Hi,
Can you vary your rep ranges throughout the week and achieve hypertrophy?
Presumably as long as you work your muscles, maintain tension, progressive overload, metabolic stress, etc does it matter whether that stimuli occurs through high or low rep and can they therefore be mixed up?
Grateful for views
Most often, people train in different rep ranges even within the same workout.
If you read Chad Waterburyās work, he usually recommends a single rep range per workout and suggests that drastically different rep ranges be employed in near workouts (so on Monday you might do 10x3, and on Wednesday 3x8 2-3x15, then on Friday 4x6).
Now, his kind of training doesnāt really resonate with me (tried it for several months in the past), but even among traditional bodybuilding training, you virtually always find exercises being used with different rep ranges within the workout:
In a back workout for example, you might do heavier rows at the beginning (maybe 6-8 reps), then do pulldowns for higher reps (12-15) and finally nail an isolation movement or two for very high reps (Iām thinking cable pullovers or face pulls for sets of 20+ reps). This is even more evident for pushing muscles where even lower rep ranges are commonly applied in case of compound pushes.
As to varying rep ranges throughout the week, many people seem to have had success with a daily undulating periodization (DUP) type of training.
When training this way, you alternate the loading parameters each workout, having a weekly heavy, medium, and light workout. This is probably closer to what you are referring to.
Ultimately, as you mentioned, itās progressively overloading the muscles that has to biggest impact on growth (there also seems to be data suggesting that growth achieved from a set done to failure is independent of the absolute or relative load employed).
Yeah man, you can even keep your rep ranges the same throughout the week and achieve hypertrophy.
One very important factor you missed was training age. It takes years of even the most āperfectā hypertrophy training to achieve a decent level of muscle.
I believe most things will work for most people for a certain amount of time, so just start somewhere and give everything a go.
Yes + add nutrition i.e. enough calories and protein to the list of things
This gets me āmost intelligent question this weekā award.
Yes, absolutely.
[quote=āng1, post:1, topic:241940ā]Can you vary your rep ranges throughout the week and achieve hypertrophy?
Presumably as long as you work your muscles, maintain tension, progressive overload, metabolic stress, etc does it matter whether that stimuli occurs through high or low rep and can they therefore be mixed up?[/quote]
Undulating Periodization Training
Samul mentioned this is his post. Based on research, employing different types of Strength Training (Limit Strength, Power/Speed and Hypertrophy) elicits a greater training effect.
Dr Schoenfeldās Research
Schoenfeld determined the employing different type of Strength Training evokes a greater training effect when a program containsā¦
Mechanical Tension: Limit Strength Training with heavy load, low reps and long rest period.
Metabolic Stress: You mentioned this. Hypertrophy Training with low to moderate loads with moderate to high repetitions, with short rest period between sets.
Muscle Damage: Pushing the muscles to failure infrequently in an exercise. Also, full range movement in which a loaded stretch is placed on the muscle in an exercise.
Dr Jake Wilson found āLoaded Stretchesā of 30 seconds at the end of an exercise promoted muscle growth. Ironically, John Parrillo (Bodybuilding Coach) in the 1990ās promoted stretching after exercise sets for Hypertrophy.
Examples: Full Squats, Dumbbell Bench Press, etc.
Dr Michael Zourdosā Research
Zourdos research falls in line with Schoenfeldās. Zourdos determined the Daily Undulating Periodization Training elicited greater strength gains.
Example
Monday: Hypertrophy Training
Wednesday: Power Training
Limit Strength Trainingā
Conjugate Training
Research shows that combining different type of Strength Training into a program provides aā¦
Synergistic Effect
āThe sum is greater than it partsā.
Itās like adding 2 + 2 and getting 5.
Program that are build on Conjugate Training areā¦
1) The Westside Training Method
This program has been around since the early 1980s, close to 40 years.
It is built on Zourdosā findings, which came a few years ago. It combines Limit Strength, Power and Hypertrophy Training.
2) Olympic Lifters
These are the āPoster Childrenā for Conjugate Training. The Westside Method is build on this.
Olympic Lifter employ Limit Strength Training with heavy Squats, Presses, etc.
They employ Power Training with Olympic Movements.
Strength, Power, Hypertrophy
The determinate factor in which of these three is elicited is dependent on which is emphasized; how the program is written and followed.
Kenny Croxdale
@samul thanks. I think the research you refer to could be the one where they tested groups working to failure using 80% and 30% of their 1 RM and another group that didnāt work to failure?
The two groups that worked to failure achieved the same level of muscle growth even though they used different rep ranges.
@KennyCrox thanks for all that. Always good to refer to research. Much appreciated
Correct. That was the study I was referring to.
@Irishman92 - consistency. That old chestnut. Iām so guilty of start/stop and try this routine/try that routine.
One exercise routine Iāve had good luck with is as follows:
Pushing exercise: 5x3-5 heavy
Pulling exercise: 5x3-5 heavy
Leg exercise: 5x3-5 heavy
same three exercises: 4x6 medium weight
same three exercises: 3x8 light weight
And with each rotation I also cut the time between sets.
@paules looks good! Do the higher rep work happen later in the week?
@samul - so varying rep ranges is fine. But can you also vary exercises throughout the week? I mean as long as youāre hitting that body part consistently can you vary what exercises you do to hit that body part with?
