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Group: General Fitness & Exercise

4-6 Rep Range

Zenkei18 Posts: 277 Joined: 2005/06/22	2005/10/19, 07:14 PM I know bbfit said this would be the optimal range for hypertrophy etc, why is it so much better for people who want to put on a lot of mass? I just totally remade my program with either old exercises I havent done in a long time or brand new ones in order to get off my plateau and am stepping up my calories quite a bit and the weight is coming back, what do I do for exercises where I can't get 4-6 reps, ie curls because you can't hold the dumbbell up etc... and why is that range so conducive to building muscle?
mikencharleston Posts: 1,585 Joined: 2002/01/09	2005/10/19, 07:19 PM I may not understand your question but if you can't make your target reps, use less weight. -------------- Mike in Pensacola Now.
Zenkei18 Posts: 277 Joined: 2005/06/22	2005/10/19, 07:30 PM No no no, I meant why is that rep range the best for bulking up etc.... and I know that its going to be about impossible to do 4-6 reps for things like for instance seated dumbbell curls because I can't even hold the weights up and ones I can only let me get about 15 reps etc so I don't know what to do.
yadmit Posts: 4,670 Joined: 2003/10/05	2005/10/19, 07:34 PM Lower reps and higher weights build muscle strength (heavy weight a few times)... while high reps and low weights build muscled endurance (lighter weights over a longer period of time)... t -------------- I am training for birthdays. Be here. Live. Love. Hope. Now. Faith. Believe. You. - Keith Urban
Zenkei18 Posts: 277 Joined: 2005/06/22	2005/10/19, 07:40 PM I thought that 1-3 would build primarily strength while 4-6 would build strength and hypertrophy etc... I have also read that it gives you a natural testosterone boost and makes you grow faster so wouldn't it be the best for building muscle, given you had predominantly fast twitch muscle there?
nellyboy Posts: 209 Joined: 2004/07/09	2005/10/20, 10:37 PM Guide to Rep Ranges (Adapted from Poliquin, Chek, Goss, Telle, Siff, etc) *Maximal Strength 1 to 8 Reps -Particularly 1 to 4 Reps *Hypertrophy 8 to 12+ Reps *Endurance 13+ Reps -Intensive: Greater than 50% of 1 RM -Extensive: Less than 50% of 1 RM The 4 to 6 Rep range is great for Maximal Strength gains with some hypertrophy as a added bonus.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2005/10/22, 10:26 PM For maximal strength, there is no reason to go over 5 reps. Poliquin recommends 1-3. Most powerlifters and olympic lifters train 1-3. Siff recommeds 1-5, if i am not mistaken. Hypertrophy gains begin at 5, while the optimal range is 8-12. As for WHY... This is the rep range that produces a TUT (time under tension) most condusive to building hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is increased the most in the form of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This is mostly water, and primarily glycogen based. If you want, I could go more in depth, but this would be touching into physiology. -------------- To have talent is to have limits. I have no talent therefor I have no limits. Steve Prefontaine If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
nellyboy Posts: 209 Joined: 2004/07/09	2005/10/22, 10:30 PM I agree but we're talking about general terms here. Strength will be developed more than hypertrophy up till around 8 reps. More of sematics than anything.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2005/10/23, 03:32 AM I know. I wasn't disagreeing, just going a bit more into specifics. -------------- To have talent is to have limits. I have no talent therefor I have no limits. Steve Prefontaine If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.