Workout - Mixed Rep Ranges

[944fan]

My limited understanding of the science behind weight lifting gives the following guidance.

For max strength reps should be 4-6
For muscle growth reps should 8
For endurance reps should be 10-12

I was looking for a new routine as I am a little bored with 5x5. I found a 3 day split routine which did upper and lower exercises over 3 days, 1 day rest in between.

Day 1 is said do 4 set of 8 reps
Day 2 is 5 sets of 5 reps
Day 3 is 3 set of 12

What is the idea behind different sets and rep ranges on different days? Am I going to expect to see small gains in strength/size/endurance or will I be doing so little in anyone area that I am unlike to see much gain?

I have been lifting for a while and my main aims are strength and weight loss.

[didelydoo]

I'd really not stress about rep ranges, use a mix of high and low, and get stronger across them all. Possibly err on the lower side for big compound movements, particularly deadlifts.

Personally I like heavy singles/doubles or triples to start, then some 5-8 reppers, then some high rep (10-20) stuff.

[popeyewhite]

For max power reps should be 1-3
For max strength reps should be 3-6
For muscle growth reps should 8-12
For endurance reps should be 14-?

[RJB_666]

I'd recomend looking into Neil Hills Y3T training. Workouts run on a 3 week cycle. 1st week is 4 sets of 6-8 reps. 2nd week is more like 4 sets of 12-14 and the 3rd week is more like sets of 16-20 reps including triple drops sets on some excersises. I've done this for 12 weeks and noticed a good improvement aesthetic and size wise. Constantly keeps your body guessing and aching week in week out.

[chris watton]

I think didelydoo has it spot on, and it also works well for me - low reps and heavy for the main compounds and 8-12+ reps for all secondary's.

For the compounds, when you're near your limit for the 5 reps, even those 5 reps seem a lot when every rep tests your whole body (especially Squats and Deadlifts)

Sometimes, adding an extra drop set of 8-12 reps after the compounds is great for extra torture, and great for weight loss, I imagine..

[Halb]

The wiki has some very good articles.

https://www.t-nation.com/training/22-proven-rep-sc...

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/tried-and-true-b...

https://www.t-nation.com/training/how-many-reps-sh...