High weight Low rep

**ShuttaLCD** · 01-15-2006, 04:20 PM

Hey guys,

I was thinking about changeing up my routene a bit.

Heres what i want to do.

We will take Bench just for example.

I currently workout with

210lbsX5 X4

I was thinking about going to a higher weight say 225lbs (or whatever i can get 3 MABYE4 reps on)

and do

225lbsX3 X4

Would 3 reps be benificial? Shouldnt you do 4-5? I am currently on a clean bulk.

So would getting a weight that i can only do 3-4 reps on each set fro bench, squat, Dead Lift. Be very beneficial? i Have never tried it before and i was just curious to see if anyone else has done this and got nice results.

Thank you!

-Shutta

**Peaked_18** · 01-15-2006, 04:44 PM

1 set of 3-5 reps after warm-ups can be very beneficial to strength increases in those lifts. Bench, deadlift, and squat will probably will all go up and maybe adding in a day for dyanmic work would really help you out if your wanting strength in those lifts.

**ShuttaLCD** · 01-15-2006, 04:47 PM

Peaked,

Thanks man.. Yea i always do some good warm ups before hitting the weights hard. I'm not only looking to gain strength in those but yet put on some mass as well. I am sure that this will help me in acheving that?

-Shutta

**Peaked_18** · 01-15-2006, 04:48 PM

Yes, it will increase your strength--and then do some assistance work for hypertrophy gains. Such as a movement for 3-5 reps then for chest work would be some dumbbell presses for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.

pu12en12g · 01-15-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShuttaLCD

Would 3 reps be benificial? Shouldnt you do 4-5? I am currently on a clean bulk.

It really depends on your goals man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravadongon

1-3 Reps

In this repetition scheme Neural Efficiency (as well as some Myofibril Hypertrophy) occurs. Neural Efficiency increases the percentage of motor units that can be activated at any given time (CNS efficiency).

This has very little impact on size gains but increases strength will be definitely be great. Little to no protein turnover occurs when using this particular rep range as load is too high and mechanical work is too low.

3-5 Reps

In this repetition range, mostly Myofibril and Sarcomere Hypertrophy and very little Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy occurs. Sarcomere hypertrophy increases contractile proteins in muscle thereby increasing strength directly and also size. Science says that growth here will be mostly myofibral/ sarcomere hypertrophy and will be accompanied with strength gains in other rep ranges and improvements in neural efficiency.

Therefore this is perhaps the best rep range for increasing strength, as there is a better balance of load/work done for hypertrophy. However with little Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy occurring working in this rep range, is not the most beneficial for size.

5-10 Reps

In this repertition range we have Myofibril, Sarcomere, and Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy occurring. Using this rep range you will receive lots of growth as well some strength gains.

Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy does not directly increase strength, but it increases size, what a bodybuilder trains for. This is the best range, according to science, to train in as a bodybuilder.

10-15 Reps

Some Sarcoplasmic with little Myofibral and Sarcomere Hypertrophy occur in rep ranges of 10-15. More fatigue and a greater extent of waste products are produced when training in this rep range.

More Than 15 Reps

Capillary density increases with little Sarcoplasmic growth with rep ranges above 15. Muscle endurace begins to become a factor, but this is not what you are looking for as a bodybuilder.

**DarkFalcon** · 01-15-2006, 07:21 PM

I'd agree with most of that but consider the 20 rep squat is so good at growth I'd say the last statement is far to general.

**Peaked_18** · 01-15-2006, 11:35 PM

I think he just copied that...

pu12en12g · 01-15-2006, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFalcon

I'd agree with most of that but consider the 20 rep squat is so good at growth I'd say the last statement is far to general.

Agreed... it's always more complicated than a 1 page summary, and I'm a big fan of 20 Rep Squats, thanks to Chuck Diesel

**b-boy** · 01-16-2006, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShuttaLCD

Peaked,

I'm not only looking to gain strength in those but yet put on some mass as well.
-Shutta

two words for ya bro....... DOGGCRAP TRAINING!

Andrew Smith · 01-16-2006, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShuttaLCD

Hey guys,

I was thinking about changeing up my routene a bit.

Heres what i want to do.

We will take Bench just for example.

I currently workout with

210lbsX5 X4

I was thinking about going to a higher weight say 225lbs (or whatever i can get 3 MABYE4 reps on)

and do

225lbsX3 X4

Would 3 reps be benificial? Shouldnt you do 4-5? I am currently on a clean bulk.

So would getting a weight that i can only do 3-4 reps on each set fro bench, squat, Dead Lift. Be very beneficial? i Have never tried it before and i was just curious to see if anyone else has done this and got nice results.

Thank you!

-Shutta

If you are looking to chase intensity (percentage of you max), your repetition scheme of less than 5-4 reps will work excellent. However, instead of a constant weight, you could get away with a wave loading feature of your program, for example with the bench press...

