No More Counting Reps Ever Again

That title is what we millennials like to call “Clickbait”. So trusting that I have your attention, I want you to pay close attention to this next sentence. In the context of growing bigger and stronger muscles, the reps really don’t matter. 

Let me explain.

We have just started our 8-week Bodybuilding 101 course at our Venice location. The focus of which is directed at hypertrophy work and its various ways of building more muscle in our body. Now let’s talk numbers. It is widely accepted in the fitness community that a rep range of 1-5 focuses on building strength while rep ranges of 6-10 and 10-15 focus on building muscle size and density (hypertrophy). With all that being said, what is the actual difference between doing ten reps or twelve reps?

Well it all depends on whether we are reaching adequate muscle fatigue or what we commonly refer to as “failure”. The science of muscle growth is a dance between the weight we are moving and how many reps it takes us to reach failure. If the workout says 10 reps, you choose a weight and then you complete that 10th rep knowing you have a few more reps in the tank, then do more. Similarly, if the workout calls for 12 reps and you get to the 10th rep feeling like you can’t do more without compromising form, then stop.

The reps are never the priority when we are talking about muscle growth. The ability to reach near failure and muscle fatigue on every set is. Of course, the number of repetitions matter when it comes to training but don’t become so beholden to the specific number. Reaching extreme muscle fatigue over and over in a workout is truly difficult but it is the essence of bodybuilding.

So, next time you see someone with pythons for arms doing bicep curls, respect their grind! And know they probably never stopped at ten when they could’ve done twelve.