Ideal number of reps for weight lifting?

[Gamisch]

What do you guys say? Some say 3x 8 other say 5x5 for example.

 

[EyeBRollin]

What do you guys say? Some say 3x 8 other say 5x5 for example.

3-5 reps. Not more than 5.

 

[Gamisch]

Over the years I tried different ways and for me personally 3x8 is perfect for strength and mass gains, but everyone responds differently and this is what works for me

If you want to focus solaly on strength then below 5, so it depends on your goals

I've been boxing for years so my posture is lean( if I don't let myself go, which i learned the hard way last year). I still box occasionally but I do wanna get a little bigger while maintaining my speed . But boxing slowly get pushed to a second place behind weightlifting. I am 81/84 kilos ,1.85 and have 17% bodyfat now (begin of December it was 25%) .

I obviously look way better now and start to get a good physical form, a nice V shape. I have a crazy talent to push limits with calhestnics and do 100 pushups, 40 pullups ect. So,when in shape my body always returns to that lean look. But I am getting older and prefer to get some bigger, as the lean look also makes you look younger in a bad way.

So basically I wanna get slighty bigger, MUCH stronger, i am chasinh PR's as weightlifting is new to me.

I don't use anything, no protein powder nothing , and i hardly ever drink alcohol or eat fastfood (once a month maybe 3 weeks)

 

[Gamisch]

3-5 reps. Not more than 5.

Can you elaborate on this please?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

What do you guys say? Some say 3x 8 other say 5x5 for example.

There is no such thing.

It's all dependant on what your goals are and what you are training for.

 

[Gamisch]

There is no such thing.

It's all dependant on what your goals are and what you are training for.

Like i said, to get stronger, a little bigger and yet stay flexible and fast.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Like i said, to get stronger, a little bigger and yet stay flexible and fast.

This should be helpful.

Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum

Loading recommendations for resistance training are typically prescribed along what has come to be known as the “repetition continuum”, which proposes that the number of repetitions performed at a given magnitude of load will result in ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

.

 

[Gamisch]

This should be helpful.

Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum

Loading recommendations for resistance training are typically prescribed along what has come to be known as the “repetition continuum”, which proposes that the number of repetitions performed at a given magnitude of load will result in ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

.

Wow that's really interesting. Thanks a lot .

 

[EyeBRollin]

Can you elaborate on this please?

3-5 reps are optimal for strength gains. Size comes naturally with strength. Work on getting as strong as possible.

 

[LTG71]

What do you guys say? Some say 3x 8 other say 5x5 for example.

I found this guide a while ago. I try to maintain proper form so for large muscle groups I tend to use the “size” column and for smaller groups I tend to use the “endurance“ column. I found a cool app to keep track of everything. Has a timer between sets, also a second timer if needed. You create your workout from a huge list of exercises or make custom ones if not available. I paid the one time ~$15 for the lifetime uprades. I build my workout based on suggestions from the guy from Athleanx. I watched all the videos in the playlist below. Took a while but would rather be educated than waste time or get injured. I’m usually doing something like 3-4 sets, 8-20 reps.

https://youtube.com/@athleanx

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRS2DE4P39EdxZPWM4YWHbsH727VGXqby

GymBook ・ Strength Training App - App Store

Download GymBook ・ Strength Training by Appwise GmbH on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like GymBook ・ Strength…

apps.apple.com

 

[EyeBRollin]

RE Subjectivity... Data supports that the last 5 reps to failure

Which data? I never trained specifically to failure. Just continued overloading the bar over time

 

[EyeBRollin]

Read into these as much as you want, but all signs point towards training to failure as the predominant source of progress in well-trained individuals. If you aren't "well trained" then you probably don't need to go to failure.

To be clear, I have trained to failure as part of a progressive overload programming. Failure just wasn’t the specific goal of the training. At some point we all hit some plateaus that take a while to break through.

 

[EyeBRollin]

If I could make an unsolicited suggestion:

Take a look at Jordan Peters training Trained By JP and give it a go for a couple months. It's all failure based training, as in - failure is the goal. If you're significantly trained, this will probably put some new growth on you. Not sure if you saw my picture in another thread or not, but most dudes that I know who are bigger than me are using this system - or ones with very similar fundamentals (being failure training).

Unfortunately I don’t have the appetite for any more growth (no pun intended). Been going in the other direction weight wise. Focused on cardio and longevity. I ended somewhere between the high end intermediate and low end advanced range. Squatting and deadlifting 2BW and 2.5BW for triples, respectively.

I don’t like to eat and sleep that much.. I don’t miss the DOMS either. Haha.