Sets- 8
4/3/2/4/3/2/8-10/12-20

This way you vary the training load increasing, and it is a constant increase, start with a 5 rep load, possibly 215, and increase on each step, for example...

215/220/225/220/225/230/185/150

The last two sets are back-off sets to increase hypertrophy and use them as dynamic (faster) reps than the preceeding six sets.

Just be aware that you cannot to many exercises with this method, generally only 1 or 2 per workout.

Hope that helps!

-Andrew
http://www.Modern-Athlete.com

**Peaked_18** · 01-16-2006, 07:06 PM

Glad you found your way here Andrew.

Andrew Smith · 01-17-2006, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peaked_18

Glad you found your way here Andrew.

Thank You!

madcow2 · 01-17-2006, 03:08 PM

It's important to realize that sets of repetitions are a sort of an artificial way of organizing work. Essentially do you really think that 10 singles with 5 seconds between them is much different from a 10 rep set? There is a time and density thing going on.

Also total workload is a factor. For instance the final phrase under the 1-3 rep definition in post 5: "Little to no protein turnover occurs when using this particular rep range as load is too high and mechanical work is too low. " This is making an assumption that you are using an intensity level (%1RM) that is somewhere near your 1-3RM or a very high percentage of it, and this is what keeps workload/machanical work low because you just can't hammer like this on any kind of consistent basis (Prilepin's table provides an intuitive grasp of this that is easy to Google and in wide use at WSB). Take for example the 10 sets of 3 program. Mechanical work is quite high, you are doing 30 total reps (same as 3 sets of 10) and this is possible because the intensity level will not be near your true 3RM - because you have to get all that work in. In addition, the intensity (this is % of 1RM again) will be higher than what you can manage for 3 sets of 10. This is higher total workload or mechanical work.

It's kind of important not to take things as absolutes. The fact is that even if the holy grail for your purpose is 8 reps, the best way to increase your capacity at 8 reps over the long term is certainly not going to be to do 8 reps all the time. Neural gains support hypertrophy development and the converse is also true. There is a synergistic relationship here and this is why people break through plateaus by training things that might not be the best to implement on a constant basis. For example, someone stuck on their 6 rep sets uses 3 sets of doubles to further increase the weight used (6 reps either way, just playing with density and using time/density to continue systematic increases in weights). Or the 20 rep squat program which can work wonders to break people through, heck even taking your 5RM and trying to get 20 total reps with it in a workout.

**b-boy** · 01-17-2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madcow2

It's important to realize that sets of repetitions are a sort of an artificial way of organizing work. Essentially do you really think that 10 singles with 5 seconds between them is much different from a 10 rep set? There is a time and density thing going on.

Also total workload is a factor. For instance the final phrase under the 1-3 rep definition in post 5: "Little to no protein turnover occurs when using this particular rep range as load is too high and mechanical work is too low. " This is making an assumption that you are using an intensity level (%1RM) that is somewhere near your 1-3RM or a very high percentage of it, and this is what keeps workload/machanical work low because you just can't hammer like this on any kind of consistent basis (Prilepin's table provides an intuitive grasp of this that is easy to Google and in wide use at WSB). Take for example the 10 sets of 3 program. Mechanical work is quite high, you are doing 30 total reps (same as 3 sets of 10) and this is possible because the intensity level will not be near your true 3RM - because you have to get all that work in. In addition, the intensity (this is % of 1RM again) will be higher than what you can manage for 3 sets of 10. This is higher total workload or mechanical work.

It's kind of important not to take things as absolutes. The fact is that even if the holy grail for your purpose is 8 reps, the best way to increase your capacity at 8 reps over the long term is certainly not going to be to do 8 reps all the time. Neural gains support hypertrophy development and the converse is also true. There is a synergistic relationship here and this is why people break through plateaus by training things that might not be the best to implement on a constant basis. For example, someone stuck on their 6 rep sets uses 3 sets of doubles to further increase the weight used (6 reps either way, just playing with density and using time/density to continue systematic increases in weights). Or the 20 rep squat program which can work wonders to break people through, heck even taking your 5RM and trying to get 20 total reps with it in a workout.

wow you guys really get techinal with the reps and workout thing huh?? ive noticed quite a few post stating studies on muscle fiber recrutement and what not.... amazing, i just K.I.S.S. none the less good post!!!!:service:

madcow2 · 01-17-2006, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b-boy

wow you guys really get techinal with the reps and workout thing huh?? ive noticed quite a few post stating studies on muscle fiber recrutement and what not.... amazing, i just K.I.S.S. none the less good post!!!!:service:

Oh I'm a big KISS advocate. Certain things just aren't as black and white as some believe and when you explain the 'shades of grey' you need a decent level of explanation to break through the black/white "unequivocable sanctioned facts". In the end, use big exercises, figure out how to lift more weight in them, and eat for your goal. It's actually even more simple than most make it out to be but these get screwed up routinely.

