Bodybuilders couldn’t give a flying squirrel shit about a one rep max because lifting a weight one time doesn’t equal great muscle growth.
[quote]AzCats wrote:
I thought you just finished a 10-12 week cycle Joe? If you don’t know the answer to your own question by now. You definitely should not be doing a cycle. Your just playing with us right? :)[/quote]
Yes i’m just finished, with great results. Personally i’m not a bodybuilder, i’m a footballer first. I did the cycle to improve my sporting performance, although i do love bodybuilding. I train with pyramid sets. But i still want to improve my knowlegde.
Maybe i’m making up a question that has no answer, maybe its a stupid question. Maybe i’m just not asking it right…
