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 reason for this effect is that training more frequently allows us to break up our weekly training volume into smaller and more manageable chunks.

3. Various Movements

The third critical piece of the puzzle relates to your exercise selection. Performing multiple exercises for all large muscle groups (quadriceps, hamstrings, back, and chest) and at least two for the smaller ones (biceps, triceps, shoulders, etc.) is vital for balanced development.

4. Effort

How much effort you put into individual sets also plays a massive role in your ability to grow. Simply put, you might be doing the best possible workout, but if you’re not pushing yourself close to your limits, you won’t be able to cause an adequate growth response. So, it’s essential to work hard and leave anywhere from one to three repetitions in the tank on most sets.

5. Rep Quality

Just as the number of repetitions you do matters, how you perform each is also crucial. There is no point in striving to do as many reps as possible if doing so means performing each with poor technique.

The Bottom Line?

There isn’t a single best rep range for muscle gain. You should leverage several intensity zones based on your overall training volume, the movements you’re doing, and such.

It’s best to take advantage of heavier and lighter loads to train in ranges between 5 to 30, always making sure to recover between sets, do each repetition with good form, and feel the correct muscles working.

Read more on TSquaredLab.com

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