Best Rep Range To Develop Strength As Well As Muscle?

[maestco]

For the squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press specifically. Thank you.

[The Hack]

3reps sets with weight you can lift 5times. Rest btw sets 1-3min, number of sets 15-20

[Malice]

I pick a compound like bench, deadlift, squat, etc. and do 5/3/1 or 5x5 for strength first in the workout. Then I use higher reps in the 8-12 range for hypertrophy for the accessory exercises like dumbell incline, curls, pullups, etc. Of course you'll need to experiment to find the rep/set range that works best for you but this has worked well for me.

An example for chest:

Pec Deck-2x15, quick pushups to get the elbows nice and warmed up (warmup/pre-exhaust)

Bench-5/3/1

DB Incline-2x10

Flat DB Flyes-2x12

Of course you can mix and match any exercises in there you want but I do a compound movement first for strength then the hypertrophy after. I always warm up real well before the heavy lifts to warm up the joints and get plenty of blood flowing to the muscle before hitting them hard and heavy.

[unequipped]

for benchpress maybe 5er reps are never wrong, 5 - 8 sets ?

of course, you have to love very havy sets with 1, 2 and 3 reps too.

... but, what are the "best" for the rolling thunder? i would like to know.

Edited July 15, 2010 by unequipped

[JohanB]

Pick your maximum effort exercise for the day. Work up to a true 1-3 rep max. Then go over to the hypertrophy-work, focusing on weak areas. Aim for a high intensity, that is short rest, 3-5 sets, 6-12 reps / set depending on exercise and muscle being worked.

Basic WSB set-up. Works like a charm for both strength and hypertrophy. Make sure to switch your max effort exercise very often but do exercises that come close to the actual lift that you´re trying to increase.

Edited July 17, 2010 by JohanB

[Rick Walker]

Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it. When I began training for powerlifting again my blood pressure jacked back up through the roof, so I had to get the cardio back in and drop some more weight.

Since the end of May I have been experimenting with super slow eccentrics. I lower the weight to a 5 count, then blast it up. I do 2 sets of 8-12 per body part with 1-1.5 minutes rest at the max. So, it is kind of like a HIT routine as far as minimum amount of work. The 4th exercise for the bodypart I do FST-7. I am also consuming a MAX of 60 carbs per day via 1/2 cup of oatmeal at 4:30 am and 6 am. Some days I only eat 30 grams.

I am also riding my bike hard. Up to 800 calories a clip with 2 recovery rides a week.

At any rate, I am losing fat. My weight belt is 2 holes in and my work pants belt is in another hole. My face has also leaned up a lot.

However, I am still hovering around 228-230.

The best part is my shoulders were so wrecked before doing this that 60 pound dumbbells were too much for me to press. I was lucky if I could get 8 good reps before my shoulders shut down. Today I decided to test how the super slow was helping and did 100 pound dumbbells for 9 strict reps on the flat bench db press. Friday I did 80 pound dumbbells for 9 in the overhead shoulder press.

My blood pressure is once again getting under control, this time WITHOUT the meds.

Huge improvements.

Bottom line: If you arent training towards a particular contest, then give it a try. At first you will be pretty weak, but then the muscle and strength comes in remarkable waves. I have PR'd every week now since starting in May.