High Reps

[MassMachine]

After reading some posts by Luke Wood over on Milos board i started training with just high reps,12-15. I have had new growth in the past 6 wks that i have not had in 6 months. Being from a power lifters background i was hesitant to use this exclusively.
Does anyone else train with predominately high reps and find better hypertrophy?

MM

 

[Vanilla-Gorilla]

I love going to the 12-15 rep range. Its a different type of training. It's awesome how fast your weights go up as well. Things you were doing 6 reps with you all of a sudden start getting for 12 reps. My strength increases quicker by using this type of training as opposed to low reps.

 

[JonnyO]

I just began higher reps and volume myself and so far so good.

 

[healthfreak79]

bump this for more replys

 

[MikeS]

It helps build the type I fibers (slow twitch) to a greater degree than heavy weights. Unfortunately these fibers are not as responsive to growth potential
as type II fast twitch fibers-so I always go heavy FIRST in my training, then reps. But powertrainers-lifters likely have not developed these fibers much-thus the improvment.

 

[Vanilla-Gorilla]

Always remember though, just because you are aiming for 15 reps, don't stop there. There have been times when I try to use a weight that I fail at 12 or so, but if I can go higher I will. 22, 23 reps at times.

This is awesome especially for leg presses. I don't like to go 6-8 reps for leg presses because it stresses my knees. I like to drop a couple of plates and go for more reps. For instance I will work my way up in weight and max out at 12-15 reps. This is the ball busting set. Then I go back down. I will drop 2 or 3 plates per side and go for 20 reps. Then drop 2 more plates and go for 30-40 reps to fry them out. Then of course I move on to hack's or leg extensions after that. Of course I don't practice that with my second and third movements, but if leg presses come first then that is what I do.

I love higher reps for lateral raises as well. I use the HS lateral raise and work up to 12 reps, then I drop some weight and go up to 20 reps.

I don't like training chest or back like that though. I like a solid 10-12 reps and ocassionally I will go as low as 8. Except for Deadlifts. I work up to 4 reps, then I do a set of 10 after my all out "Heavy" set.

This type of training is hard to get use to at first. Especially if your gung ho about heavy weight and low reps. But if you get accustomed to this you will love it. Coleman trains like this as well. I very seldom see Ronnie going under 12 reps. Except for his power moves.

 

[LATS]

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW THE REPS ARE DONE AS TO WHETHER YOU ARE HITTING SLOW OR FAST TWITCH.. if you arwe doing the reps at a quick cadence, the you will be hhitting the fast twitch also.. time under tension has a lot to do with that.. if it onlt takes you 30 - 45 seconds to do the 12 to 15 reps, then yo are hitting the fast twitch still.. if the reps are taking 4 to 5 seconds a rep, than we have a time under tension of over one minute .. that is when the slowtwitch kicks in.. it is all about the time under tension.. that is why coleman, jackson, woods ect are growing from, higher reps.. watch their videos sometime.. i have actually timed jonny jacksons reps for 15 reps and it was barely 30 seconds.. totally fast twitch.. but, very explosive in his cadence...

 

[Vanilla-Gorilla]

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW THE REPS ARE DONE AS TO WHETHER YOU ARE HITTING SLOW OR FAST TWITCH.. if you arwe doing the reps at a quick cadence, the you will be hhitting the fast twitch also.. time under tension has a lot to do with that.. if it onlt takes you 30 - 45 seconds to do the 12 to 15 reps, then yo are hitting the fast twitch still.. if the reps are taking 4 to 5 seconds a rep, than we have a time under tension of over one minute .. that is when the slowtwitch kicks in.. it is all about the time under tension.. that is why coleman, jackson, woods ect are growing from, higher reps.. watch their videos sometime.. i have actually timed jonny jacksons reps for 15 reps and it was barely 30 seconds.. totally fast twitch.. but, very explosive in his cadence...

True dat, true dat.

