Workout with low weight and lots of repetitions. How many approaches and repetitions need to be done to increase the mass and strength

You train hard, but the body doesn't change? If so, then you may be training with the wrong repetition range. The number of approaches and repetitions depends entirely on your goals, be it an increase muscle mass   and strength, or fat burning. Training to gain weight is different from training to increase strength. You will not get bigger or stronger by doing hundreds of repetitions. This is true, muscle growth can be achieved simply by changing the number of repetitions. But at the same time there are several rules that must be followed.

So how many approaches and repetitions need to be performed to increase mass and strength?

Ask 10 people about how many approaches and reps are best done, and you will get 10 different answers. Most trainers will say that a small number of repetitions should be done for the mass, and for muscle tone (toning) a large one. Such an overly simplistic approach may hinder the achievement of your goals. The optimal number of repetitions depends on a number of factors, such as:

• Age and level of fitness
• Body type
• Body composition (muscle to fat ratio)
• Purpose of fitness
• Training frequency
• Training intensity

Muscles can grow with a low (1-5), high (13-20), medium (6-12) and even very high (21-50) number of repetitions, if you train to muscle failure or with a high intensity of effort. This means that you cannot avoid large weights and the corresponding number of repetitions. The question comes down to your goals and personal needs.

If you train for many years, your body becomes smarter. To increase strength and muscle growth, you will need to constantly change the number of repetitions and adjust the training program. What worked a year ago may not work today. The body adapts, grows and reaches a certain limit. To overcome it, you need to change the approach to training and nutrition.

According to research, peak muscle growth occurs between 70% and 85% of your 1PM. Training in this repetition range maximizes protein synthesis, increasing the anabolic response by up to 130%. 1PM is the amount of weight that you are able to lift in one repetition. Most people can perform 8-12 reps with a weight of 75% from 1PM. In other words, you have to do 8–12 reps in an approach to build muscle and provide hypertrophy.

If your goal is to gain muscle mass, complete 8-12 reps per set.

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. During your lower body workout, try performing 12–15 reps per set. The same goes for the press. Follow the 3-5 approach if your goal is to increase growth and strength. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.

Ideal repetition range for increased strength

To increase strength, do 5 or fewer reps per set using very heavy weights. Remember that intensity and repetition go hand in hand. The fewer reps you do, the higher the intensity. More reps require less intensity. This approach works best in powerlifting and weightlifting. Most bodybuilders change reps to increase weight. AND   force

About a large number of repetitions

« Less weight, more reps"- the classic statement of men and women who are afraid to become" big "or want to" raise the tone. " Contrary to popular belief, this practice does not lead to lean and lean muscle mass. This is just a myth. At best, it will help increase stamina.

Contrary to popular belief, the principle of "less weight, more repetitions" does not lead to a lean and lean muscle mass.

There is only one exception to this rule: people who use steroids. What is the matter here? Top part   The body (especially the shoulders, trapezium, upper chest and arms) contains many androgen receptors that respond to testosterone and other anabolic hormones. As a result, these muscles grow rapidly when you take steroids. In this case, a high repetition range will help you get bigger. However, this does not mean that you pump up your huge hands while lying on the sofa in front of the TV. You still have to work hard in the gym to get a result. Steroids will not make you a superman for one night.

Steroids will not make you a superman for one night. You still have to work hard in the gym to get a result.

So why does this approach (less weight, more repetitions) work for most people? First of all, there is no such thing as muscle toning. What most people call “toning” is actually a combination of two things: gaining muscle and getting rid of fat. To gain muscle mass, you need to perform 8-12 reps with a lot of weight. To get rid of fat, eat right and do some cardio. A diet combined with strength training and aerobic exercise will provide you with a beautiful body.

Training in a moderate repetition range (8-12) - the best way   become bigger, stronger and slimmer at the same time. This approach reduces the body's intake of protein, enhances the hormonal response and stimulates muscle growth. Always remember that your body adapts perfectly. If you want lasting results, you need to constantly change the training program.

According to the materials:

www.shapeyourenergy.com/how-many-sets-and-reps-for-mass/

Want to increase the effectiveness of your workouts and grow more muscles than usual? Maybe you are a martial artist and you need strength endurance? Or maybe absolute power? There are many factors and secrets that affect the speed of progress in these areas. Today I will tell you about several of them related to the number of repetitions, the speed of movement of the projectile and its weight. Moreover, this information is not the usual vomit from bodybuilding journals, but fresh from three foreign universities, where relevant experiments were conducted.

The number of repetitions for muscle growth

You will know what will happen if you train a muscle with a light or even very light weight, how to deal with atrophy, if you cannot fully exercise, how to increase the anabolic potential of protein after exercise, what will happen if you train only the left part of the body and even better to train martial art in the gym. Today I decided to please you with extremely tasty information about bodybuilding.

How to train on weight with light weights

The issue of training in conditions of limited abilities is one of the most vital, because we cannot carry with us everywhere gym. Moreover, it is very often such a situation (for example, trauma or heart disease or age) when we cannot train in the gym due to limitations.

