The Best Rep Range to Build Muscle
Like most people interested in building muscle, you’ve probably asked what the best repetition range is for the goal. You’ve probably gotten canned responses like: “Lift in the 6 to 10 range.” “Only do sets between 8 and 12 reps – the best range for growth.” The answer isn’t as straightforward. So, let’s dig into the topic. What Makes Our Muscles Grow, Anyway? 1. Volume 2. Frequency 3. Various Movements 4. Effort 5. Rep Quality 1. Volume According to research, the essential factor influencing muscle gain success is training volume–-the amount of work we do in a given workout or training week. Studies find that doing more sets leads to more growth up to a point. Doing too much can have the opposite effect: recovery issues and muscle loss. 2. Frequency While prevailing wisdom suggests that we should train our muscles once per week, research suggests that a frequency of two to three times per week might lead to better results. One r...