The Rep Range

One of the most controversial and misunderstood concepts in bodybuilding is the rep range. Every where you look, some one is advocating a different rep range.

The popular thinking has boiled it down to the following generalizations:
Strength - 1 - 5 repetitions per set
Muscle Mass - 6 - 10 repetitions per set
Muscle Mass for slow twitch fibers - 12 - 20 or more reps per set for body parts like thighs and calves.

Does this sound interesting?
Yeah! It sure does. But do muscles count reps??

First, muscles don't count reps, so these numbers could be completely different for someone who takes 10 seconds to complete one rep, compared to someone who takes 2 seconds for each rep.

A good example of this misapplication is recommended by the late Mike Mentzer. He usually suggested 6-10 rep range. So everyone following Mike would say that using heavy weights is heavy duty. But the fact was different. Mike advocated a rep speed that took about 10 seconds to complete each rep. For 6 reps that amounts to 60 seconds. But the way most people do it would last only for about 15 seconds. This shows a humongous difference between the weights used and the results produced.

This is a very important concept that got lost over years. When studies were done that showed 8 – 12 repetitions was the optimal number of reps in a set for most people, the accepted cadence was 2 seconds for the raising (positive) part of the rep and 4 seconds (negative) for the lowering of the weight.

Each repetition took 6 seconds to complete for a total rep time of 48 - 72 seconds for the entire set. This is a vital fact of exercise physiology to understand if you wish to optimize your progress.

So muscles don’t count reps! All they count is TUT or TUL (TUT- time under tension & TUL- time under load).

So this is where the 8-12 rep range was born. But slowly, fitness professionals started advocating the rep range and left the TUT in mid air. The very concept of TUT just did not become famous but the rep range did.

Counting seconds while you count the rep is a very tough job. I had this problem personally while I started using slow reps in my regiment. So here is a easy work around for you. Count the reps alone. Do not cheat or use momentum, do the positive slowly and only with the muscle group involved, and do the negative in a relatively slow manner. This will ensure that your rep lasts at least for 5 seconds. When you gain experience, you might be able to go on even slower.

Fast twitch fibers respond best with a tension time of approximately 40 – 50 seconds. Slow twitch (more endurance oriented) respond best with a tension time of 90 - 120 seconds, while a mixture of the two does well with a time under load of approximately 50 - 90 seconds.

The TUT/reps per set that is appropriate for you is also determined by your muscle fiber make up and your neuromuscular efficiency.( neuromuscular efficiency is the ability to contract a large number of fibers at one time). So the faster the muscle fatigues, the higher its neuromuscular efficiency and greater the fast twitch fiber content. The slower the muscle fatigues, the lower its neuromuscular efficiency and the greater the number of slow twitch fibers.

Knowing your muscle fiber composition is very vital when you are planning and putting into place all the other factors. Rather than approaching your workout with rep range in mind, approach your workouts with the time under tension in mind.

Give it a try for just four weeks. You will surely know the difference.

All the best!!