 

[Ricky]

If I could make an unsolicited suggestion:

Take a look at Jordan Peters training Trained By JP and give it a go for a couple months. It's all failure based training, as in - failure is the goal. If you're significantly trained, this will probably put some new growth on you. Not sure if you saw my picture in another thread or not, but most dudes that I know who are bigger than me are using this system - or ones with very similar fundamentals (being failure training).

Is it like HIIT? One set to failure? I made some pretty good strength gains on that back in the day.

 

[Murk]

I stay 8-12 for most, my triceps respond better to low reps though, my lateral raises higher rep. I generally don't go lower rep range as I train alone and already got an injury last year, I alternate between higher and lower reps after 6-8 weeks. My biceps got a lot bigger in higher reps then I switched to lower recently. Log it all in excel so can easily glance over 1-2 months reps/sets/weight, I'm a bit OCD with my spreadsheets.

 

[Murk]

Cool, me too!

Here I thought I was the only one.

Nice, similar, I don't do "tonnage" but that would be more accurate to check total volume rather than reps/sets/weight.

HOw do you get it on your phone? Google?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33497853/

The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training - PubMed

The quest to increase lean body mass is widely pursued by those who lift weights. Research is lacking, however, as to the best approach for maximizing exercise-induced muscle growth. Bodybuilders generally train with moderate loads and fairly short rest intervals that induce high amounts of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Full Text

Read into these as much as you want, but all signs point towards training to failure as the predominant source of progress in well-trained individuals. If you aren't "well trained" then you probably don't need to go to failure.

I used to love running Vince Gironda's "Honest Man" workouts, his famous 8x8's. Did them exactly as he did...30 seconds or less between supersetting 2 exercises for 8 reps each, 8 sets total, then changed exercises and repeated. Did this with a total of 8 exercises, so 4 complete sets. Usually took about 45 minutes and would do the same workout once in the morning and again in the evening as he did.

Super intense training, tons of volume, definitely high intermediate-advanced level training but results were amazing. Would run this 6 weeks and usually did it every 6 months, followed by deload periods after.

Not enough people know about Vince Gironda and his methodologies but for my money he is one of the best resources out there for a natural person looking to build an aesthetic physique. He is known as the father of modern day bodybuilding for a reason.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Cool, me too!

Here I thought I was the only one.

This is the basis behind Escalating Density Training(EDT).

Except it's more time based rather than rep based...ie, set a time for 8 minutes, pick 2 exercises and then do a set number of reps for each one before switching to the other. Back and forth between them until time runs out. Count the reps and add up the tonnage, then try to beat it next time out by either doing more reps or increasing the weight.

Usually best done with opposing muscle groups, ie, bent over rows and dumbbell presses.

Pick 3-4-5 sets to do and get after it with little to no rest between sets.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

His methods are severely dated and not based in science or widespread anecdotal evidence. Not saying they won't work - almost anything can be done to make someone look jacked, but they are not the most effective by any means.

Failure training 3x a week once into the intermediate phases of lifting, combined with quality food intake, will do more than anything Gironda has put out there. Sorry to poo-pooh your dude.

Must be pretty good...I was bigger and stronger than you without steroids. At age 40+

 

[IKO69]

I used to love running Vince Gironda's "Honest Man" workouts, his famous 8x8's. Did them exactly as he did...30 seconds or less between supersetting 2 exercises for 8 reps each, 8 sets total, then changed exercises and repeated. Did this with a total of 8 exercises, so 4 complete sets. Usually took about 45 minutes and would do the same workout once in the morning and again in the evening as he did.

Super intense training, tons of volume, definitely high intermediate-advanced level training but results were amazing. Would run this 6 weeks and usually did it every 6 months, followed by deload periods after.

Not enough people know about Vince Gironda and his methodologies but for my money he is one of the best resources out there for a natural person looking to build an aesthetic physique. He is known as the father of modern day bodybuilding for a reason.

I am unfamiliar with his 8x8 method, but I will for sure read about it later after I am done with work. I am familiar with the personality. Gironda dips are one of my favorite callisthenic exercises and I do a ton of them on chest day.

Anyways I've always kept the rep range between 6-8. In terms of sets I will do about 4 for each exercise. I do about 4 exercises per each body part. I've pretty much always done it this way except for a few years ago when I read a mens health mag that had Wladimir Klitschko's workout. He did high volume with lower weight - going for endurance I guess. I gave up on it after a few weeks and went back to what I always did. My back, shoulders and arms are kind of big - my chest could use a bit more work but training the chest is something i've never been really that crazy about (I know it is most guys favorite).

Experimentation is the answer for the OP. You have to experiment and eventually you'll find a system that works. Mainly whatever you do, you want it to be challenging. By the end you want to know you got a good work out in,