okay, i have heard of these 3 different ways to lift:

1. heavy weight, almost near your 1 rep max. for 1-5 reps

2. your normal weight, 75-80% of 1 rep max. the usual 8-12 reps

3. much lighter. not sure of % and number of reps, but i figure 50% and 12 reps?


now apparent these 3 methods have different effects.

would someone care to clarify these methods and their effectiveness?

1. Mainly strength, but you will gain some good size. It won't just be "beach muscle". Think, powerlifters, strongmen, etc. (Ignore the whole body composition sh*t. Many of those guys don't give a f*ck about bf%. Pay attention to the strength and overall size of those bad mother f*ckers)

2. Generally "beach muscle". Good deal of muscular hypertrophy but it's not as strong due to the lighter weights used. It looks pretty, though. Think bodybuilders and your average teen lifter.

3. Endurance. You won't gain a whole lot of size like this. Think soccer/world football players?

the three 'ways' you've listed are all individually suboptimal for the average lifter.

most of us experience a good balance between size & strength using 2 or 3 sets of 5-8 reps for most exercises after warming up adequately (which is nearly always more sets & reps of lighter weight than you think). you can get your beach muscle faster (if that's your thing) & it sticks around more permanently this way.

some advocate using some or all of these in particular combinations to hit your muscles in different ways through a one or two week cycle. this is certainly unnecessary for beginning and intermediate lifters who should focus primarily on building strength in the core, back, and legs using big ass compound lifts with the heaviest weight they can safely mange and still execute proper form.

all of that said, nutrition & rest are more important than rep range, since you grow when you're outside the gym.

Another: 60% of your 1 rep maximum can be done for 2-3 reps on exercises like the Olympic lifts, to work on explosiveness. The reps are low like this to be able to do them as explosively as possible but maintaining good form throughout.

Light weights high reps work on your endurance. Like very low weight squats for 20-25 reps work your stamina well, example.