Low Reps vs. High Reps. Which one Should you Prefer?

Building muscles is not easy as losing weight as you cannot achieve the desired results by continuing the same exercises over and over again. It is a common occurrence when people get stuck in the middle by neither gaining muscle size nor the strength they desire. For that you need to trick your body. Here is an easy fix which will also answer your doubt regarding low repetitions or high repetitions.

Your body is very smart and once you have been in the training schedule for long, your body adapts to your patterns. To get a reasonable progress faster, you need to ditch the same set or same rep scheme and the same intensity. If you think that training in the 8, 10 or 12 rep range, will get you your desired body, then you are wrong. Conventional wisdom for muscle gain stated that heavy weights and low reps were the best way to get maximum muscle growth. But now, the concepts may have changed.

Endurance

Low reps with heavy weights help in increasing strength, while high reps with light weight help in increasing endurance. As you increase your repetitions, you will find a gradual transition from strength to endurance. High reps help to develop Type 1 muscle fibers which are endurance based and slow in getting tired, while slow reps activate Type 2 muscle fibers which have greater power but get tired quickly. 

Strength

Low reps with heavy weights are better for optimal strength increase, while high reps with light weights can still result in strength gain but not as much. In both the reps, however, muscle hypertrophy and overall endurance is the same. Powerlifters train for competitions with low reps of heavier weights as this helps in increasing neuromuscular adaption, i.e., increasing efficiency of the brain to control the muscles. 

Fat loss

Dieters who lift heavy weights lose the same amount of weight as dieters who lift light weights or just do light cardio, but the weight loss by the heavy weight lifters is fat, while the cardio group lose muscle along with fat. High reps with light weight can create a muscular response but it does not remove fat better than low reps with heavy weight. It is concluded that it is not the amount of weight that is lifted or the number of reps that help burn fat, but it is the intensity of the workout. For an ideal fat loss, one should focus on creating muscular failure with little rest in between exercises which can have substantial effect on the hormonal, metabolic and calorie burn effects.

Building Muscle

Similar to fat loss, number of repetitions optimal for muscle building is under 15. But some other researches show that muscle building can be effective with light weight and more reps too. This is still open for debate. Just by lifting heavier weights, one does not get better muscle. Building muscle also depends upon the combination of what you eat and intensity and volume of workout and not on the weight or reps.

Final Verdict

So it is concluded that any rep range can help you increase your strength, build muscle and also lose fat. Here are some rep ranges which are classified according to the different categories:

Increasing strength

Strength – under 6 reps (80 – 100% of exercise volume)

Endurance – 15 + reps (0-10% of exercise volume)

Hypertrophy – 6 – 15 reps (0-20% of exercise volume)

The top strength athletes in the world focus majorly upon lifting very heavy weights for low reps.

Fat Loss

Strength – Under 6 reps (0-15% of exercise volume)

Hypertrophy – 6-15 reps (70-85% of exercise volume)

Endurance – 15+ reps (15% of exercise volume)

The intensity of the workout is more important than the number of reps for fat loss. The rep range of 6-15 reps is considered as most optimal by most gym trainers. 

Building Muscle

Strength – Under 6 reps (30% of exercise volume)

Hypertrophy – 6-15 reps (60% of exercise volume)

Endurance – 15+ reps (10% of exercise volume)

While it is possible to build muscle with lighter weights, the conventional method is of lifting heavy weights and then gradually increasing over time. Genetics also play an important role in the composition of muscle fibres in different individuals. 

For those looking to increase strength, increase fat loss and also build muscle all at the same time, it is advised to stick to the optimal fat loss range of 6-15 reps. 

For more interesting articles on body building and fat loss keep reading Indian Fitness Mantra.