How Many Reps Build Muscle?
The Myth of High vs Low Reps
If you're looking to add some serious muscle to your frame, you might be wondering what the best rep range is.
When it comes to building muscle, there is a lot of debate among experts as to the rep range will determine the results you achieve.
It’s often assumed that if you want to ‘bulk up’, then you should perform fewer reps with heavier weights. Conversely, if you want to ‘cut up’ and lose fat, then you should use lighter weights and do more reps. But in reality, this isn’t the case at all!
Let’s take a look at why this is wrong and explore how muscle growth actually works.
The Science Behind Muscle Growth
Muscles grow from the stress applied to them over time. That means that if you want to build bigger muscles, then it doesn’t matter so much what rep range you use — as long as you are pushing yourself hard in the gym and challenging yourself with each session.
As a general rule, I would say an effective rep range is between 15-25 reps. This allows for enough time under tension for your muscles without straining your body too much or risking injury by lifting too heavy.
Making Real Progress
But once again, simply going through the motions of 15-25 reps isn’t enough either! To really make progress in the gym, you need to increase the tension on your muscles over time.
You can do this by using different techniques:
Drop sets (reducing weight but keeping reps high)
Slow movements (slowing down during each rep)
Tension to failure (performing an exercise until you can’t go anymore)
Isometric holds (pausing the weight at peak contraction or anywhere in the range of motion)
Tri-set exercises (3 sets performed with minimal rest in between).
We incorporate the last 4 techniques into our workout programs.
These methods help to further challenge your muscles while also allowing them to recover between sessions so they can continue growing bigger and stronger.
Focus On Quality Over Quantity
Finally, it's important to remember that quality matters more than quantity when it comes to your workouts!
Don’t get too hung up on rep range. I know it’s easier said than done, especially if you’re looking for answers as to why your muscles aren’t growing.
If this is the case, then follow our Tension Trio workout program. It’s the program I have personally done for years and have seen amazing results.
It’s a total of 24 reps, broken out into 3 sets of 8.
The first 2 sets of 8 are done back to back.
The first 8 reps are done with the Tension Toner bar pulled apart. The second 8 reps are done without pulling the bar apart. Then there’s an 8 second rest. And then the third and final set is with the bar pulled apart for 8 reps.
Here’s a graphic to help you visualize the sequence.
Each rep should be performed with a strong connection to the target muscle group while avoiding momentum wherever possible.
Focus on deliberate movement and keep proper form even when fatigue starts setting in — otherwise your risk injuring yourself or not achieving maximum results from each session!
Conclusion
To sum things up, don’t believe everything people tell you about high vs low reps — because there are ways to manipulate reps to increase tension on your muscles. And when you have tension, you have results!
Muscles don't differentiate between light weight/high reps or heavy weight/low reps — they just respond positively from any type of tension applied on them over time.
So instead of worrying about what rep range is best for bulking or cutting up, focus on pushing yourself hard each workout and gradually increasing tension over time through different methods like tri-sets or slow movements!
That way, you can maximize your results and achieve real progress in the gym without risking injury along the way!
Get our workout booklet which helps you keep track of the reps you need to build muscle. It comes free with every purchase of Tension Toner!
