Fewer weights, more frequent reps


or


more weight, less frequen reps?

Depends, from what I've heard if you want to bulk up you lift high weights with low reps , but if you wanna gain lean muscle and muscle endurance then you lift low weights with high reps

maximal strenght : 1 - 6 reps
mass : 6 - 15 reps
endurance : 15 - ... reps

Depends, from what I've heard if you want to bulk up you lift high weights with low reps

That's not true. Lifting heavy doesn't make you bulk up. It helps you gain max strength.

Depends, from what I've heard if you want to bulk up you lift high weights with low reps , but if you wanna gain lean muscle and muscle endurance then you lift low weights with high reps

What mic573 said!

Besides that, what is the difference between bulking and gaining lean muscle? Gaining muscle IS bulking. "lean muscle" just means no fat. Heavy weight/low reps does NOT make you gain fat!

Anyway Bobby pretty much outlined it. Just wanted to point out that a few of the things you said are contradictory. You know, like saying "light black" :)

yeah, lifting weights will not make you gain muscle unless you follow a diet in which you eat more calories than you burn. As for lifting weights, I'd do both, both heavy with low reps and low with many reps. This way, as said before, you work both your limit strength and endurance strength.

The best thing you can say about weight lifting is:



http://www.oyemag.com/images/bull****.jpg

The best thing you can say about weight lifting is:



http://www.oyemag.com/images/bull****.jpg



Weightlifting is bull****?

strength and muscle go hand in hand if you increase strength there will usually be a corresponding increase in muscle size, but following a bodybuilding weightlifting regime willl gain you lots of muscular stamina and muscle size, i believe low reps are the way to go: 2-6 for shoulders and arms 5-9 for back(lats traps etc) and 15-20 for legs

Actually that is incorrect. The small muscle groups react better to a higher number of reps, basically. So bizeps and triceps for instance should be worked in the 10-15 rep range.

Actually that is incorrect. The small muscle groups react better to a higher number of reps, basically. So bizeps and triceps for instance should be worked in the 10-15 rep range.

Depends on what you mean by react? Strengthwise? Sizewise?

I do agree that hemichromis got it backwards, especially if we're talking hypertrophy. But worrying about muscle groups is the wrong way to think for athletisism. For instance, doing specific bicep and tricep exercises is pointless.

Compound exercises are the way to go, and the rep range should be low, 6 and less, and the work load (number of sets/reps)should be pretty low too (depending on which training cycle you're in).

You DON'T have to increase muscle to increase strength!!!! Neural training!!

for boxing, would 6-8 reps with 3-4 sets for each compound exercise be ok in order to build power?

for boxing, would 6-8 reps with 3-4 sets for each compound exercise be ok in order to build power?

Well, simply put, I'd recommend a mix ranging from singles (1 rep, 10 to 15 "sets") to 6 reps, and keep the total rep number at 25 or below. The bigger (ex. squats, deadlifts) the exercise, the fewer reps, the more explosive (ex. powercleans) the exercise fewer reps.

My guys do a lot of singles and 3's on heavy days, and we mix it up with lighter explosive days with 6, sometimes even 8 reps.

Well, simply put, I'd recommend a mix ranging from singles (1 rep, 10 to 15 "sets") to 6 reps, and keep the total rep number at 25 or below. The bigger (ex. squats, deadlifts) the exercise, the fewer reps, the more explosive (ex. powercleans) the exercise fewer reps.

My guys do a lot of singles and 3's on heavy days, and we mix it up with lighter explosive days with 6, sometimes even 8 reps.

how many times a week do you guys lift weights?? I heard 2-3 times a week is enough usually. Also do you guys just do squats,deadlifts and powercleans?? or any other compound exercises? are those pretty much the 3 main ones?

how many times a week do you guys lift weights?? I heard 2-3 times a week is enough usually. Also do you guys just do squats,deadlifts and powercleans?? or any other compound exercises? are those pretty much the 3 main ones?

2-3 times is more than enough. Depends on how much you train already. We train 6-10 times a week, so with all that training, it's hard to get enough recovery time for 3 weight sessions a week (especially when people still have to go to work/school). We do 1-2, depending on the rest of the training, and scheduled bouts etc.

Squats, deadlifts, powercleans, stepups, lunges, full contact twists, benchpress, upright neider press, one arm dumbell press, military press, pullups, bend over rows, power snatch, dips, evil wheel... the list goes on.

What I try to incorporate every session is a push movement and a pull movement for lower body, and a push movement and pull movement for upper body. Ex. 1. Squat/deadlift - one arm dumbell press/pullups.
Ex. 2. Stepups/powercleans - bend over rows/benchpress.

We also do a ****load of medicineball throws for power endurance (way better and more specific than doing high rep weights!), powerpunching drills on heavybag with weighted cuffs on the gloves (1-2lbs), and a bunch of other stuff.

i'm getting dizzy reading this stuff

i'm getting dizzy reading this stuff

Haha, why? :)

In short, when weight training you are working on one or more of 3 components, Static Strength, Dynamic Strength, and Muscular Endurance. (the component you mentioned "Power" is a combination of your strength and speed) A boxer that is concerned with increasing his power should perform weight lifting excercises in the low to mid-range of reps(4-8, with weight chosen based on those reps) with an emphasis on pressing the weight in a thrust. (by thrust i mean pressing the weight quickly and powerfully but ALWAYS controlled and in proper form, also as an option to help your static strength as well i would suggest lowering the weight twice as slowly as you pressed it). Less repititions and greater weight will result in greater strength gains but IMO would yeild you less power then would be gotten when performing more reps and slightly less weight in the form outlined above. High reps with lower weight do not build static/dynamic strength nearly as much but instead focus on muscular endurance.