And although there are psychos among bodybuilders who can solve these problems in very strange ways (for example, Arnold drove the barbell in his tank when he served in the army), but for most normal people this is not acceptable and you have to look for solutions.
  Most often around us there are enough “shells” for training in the form of interior items or other human activity. The problem is that they are too light for a traditional workout. Every jock knows a lot of exercises to train the whole body without any equipment at all. These are various squats and push-ups without weight, lifting buckets, bottles, chairs and other interior items. In other words, we can always choose the right vectors for loading our muscles with work, but this work is too small, because the weights are too small. How to make training with small weights as effective as possible and is it possible at all?

I will say right away YES. This is possible. Moreover, scientists from the University of Tokyo found that it is possible to completely arrest the absence of heavy equipment, i.e. You can make it so that when training with light weights you will get an identical result, as when training with heavy weights. For this, you need to slow down the movement!

Let's look at this interesting experience in more detail. The Japanese decided to test an unusual training method, which they called difficult to translate into Russian a set of abstract words ‘ resistanceexercisewithrelativelyslowmovementandtonicforcegeneration ’. Its essence was that the test subjects had to perform LEG KNITTING SITTING with a light weight of 50% from 1 PM for eight repetitions, i.e. they had to spend 3 seconds to lift and 3 seconds to lower the weight.

Scientists have taken 24 STUDENTS and divided them into THREE groups.

• LST EXPERIMENTAL: 8 reps with 50% load. Slowly (3 seconds + 3 seconds)
• HN FIRST CONTROL: 8 reps with 80% load. With refusal
• LN SECOND CONTROL: 8 reps with 80% load. Without failure.

EXPERIMENTAL group performed leg extensions with light weights, but slowly. CONTROL groups performed straightening with ordinary weights. The difference between them was only in the presence of failure (in the 1st he was, and in the 2nd not).

The table shows that the experimental and 1st control (group with failure) showed equal progress in terms of increasing the volume of the quadriceps. The second control group in which the refusal was not used was slightly behind. Why such results?

Two factors worked here: HYPOXIA and HYDROGEN IONS (MILK ACID). The table below shows that in the experimental group, oxygen consumption during the exercise decreased dramatically.

Why did hypoxia grow? Apparently, the fact is that the slow execution of the exercise pinches the blood vessels more because of the constant tension during the execution of the work. It is the blood that is the vehicle for the delivery of oxygen. Therefore, when its movement is difficult, then the oxygen supply to the muscle is difficult.

In conditions when there is no oxygen, the muscle is more quickly acidified with lactic acid and filled with its products - hydrogen ions necessary for starting anabolism in the muscle. Under normal conditions, when there is a lot of oxygen and mitochondria in the muscle, they destroy the hydrogen ions we need. Oxylite fibers (in which there are many mitochondria) actually destroy hydrogen ions, turning them into water. But for this they need oxygen. In the experiment, scientists created problems for oxygen to enter the muscles, and this significantly increased the level of lactic acid and, as a result, hydrogen ions during the approach and immediately after it. See the table.

Oxygen deficiency causes an increase in lactic acid in the muscles. The lactic acid metabolism product is hydrogen ions, which make the muscle cell labile for the passage of testosterone and growth hormone inwards to read information about protein synthesis (formation of mRNA). As a result, there is an increase in muscle mass.

Why in the 2nd control group acidification is less? Because there is more oxygen. After all, we did not use a strong voltage (failure) and performed the exercise in full amplitude, so the oxygen calmly flowed into the muscle fibers. In addition, the work was easier, so the resynthesis of energy with the formation of additional lactic acid was not as intensive as in the groups with refusal.

CONCLUSION: You can build muscle with small weights, if you perform the movement slowly. 3 seconds to lift weights and 3 seconds to lower will stimulate enough protein synthesis on condition that failure is achieved.

This scheme is not suitable for increasing strength, because we are more training the mechanisms needed for endurance. If you want strength, practice with large weights   and low reps. You want a lot - you can train with light weights. The main thing is to do it slowly and to failure. Then the stimulation of the formation of new protein structures will be the same as in the usual training. Well, now let me tell you about what happens with protein synthesis after a workout with light weights.

Light weight training and muscle protein synthesis

Two questions that were held at the University of Copenhagen will help us to answer this question. The first experience did not tell me anything new. He only confirmed what all bodybuilders already know. But the second experience is very useful for those who train naturally, and for those who can not work with large weights (for example, because of injuries). Well, let's go in order ...
  The first experience of the Danes, which I learned about, was held a long time ago. I'll tell you about it for the consistency of the story. Scientists forced the subjects to do leg extensions for 12 weeks. And the load on each leg was different:

• left leg - 70% of 1PM
• right leg - 16% of 1PM

They wanted to see a banal thing: what kind of load hypertrophies muscles better. The result can be seen in the figure below.

From the results we see that pitching already knows. The left leg (heavy weight) grew more (+ 7.5% in circumference), and the right leg (light weight) grew less (+ 2.5% in circumference).

With regular workouts, heavy weights (70% of 1 PM) build muscle better than light weights (16% of 1 PM).