**powerman2000** · 01-17-2006, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b-boy

wow you guys really get techinal with the reps and workout thing huh?? ive noticed quite a few post stating studies on muscle fiber recrutement and what not.... amazing, i just K.I.S.S. none the less good post!!!!:service:

Yah, madcow really has a lot of knowledge and gives solid advice.

01-15-2006, 04:20 PM	#1
ShuttaLCD IronMass Vip Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: TEXAS Posts: 10 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	High weight Low rep Hey guys, I was thinking about changeing up my routene a bit. Heres what i want to do. We will take Bench just for example. I currently workout with 210lbsX5 X4 I was thinking about going to a higher weight say 225lbs (or whatever i can get 3 MABYE4 reps on) and do 225lbsX3 X4 Would 3 reps be benificial? Shouldnt you do 4-5? I am currently on a clean bulk. So would getting a weight that i can only do 3-4 reps on each set fro bench, squat, Dead Lift. Be very beneficial? i Have never tried it before and i was just curious to see if anyone else has done this and got nice results. Thank you! -Shutta __________________ S.N.S Board Rep. You never plan to FAIL....But you can always FAIL to plan..... "Once again I prove my point that steriods are not illegal because they are dangerous, they are illegal because people have tendencies to be complete idiots." -Wes Carnegie shuttalcd@seriousnutritionsolutions.com http://www.seriousnutritionsolutions.com

01-15-2006, 04:47 PM	#3
ShuttaLCD IronMass Vip Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: TEXAS Posts: 10 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	Peaked, Thanks man.. Yea i always do some good warm ups before hitting the weights hard. I'm not only looking to gain strength in those but yet put on some mass as well. I am sure that this will help me in acheving that? -Shutta __________________ S.N.S Board Rep. You never plan to FAIL....But you can always FAIL to plan..... "Once again I prove my point that steriods are not illegal because they are dangerous, they are illegal because people have tendencies to be complete idiots." -Wes Carnegie shuttalcd@seriousnutritionsolutions.com http://www.seriousnutritionsolutions.com

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01-15-2006, 04:44 PM	#2
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,297 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	1 set of 3-5 reps after warm-ups can be very beneficial to strength increases in those lifts. Bench, deadlift, and squat will probably will all go up and maybe adding in a day for dyanmic work would really help you out if your wanting strength in those lifts.

01-15-2006, 04:48 PM	#4
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,297 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	Yes, it will increase your strength--and then do some assistance work for hypertrophy gains. Such as a movement for 3-5 reps then for chest work would be some dumbbell presses for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.

01-15-2006, 07:21 PM	#6
DarkFalcon I've got a RAGING clue! Join Date: May 2005 Location: dnyc99's cleaning staff Posts: 12,526 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 309	I'd agree with most of that but consider the 20 rep squat is so good at growth I'd say the last statement is far to general.

01-15-2006, 11:35 PM	#7
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,297 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	I think he just copied that...

01-16-2006, 07:06 PM	#11
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,297 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	Glad you found your way here Andrew.

01-17-2006, 03:08 PM	#13
madcow2 New Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 7 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	It's important to realize that sets of repetitions are a sort of an artificial way of organizing work. Essentially do you really think that 10 singles with 5 seconds between them is much different from a 10 rep set? There is a time and density thing going on. Also total workload is a factor. For instance the final phrase under the 1-3 rep definition in post 5: "Little to no protein turnover occurs when using this particular rep range as load is too high and mechanical work is too low. " This is making an assumption that you are using an intensity level (%1RM) that is somewhere near your 1-3RM or a very high percentage of it, and this is what keeps workload/machanical work low because you just can't hammer like this on any kind of consistent basis (Prilepin's table provides an intuitive grasp of this that is easy to Google and in wide use at WSB). Take for example the 10 sets of 3 program. Mechanical work is quite high, you are doing 30 total reps (same as 3 sets of 10) and this is possible because the intensity level will not be near your true 3RM - because you have to get all that work in. In addition, the intensity (this is % of 1RM again) will be higher than what you can manage for 3 sets of 10. This is higher total workload or mechanical work. It's kind of important not to take things as absolutes. The fact is that even if the holy grail for your purpose is 8 reps, the best way to increase your capacity at 8 reps over the long term is certainly not going to be to do 8 reps all the time. Neural gains support hypertrophy development and the converse is also true. There is a synergistic relationship here and this is why people break through plateaus by training things that might not be the best to implement on a constant basis. For example, someone stuck on their 6 rep sets uses 3 sets of doubles to further increase the weight used (6 reps either way, just playing with density and using time/density to continue systematic increases in weights). Or the 20 rep squat program which can work wonders to break people through, heck even taking your 5RM and trying to get 20 total reps with it in a workout.