In short, when weight training you are working on one or more of 3 components, Static Strength, Dynamic Strength, and Muscular Endurance. (the component you mentioned "Power" is a combination of your strength and speed) A boxer that is concerned with increasing his power should perform weight lifting excercises in the mid-range of reps(6-12, with weight chosen based on those reps) with an emphasis on pressing the weight in a thrust. (by thrust i mean pressing the weight quickly and powerfully but ALWAYS controlled and in proper form, also as an option to help your static strength as well i would suggest lowering the weight twice as slowly as you pressed it). Less repititions and greater weight will result in greater strength gains but IMO would yeild you less power then would be gotten when performing more reps and slightly less weight in the form outlined above. High reps with lower weight do not build static/dynamic strength nearly as much but instead focus on muscular endurance.

Wrong. 6-12 rep is mainly for hypertrophy, with a little bit of strength thrown in. 6 and less is predominantly for strength, with a POSSIBILITY for hypertrophy, if the workload and calorie intake is high enough. Therefore 6 reps and less, with a low workload (workload means amount of set/reps) is optimal for strength gains, which is really what you want from weights. Endurance etc. is better trained with other methods/tools.

I also think you might have gotten your strength definitions mixed up slightly. The main type of strength normally associated with "strength gains" is Max strength. Then there's relative strength (also a real good thing for an athlete in a weight divided sport), general strength, specific strength, strength reserve etc. that aren't as applicable to this discussion.

Static strength is the amount of force you can hold in one place ie. you're not moving the weight, just holding it. Dynamic strength and muscular endurance is close to being the same thing, and I don't see how either of the 3 have anything to do with training in the 6-12 rep range?? For static strength, you'd have to do isometric exercises, which is just holding a certain weight. No reps there. The other two should be trained at higher reps, 15+, so they don't apply either.

Since power is correlated to max strength (higher max strength menas a higher potential for power development). 6 reps and less will give higher max strength, with less added mass (than 6-12). This doesn't mean you have greater power automatically. The gain in strength should be converted to power through ballistic and plyometric training. For boxing, a couple of great ways to do that, are medicine ball throws mimicking punches, and weighted cuffs on your gloves for heavybag sessions.

I knew i was going to get cracked by a new age trainer, my advice was straight from a book assigned in KIN 307 (INT. Weight Training). Side note: i realized my rep error and edited it 17 minutes before your post. When you said that static strength is only involved with isometric excercise, this is true obviously because static means non-moving/changing, but on the lowering of the weight you are still essentially performing an isometric excercise. I will not however advocate reps of any less then 4 as they are relatively worthless for muscle overload and reps as great as 8 can still result in great strength gains.

Again, you don't have your definitions straight. Here's 2 misconceptions in your latest post:

1. Lowering the weight is not an isometric exercise but an eccentric!

2. You don't want muscle overload for strength, that's for hypertrophy. You want neural adaptations, and they are best trained at 6 reps and less. Singles (1rep) are great for strength, and realtively safe as well, since you can focus better on just 1 rep, correct technique is easier to maintain since you don't fatigue etc...

Edit: Huh, you deleted your post?

Again, you don't have your definitions straight. Here's 2 misconceptions in your latest post:

1. Lowering the weight is not an isometric exercise but an eccentric!

2. You don't want muscle overload for strength, that's for hypertrophy. You want neural adaptations, and they are best trained at 6 reps and less. Singles (1rep) are great for strength, and realtively safe as well, since you can focus better on just 1 rep, correct technique is easier to maintain since you don't fatigue etc...

Edit: Huh, you deleted your post?
Decided i would concede to your superior knowledge in this area, now you have me reading again. It's been a long time since I've studied this garbage.

Decided i would concede to your superior knowledge in this area, now you have me reading again. It's been a long time since I've studied this garbage.

Hehe, it ain't garbage! ;)

It's all garbage :p, Hajime no ippo. Excellent.

It's all garbage :p, Hajime no ippo. Excellent.

Ippo knows how to train! If all my fighters trained like that, I'd be famous! :D

Shonen anime characters always have heart and determination and Ippo is no exception, and as we know from one of my favorite quotes. "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

I'll hit the books in my spare time, and continue to improve my routine/knowledge base, hope to see you around the forums.

Man what the hell are you guys talking about? :(

some gay cartoons

some gay cartoons

Thanks for the input. Simply invaluable.

Fewer weights, more frequent reps or more weight, less frequen reps?

First of all, what is your goal in the first place? Is it to gain more lean muscle mass or to improve sports performance (ex: boxing)?

To gain lean muscle mass, you should train with heavy weights at around 70-80% of your 1-rep max for an exercise. Reps should be around 5-8 and adjust the number of sets so that you'll get enough volume/workload to stimulate the muscle. A good number of sets is 5, and this excludes your warm-up sets. Start counting the sets when you hit your first work set. For muscle building purposes, stick to compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, and presses. These exercises make it possible for you to use a lot of weight while still stimulating several muscle groups at the same time.

To enhance performance in sports (like boxing), you should focus more on explosiveness when doing the exercises. You should still stick within the 5-8 rep range but choose exercises that require fast execution, like dumbbell swings, dumbbell snatches, clean & presses, etc.

hey....

i understood the last guy....

listen..jest do it. It is better than not doing it. Unless ya pull a muscle its going to make you more fit...I went and used a football designed machine, a ground base jammer...holy feck..your whole body explodes the weights up...do 3 sets of ten to 12...

if its for looking better and for looks, do 6-12 reps...if ur doing it for a sport, keep the reps under than 5

More sparring, less weights......

More sparring, less weights......

I only spar, very leisurly(sp?) during the summer, bull****tin with my friends. I'm just trying to gain muscle and maintain my speed, for basketball.