Question

How many reps should you perform in a muscular exercise?

Answer 1

@e.mccormick

Answer 2

Here hun

Answer 3

Reps (short for “repetitions”) are the number of times you move a weight from point A to point B during a set of an exercise. The lighter the weight, the more reps you will be able to lift it for. The heavier the weight, the fewer reps you’ll be able to lift it for.

Obvious, I know. But, as you can see, reps and intensity go hand in hand most of the time. Meaning…

The more reps you can lift a weight for = the lower your training intensity is.
The fewer reps you can lift a weight for = the higher your training intensity is.

Answer 4

@Warriorz13 I am not sure where you are getting this idea of intensity, but there is a very key factor you have left out.

You can train for strength, raw lifting power, or for endurance, the ability to hold or lift weight over time.

@Barrelracer011 to continue what I brought up in Feedback:

To help clarify the fewer and more reps that Warriorz13 brings up, after the set of reps, you should be pretty much done where that muscle group is concerned. Without at least a few minutes rest, you should not be able to do more. It is the point where your body begins to say "NO!" Not to where you force and tear, but where it is tired and giving up.

Because you are running a particular muscle to temporary exhaustion, it is important to develop good form. You do not want to make an error and hurt something.

Now for the number of reps part. The short form is this: When you do resistive training, 3 reps or less does pure strength training. When you do 30 or more, it is pure endurance training. The balancing point tends to be between 12 and 15 reps.

Now for some explanation, if you need more.

This is why many weight lifting professionals going for max lift suggest a certain progression when you start weight lifting. You start at 12 and work up to 15 at that weight, then increase the weight until your back to 12. Repeat this cycle as you become proficient at weight lifting. Then, once you reduce your error rate, you can increase the weight more as you aim to be a power lifter. Say to something heavy enough to only do 8 to 10 reps. Again, work down the error rate, then move to 5, then 3, and eventually to 1. They see all the stuff you do before getting to 1 to 3 reps as skills development. You reduce errors to nothing and don't get hurt.

The problem with power lifting is that you will tire fast. Sure, you might bulk up, but it is not necessarily that useful. That is where other rep schemes come in.

The kinesiologist I learned from and the books I have read on health and fitness that are by health professionals (not weight lifters with aspirations of glory) all point to about 8 to 16 reps as optimal for a balanced strength to endurance training. Where they fall on it depends on what else they want you to focus on. Many say to work at 10 or 12 rep weight, once you can lift that reliably for 3 or 4 more reps than your starting point, move the weight up a little at a time until you are back down to the 10 to 12. This develops lifting power at the start and as the reps go up develops endurance. Over time your total lift capabilities go up, but so does your endurance and utility. You will never reach massive power lifting ranges this way, but you will be able to lift far more weight over time than any power lifter ever will.

For aerobic training, the ability to max out repetition is generally not the issue. You can usually do far more reps then you will. Again, a lot of these things are done for 10 to 15 reps, then some other motion is done. This is because they want you to work out a wide range of your body as you maintain a higher heart rate for a longer period of time.

Answer 5

U TELLING ME I'M WRONG?!

Answer 6

@e.mccormick ARE YOU TELLING ME I'M WRONG

Answer 7

You have both given me great answers thanks :)

Answer 8

Whether you are cutting or bulking, I think you should do between a good 8-10 reps, meaning good form, and the last 2-3 reps should be somewhat difficult. Because you will tear muscle tissue that takes over 24 hours to repair, eating a proper diet will repair those tissues, BUT if you are trying to bulk you should have a days rest, where if you are cutting you can train the same muscle group again the next day.

Answer 9

Are you cutting or bulking?

Answer 10

@Warriorz13 In health science, the intensity is not a measure of how much weight you are lifting. It is a measure of the overall quality of the workout. This means finding the proper perceived exertion so that your hear rate elevates.

If you don't believe me, look up the term and how it is applied in health science.

Now, does that mean you are wrong? No. It means what I said initially. I do not know where you are getting your idea of intensity from. So rather than act offended, define the term you are using and its source.

My use is simple: it is the one defined in health science, which is what this topic area is for. Your use might be completely different if from a different source, like a power lifting magazine.

@alphadxg This is actually a continuation of a question that was asked in the wrong section. What they seemed to be asking about was academic.

Answer 11

@e.mccormick oh, my bad, wish I knew.