I just started to follow the plan below where exercises are different every day that you hit that same body part. For some reason I thought you had to stick to the same movements.
Yes thereās no need to do necessarily the same exercises in every workout.
The program you posted is very effective and I did it for about 10 weeks in the past. I missed the higher volume workouts after a while but youāll probably like it.
One of the advantages of doing the same movements each workout is practicing the pattern. If liter A squats 3 times a week and lifter B only squats 1x week, the former will get proficient at it faster.
The less training age, the more you can benefit from frequency of the same movement. As you progress and get stronger, you will benefit more from variation, one of the reasons being the fact that switching movements prevents (or alleviates anyhow) overuse injuries, as well as possibly hitting āmore anglesā of the muscle, which is important if you are seeking hypertrophy and aesthetics.
Ultimately though, the best approach is the one thatāll get you motivated to train hard and stay consistent, even though on paper it might not be 100% optimal.
@samul thanks. I do think that as a beginner Frequency is king. But how do I know when to change that? I see programs where you train body parts just once a week (Monday chest, Tuesday back etc, etc)ā¦that must require a serious hammering for each body part
Thatās a harder question to answer.
Generally, a lifter will need to hit bodyparts 1x week in two cases:
If they are specializing on one specific bodypart (e.g. I had severely lagging delts for my liking so for 4 weeks I underwent a delt spec phase last year), and the rest of the body is being trained at maintenance
If they have reached a point in which they are able to tear down a bodypart in a session so badly that it needs a week to recover
Excluding case 1, which is pretty specific, you usually shouldnāt train bodyparts 1x week unless you have reached a point where you are so good at recruiting and stimulating them that a second weekly session targeting the same muscles would be counterproductive.
As a rule of thumb, if you find yourself asking this question, you arenāt there yet.
That being said, there is probably some value in decreasing frequency and increasing volume if you are adapted to training muscles 2 or even 3 times per week, from time to time. I (and many people way more knowledgeable than me) think that you should spend the majority of your training hitting bodyparts at least 2x week, though, with some bodyparts being able to be trained up to 3 or maybe even 4 times per week (namely, the biceps, middle and rear delts, and calves).
However, I should mention that in the last decades most bodybuilders have had success using bodypart splits, so there is probably some value to doing it that way. It is possible that they be onto something that science hasnāt found yet (it wouldnāt be the first time happening) and eventually weāll catch up. Remember: success leaves clues.
Finally, keep in mind that most ābrosplitsā use exercise selection in such a way to cause some overlap between muscles. If you do bench presses on chest day and then overhead presses on shoulder day or even close grip bench presses on arm day, you are still eating your chest, triceps, and delts to some degree. Do close grip supinated pulldowns on biceps day and you also hit your lats. Then many people include rear delt work at the end of pushing sessions, other than training them on shoulder day and back day. And so on.
IMO, itād be hard (let alone desirable) to get a true 1x week frequency.
@samul thanks. Letās see how far I can take this current plan. Thanks for your time
Anytime man!
Thatās all in one day. Thatās why itās only three exercises. I pick push and pull exercises that work opposite each other (bench and rows, etc)
First of all, great information.
Varying Exercises
Research shows that varying your exercise elicits a greater training response for Strength Athletes and Bodybuilders.
This research is backed up by anecdotal evidenceā¦
Strength Training
The Westside Training Powerlifting Method promotes varying/rotating exercise frequently as a means increasing Strength
Bodybuilding
One of the keys to increasing muscle mass is to āAttack the muscle from different anglesā, vary exercise.
Changing Exericise
This can be as simple as going from a Wide Grip Bench Press to a Narrow Grip Bench Press or to an Incline Press.
Technique Development
As samul essentially states, the more you practice a movement, the better you become at it.
However, there is a caveat when it comes perfecting your 1 Repetition Max in a movement.
Research has demonstrated the the muscle firing sequence in a movement is different with lighter load vs heavy loads. Thus, using near 1 Repetition Max sets more closely engages the firing sequence necessary.
Baseball Analogy
It is like a batter in baseball. Practicing hitting 60 mph pitches, makes you good at hitting 60 mph pitches.
It does not prepare you for hitting a 90 mph pitch.
Each repetition in an exercise set produces muscle fatigue. That is great for increasing Strength and Hypertrophy.
However, it is counterproductive for developing Technique.
Muscle fatigue alters Technique. With each repetition their is a shift from good to poor Technique.
With that in mind, the key to increasing Strength for a movement is withā¦
Auxiliary Exercises
The Westside Training Method utilizes Auxiliary Exercise that are similar in nature to each Powerlifts, as a mean of increasing Strength.
Squat Auxiliary Exercise for a Powerlifting Squat may be High Bar Squats, Zercher Squats, Belt Squats, etc.
Dr Tom McLaughlinās (former Powerlfiter, PhD Exercise Biomechanics) research came to the same conclusion around the same time as the Westside Training Program was evolving; Strength is best developed for the Powerlifts via Auxiliary Exercise that are similar to the Powerlifts.
Another great piece of information.
āTraining Ageā
This means the length of time you have been training, not your chronological age.
Novice LIfter adapt slowly to a Training Program. Thus, they can preform the same program for much longer and continue to obtain results, about every 8 - 12 weeks.
Advance Lifters adapt quickly. They need to change their Training Program up more frequently, probably about ever three weeks.
Exactly!
Kenny Croxdale