Many people want to achieve a physique with maximum muscle and minimum fat percentage. They workout daily , do weight training and still sometimes they don't get the results they expect. A reason for this can be the way you do your strength training in the gym.
This topic generally concerns beginners who have just started doing weight training and they don't have a clear understanding of what should be their correct rep range for their fitness goals. Most of the trainers in the gym don't explain the process how everything goes , they just tell what exercises to do , nothing else !
In this article , i will explain you what should be your rep range while weight training for different fitness goals.
MASTER YOUR TECHNIQUE
Everyone who go to gym have a goal in mind , either it is muscle building , or fat loss or weight loss. We should not forget that we should exercise and take diet based on our fitness goals.
While exercising , your main aim should be to use the weight you are lifting in the most effective way , to maximise your muscle growth. And to do that you have to keep in mind that your form / technique , while lifting weights should be correct.
All trainers out there suggests that you should lift heavy weights to build more muscle , which is true to some extent. We should life heavy weight until and unless it hinders our form. Correct form of exercise is something which is the most important aspect for muscle building and people don't understand that. You should life heavy weights up to the extent that your form is correct.
If you are lifting weights without a proper form it will not help you achieve your goals in any way. In fact lifting heavy weights without proper form can sometimes injure you as well. If you are a beginner , you should take as much time it takes to master your form.
You should have heard from many people that for optimum muscle growth you should do all exercises with 8 - 12 reps. But if ask them why , most of them won't be able to answer. I will explain this.
REP RANGE FOR DIFFERENT FITNESS GOALS
When we do 8 - 12 reps , we train muscle fibres in hypertrophy , which is responsible for our muscle growth. Now you must have seen people doing only 5-6 reps sometimes , and some people doing 15-20 reps also. Why do they do that?
When we do less than or equal to 6 reps , our power is increased. This range of repetitions is responsible to increase our muscle power and strength. You must have seen many power lifters doing only 2-4 reps of squats with excessive heavy weight. But you must have not seen a bodybuilder doing so. Reason being , power lifters train for power and bodybuilders train for size.
And if you are doing 12 or more repetitions they you are training your muscles for endurance , which is also helpful for your fat loss goals (for only a short duration like 2 weeks , after that only muscle endurance is trained and if continued for longer can also lead to muscle loss). But we either don't get any or we get only a little muscle building effect in this endurance range.
Take a skinny guy for example , if you ask him to do 50 push ups , he will be able to do it , but he won't be able to do 3 reps with 100 kg weight as he has trained only in the Endurance range. Similarly , if you ask a power lifter to do 3 reps with 150 kg , we will easily do it , but he won't be able to do 50 push ups because he has trained only in the Power range.
Since the range of <=6 reps will train your muscles for Power , and the range of >=12 reps will train your muscles for Endurance , therefore the ideal range for muscle building and fat loss is said to be between 6 - 12 repetitions. This 6 - 12 range is the best for muscle building results and even for fat loss , as in this range we get both Strength and Endurance which is ideal for beginners and Intermediate level people.
There is a misconception that to gain muscle we should train in 6 - 8 rep range , and for fat loss we should train in 12 - 20 rep range , which is not true , because training in endurance range for more than 2 weeks will not give you any fat loss results in fact yo will just keep on training the endurance of your muscles , and can eventually lead to muscle loss , this why marathon runners are skinny , as they train their bodies for endurance.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Now i have told you how our body works in different rep ranges , you should always workout and lift weights based on your fitness goals. For beginners the ideal range can be 6 - 12 reps , but you should always focus on your form first , try to master your form before increasing the weight your are lifting.
Good form is what helps to build a proper mind muscle connection , which helps us to get peak contraction in our muscles and we are able to train our muscle fibres better.
Always remember you get the best results , not only by working hard in the gym , but by also taking a proper diet (with all three macro nutrients) and taking proper rest (7 - 8 hours of sleep in a day). Only 1 hour in the gym doesn't make you fit it is the life of 23 hours outside the gym which matters the most.
Do share your thoughts about this article in the comment section below and tell me if the above methods worked for you.
For people following a fat loss , program check out my article on How to reduce excess body fat.
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