If you are working out for a certain goal, like building muscle or building strength, then you have to know that you need to use certain rep ranges for your goals. If you have not been paying attention to the rep ranges that you have been using, you are not training like you need to be. This article will show you the best rep ranges for any of your goals. First things first though:
What is a rep?
There are many definitions, but in weight training, a rep is the full movement of a certain exercise, like bench press. A rep usually includes a concentric phase, an eccentric phase, and at least one isometric phase. For instance, in a Bench Press, there is an isometric phase when the bar is at the top of the movement before it starts moving back down and when it is against your chest, before it starts moving back up. The concentric phase is when the bar is being pushed away from the body. The eccentric phase, or negative, is when your are lowering the bar down towards your chest. Now, on to the best rep ranges for your goals!
Strength
Rep Range
The best rep range for strength is 1-6 reps performed per set. Between 1-2 reps per set is focusing mostly on power. For maximal strength gains, 3 reps per set produces the most. The higher you go, the less you place on strength and the more you focus on hypertrophy.
What Are The Common Goals?
If you are training in this rep range, you are training for absolute power and maximal strength. Athletes that are involved in strength-based sports, most likely the more explosive sports, will benefit the most from this type of training. However, everybody should take part in strength training at some point or another, as it is very important to build a base strength.
Best Exercises
The best exercises for this rep range is heavy compound movements, like Bench Press and Squat, along with the Olympic lifts. Isolation exercise aren’t of much use here.
Hypertrophy
Rep Range
The hypertrophy rep range is between 6-12 reps. The lower extreme of this range focuses on hypertrophy and strength gains. The higher end of the spectrum focuses more on hypertrophy and endurance gains. The best number of reps to perform for maximum hypertrophy is 10. Performing 3 sets of 10 reps with heavy compound movements also produces the highest levels of testosterone and growth hormone in the blood.
What Are The Common Goals?
Hypertrophy is the most important thing in bodybuilding. If you want to get big, this the the rep range for you!
Best Exercises
In the lower end of the spectrum, you should be performing mostly compound movements. In the higher end of the spectrum, you can perform both compound and isolation movements.
Muscular Endurance
Rep Range
If you want to train for muscular endurance, you will want to be training with 12-20 range. 12 will focus on hypertrophy and endurance while 20 will be focusing on muscular endurance and aerobic endurance, making this number of reps very versatile. For the maximum muscular endurance level, 16 reps in the best to go with.
What Are The Common Goals?
Forget about getting toned. Higher reps do not lead to a toned body necessarily. Diet is also a very important factor in that. However, this rep range can be used for getting toned, or any sport that requires muscular endurance. Simply put, if you want to get toned, you can get your diet in check and do almost any of the rep ranges you want.
Best Exercises
Compound movements work here, although they tend to be more like bodyweight exercises, like push ups. If you want to use weight, you can. Isolation exercises are also popular to use in this rep range.
Aerobic Endurance
Rep Range
The rep range for aerobic endurance is anywhere above 20. 30 reps is great for aerobic endurance, but that doesn’t mean you should stop at 30. The limit only comes when you can’t do any more.
What Are The Common Goals?
The aerobic endurance rep range is commonly used for fat loss and people who are just looking to slim down, in general.
Best Exercises
Think about doing 20 or more burpees. You will get your heart rate going and be breathing very hard. That is aerobic endurance at its finest. Any exercise that you can think of that gets you to do that works fine!
Conclusion
Now you know what rep ranges you should be pursuing for your goals. The trick to reaching your goals as fast as possible is to train smarter, not harder (although you have to train hard to see results as well!).
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