I agree there now. The above mentioned names do go fast with their reps. When I first started training it was in the Dorian Yates era and of course all of the mags recommended his routine. Normally it was around 6-8 reps. Then on top of that everything else in a mag you read was about a 2 sec up and a 4 sec down rep. So that is what I practiced for years when I was younger. Even though I seen guys way bigger than me, even more ripped, using heavy ass weight, blasting through it. I thought to myself the whole time, "Man these guys don't read FLEX, they are doing it wrong". I read FLEX, I am going to overcome them because I know the secrets". But what was I? Nothing. The mags fucked my head up bad about low and high reps. My training partner has been training for 25 years and has the physique to show. He helped me get over that little gap. Higher reps is what did it. Normally when I train I do the concentric in about a sec or so, but the negavtive is very slow. My partner goes through everything fast. I just blast the weight up or down fast, but I always bring that negavtive up in around the 2-4 seconds. Not that I actually count, but you get the idea.

 

[TooPowerful4u]

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW THE REPS ARE DONE AS TO WHETHER YOU ARE HITTING SLOW OR FAST TWITCH.. if you arwe doing the reps at a quick cadence, the you will be hhitting the fast twitch also.. time under tension has a lot to do with that.. if it onlt takes you 30 - 45 seconds to do the 12 to 15 reps, then yo are hitting the fast twitch still.. if the reps are taking 4 to 5 seconds a rep, than we have a time under tension of over one minute .. that is when the slowtwitch kicks in.. it is all about the time under tension.. that is why coleman, jackson, woods ect are growing from, higher reps.. watch their videos sometime.. i have actually timed jonny jacksons reps for 15 reps and it was barely 30 seconds.. totally fast twitch.. but, very explosive in his cadence...

Unbelievably great point. I was thinking this as i was reading it and low and behold, you beat my ass to it haha. GREAT POST. Actually say for example you are using 225 on bench, but your pace is QUICk (like coleman if youv seen him train) on the decent the weight is moving quickly, now that weight picks up momentum and by the time it hits the bottom and you have to change direction the weight is suddenly more like 275 (the weight + momentum). Remember this is a pumping action, there is no stop n squeeze n pause, up down up down quick. On the negative portion it always picks up momentum and makes the transition to the positive heavier than the weight actually is. Now you have the combination of a violent contraction at the transition, your moving the weight as fast as you can on the positive explosevly (but controlled)...your hitting fast twitch fibers, but instead of only getting 6 reps your getting 12-15. Just be careful with this when you get into heavy weight, coleman is not human, and most of us would get seriously injured trying this with 140lb dumbells let alone 200s like coleman uses.

I prefer to do my big heavy sets first (6-8 rep), then il follow that with my pump high rep explosive sets. I dont believe in using one technique in one workout and another technique in another. I like to make sure i hit ALL fibers in all fashions in every workout as effeciently as i can. Positive is always explosive, but i like to go heavy with slow controlled negative, medium weight faster paced negative, medium/light with very face controlled pace. Also throw in partials, peak contractions... ah im babbling, i just like high intensity variety, just beat the hell out of the muscle, if it aint hard it aint workin

 

[healthfreak79]

A question for some of you in the thread.Is it better to get 6 faster reps at 275, or 8 to 10 reps at 225. I always start heavy and work down for the pump. Right now im trying out low vloume 2 working sets per movement 2 excerises per body part. What do you think?

 

[TooPowerful4u]

I think i said it before somewhere in one of the recent threads. Better to go for heavy explosive movements and hit the fibers that have the most potential for growth (2b). After those are sufficiently stimulated, then work towards the others and the pump.

 

[ZEBRA]

Power/Pump

If anyone has Ironman Jan 2001 there is a routine called Power and Pump by C.S.Sloan.
You do say Bench 20,12,8,5,3,3 and then superset wide grip dips with flat bench flyes 3 x 12-15. You do this with every bodypart hitting the compound heavy and then iso for the pump.

Z

 

[KillerStack]

Higher reps cause sarcoplasmic hypertrophy i.e non-protein size increase (fluid, glycogen etc in the muscle). If you want to know more type sarcoplasmic hypertrophy into google.

 

[hardkor]

more on time under tention.....

Great post about that. Coleman, J Jackson do use high reps but because of their fast pace, their time under tention isn't that long.

Look at Lee Priest also. That freaky mofo always preaches 6-8 reps for everything but if you ever watch him train or watched his videos, his reps are very slow and controlled. I never time them but i bet his 6-8 rep sets take longer than JJ's 15 rep sets. Yes, i think it does boil down to time under tension.