This is understandable, because empirically bodybuilders and train on an ongoing basis. This experience is a scientific confirmation of the effectiveness of work with 70% of 1PM.

But the next work of the Danes is more interesting. Scientists decided to identify the connection between super light workouts and muscle protein metabolism. This experience has shown that training with very light weights, as well as traditional training, stimulates protein metabolism and growth.

For the experiment, the Danes took 10 guys at the age of 20 and forced them to do extensions with one leg (they did not train the other) in the morning. The load was very small - 16% of 1 PM and consisted of 10 sets of 36 repetitions. After training, the subjects were given protein in small portions. First, every half-hour, and then every hour during the day. Overall, the total amount of protein was 65 grams, divided into a dozen servings. Scientists wondered how a light load affects the exchange of amino acids. Therefore, they measured the rate of protein synthesis after exercise in both legs. And that's what they saw:

Protein synthesis accelerated in both legs equally over 8 hours. In active legs, he was not much higher (can be neglected). However, after 8 hours, the anabolic effect of the protein disappeared in the inactive leg, but remained in the one that was trained.
  The post-workout protein saturation significantly increased LECIN (by 39%) and essential amino acids (by 20%) compared with baseline concentrations (without exercise).

Hard work remarkably stimulates protein metabolism and muscle growth. However, muscle sensitivity to the protein raises and easy work, too. In practice, this means that the anabolic potential of the protein can be extended with light loads.

This can be used as in the fight against muscle atrophy while lying in hospital. In addition, it is possible to use naturals in order to naturally stimulate the anabolic effect of protein mixtures taken. In more detail about it I will tell in a paid material for naturals “Inside: How to grow muscle without steroids”which will be released in late August. The main idea is that every day to give a very light load to the muscles to stimulate protein anabolism.

Effect of light and heavy weights on muscle growth, strength and endurance in experienced bodybuilders

Previous experiences have been made among ordinary people. The question is how light weights affect experienced bodybuilderswho adapted their body to constant loads. Perhaps for them light weights will not be sufficient stress. We will not guess and turn to the American study on this subject.

ESSENCE OF EXPERIENCE: We took 18 experienced bodybuilders who have been practicing for more than 3 years and are used to strength training. They had to do FULBADI three times a week for 2 months. The program was basic and included 7 basic multi-articular exercises in three approaches. These men were divided into TWO groups and forced to work with different weights:

• 1 group “HEAVY” - 70-80% from 1PM (8-12 repetitions in the approach)
• 2 group "LIGHT" - 30-50% from 1PM (25-35 repetitions in the approach)

Japanese studies were confirmed. Both groups added about the same in the muscles.

For me it was interesting to note that the biceps grew much better from “LUNG” weights, while the triceps, on the contrary, responded better to “HEAVY” weights. This can and should be used in your workouts: to do more reps on the biceps, and less on the triceps. However, in general, you see that the response was almost the same. In the muscles, both groups added, on the whole, equally.

However, if you look at the development of POWER in 1PM, then the situation is different:

Strength increased significantly more in the "HEAVY" group. An increase in the bench press and in squats was measured. In the press “HEAVY” group surpassed “LIGHT” by three times (+6.6 kg against +2 kg), and in squats more than twice (+23.7 kg against +10.7 kg).

Well, what about power endurance? She was also measured. They made both groups work for the maximum number of repetitions with 50% of 1PM. And here the “LIGHT” group was on horseback. The guys were able to perform more repetitions and raise more than a kilogram in total, in contrast to “GRAVES”.

You can see that in fact, DURABILITY even decreased in the "HEAVY" group (-17.4 kg, or -1.2%), compared to what it was before the start of the experiment. While the “LIGHT” group significantly improved this indicator (+213.2 kg, or + 16.6%).

What we train, we develop. Many reps remarkably grow muscles (no worse than the classic 6-12 repetitions). Not for nothing, Kai Green trains precisely in a large range of repetitions. It is perfectly possible to do up to 30 repetitions for a good growth of muscle mass.

However, if you need strength, then you need to forget about the high repetition style of training and do a low number of repetitions with a lot of weight. On the other hand, if you need muscles that are not so much strong as hardy, then you need to do 20-30 repetitions with 50% of 1PM. This can be extremely useful to those guys who are engaged in martial arts. In BI, power endurance is many times more important than absolute strength, and therefore we see a wonderful way to develop it.

Conclusion

You can very effectively build muscle with light weights. And we can use TWO directions: we can do more repetitions, and we can slowly perform movements. In both cases, the muscles grow no worse than from the classic training.

Naturals can, on rest days, perform a TONING load with light weights on all muscle groups   in order to activate protein metabolism and muscle sensitivity to it. Chemists have fun with this process because of an excess of anabolic agents. But naturals it makes sense to help your muscles like light workouts.

I advise you to decide what you are training for. Because for development power endurance   and for the development of absolute power you need to train in different ways. Moreover, if you need stamina (for example, you are a martial artist), then training in lifter schemes will reduce your stamina and harm basic achievements. On the other hand, high-volume training schemes for bodybuilders will hinder the development of absolute strength. Determine what you want more.