By Dayne Hudson
Some debates will never end.
Many swear by the notion that low reps are the best for muscle growth whist others lift lighter believing it's just as effective.
I've written about this and interviewed researchers about it before - but the issue many have had (especially in the heavy lifting camp) is that the studies weren't done into trained subjects....
Until now (1).
If you're as excited as I am - then keep reading!
TRAINED SUBJECTS - HEAVY v LIGHTER LIFTING
This recent research has taken 18 men between the ages of 18-35 with:
- No injuries
- Free of any anabolic steriods or other drugs for 12 months
- Lifting experience; at least 3 times a week for a year regularly doing bench press and squats.
To hear from one of the authors:
"The range of lifting experience for all subjects was between 1.5 and 9 years of consistent training."
And yes, they all trained to muscle failure!
So there we go - these guys weren't mucking around. This is a study that the consistent natural gym goer can really get something out of to add to his/her training!
The subjects were then placed into 1 of 2 groups: a high rep group (25-35 repetitions every set for every exercise) or a low rep group (8-12 reps every set for every exercise).
During each workout, conducted 3 times per week for 8 weeks, the subjects in both groups did 3 sets of 7 diferent exercises covering all the major muscles.
The workouts were nonconsecutive, giving the subjects time to rest. Dietary intake was also tracked; another strong point of the study.
The exercises performed were: barbell military press, flat barbell press, wide grip lat pulldown, seated cable row, barbell back squat, machine leg press, and machine leg extension.
Within an hour of each workout subjects consumed a protein shake packing 24 grams of protein and 1g of carbohydrate.
Take a look at the graph below comparing the growth in the biceps, triceps and quadriceps for both low and high reps.
As you can see, both high and low reps allowed for significant muscle growth in the biceps, triceps and quadriceps.
Let's start at the far left in the biceps column; it appears as if the high reps blew the low reps away, but surprisingly it was a non-significant difference (8.6% increase vs 5.3% increase).
The elbow extensor column (triceps) was 5.2% (high reps) v 6%, (low reps) and as far as the quadriceps went, it was 9.5% for the high reps vs 9.3% in the low reps.
So like the biceps, both the triceps and the quadriceps weren't significantly altered in terms of muscle size by either rep range.
So what were the differences then?
HIGH REPS v LOW REPS FOR MUSCLE STRENGTH
Not surprisingly, low reps were superior for developing the one rep max (strength) of the subjects. Take a look at the graph below:
NOTE: For those who may not be aware, 1RM stands for "one rep max" - the amount of weight you can safely lift only once. It's a way to measure strength.
So as you can see above in the graph, lifting heavier means you'll get stronger - no surprises here, this has been shown time and time again in research papers.
And you can see how the low reps improved the 1RM for squats by 19.6% vs 8.8%, while for bench press strength those doing low reps experienced a 6.5% increase vs a 2% increase.
The last 2 columns on the far right show muscle endurance in the bench press, lifting at 50% of their 1RM to failure. Obviously, muscle endurance was improved much more in the high rep group as opposed to the low rep group.
Essentially, a powerlifter wouldn't have much muscle endurance because they only train in the low rep range.
All this fresh exciting data led the researchers to conclude:
"Findings indicate that both high load and low load training to failure can elicit significant increases in muscle hypertrophy among well-trained young men; however, high load (low reps) training is superior for maximizing strength adaptations"
HIGH REPS AND LOW REPS IN YOUR GYM WORKOUT PROGRAM
So what do we take away from this?
As I have mentioned to you before, it's best to train in both the low and high rep range and I'm glad this study backs up my recommendations!
Periodising your program really is important to get the best of both worlds in respect to muscle growth.
Now obviously if you're a powerlifter, you'll be sticking to the low rep range because this study backs up many others that show high reps aren't as efficient as low reps for strength gains.
But what this study does do is silence those gurus who claim that only heavy lifting is the way forward for muscle growth.
Neither low or high reps are better than the other for muscle growth - BOTH are beneficial.
So use a combination of low reps and high reps in your training program, and be sure that science is on your side for more gains!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
REFERENCES
(1) Schoenfeld, et al. "Effects of Low- Versus High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Publish Ahead of Print. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958
