How many reps
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Whatever program you choose is fine as long as it follows basic guidelines for muscular fitness.
Work every major muscle group 1 to 3 time per week
do reps to the point of not being able to do any more
do 3 sets to break down both muscle fibers
also a nice little hint to get more benefit is to double the length of time of the negative part of the rep compared to the positive part of the rep. Also, don't jerk the positive part of the rep. Make it a nice smooth action for the entire normal range of motion.
less weight more reps will build more toward endurance, and more weight less reps will build more toward strength. Adjust the weight to what you want.
A good ratio of cardio to muscular is 1 to 3 muscular sessions per week, and 3 to 5 cardio sessions per week.
150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness and double (or more) to improve fitness.
Hope this helps.2 -
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
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bcalvanese wrote: »Whatever program you choose is fine as long as it follows basic guidelines for muscular fitness.
Work every major muscle group 1 to 3 time per week
do reps to the point of not being able to do any more
do 3 sets to break down both muscle fibers
also a nice little hint to get more benefit is to double the length of time of the negative part of the rep compared to the positive part of the rep. Also, don't jerk the positive part of the rep. Make it a nice smooth action for the entire normal range of motion.
less weight more reps will build more toward endurance, and more weight less reps will build more toward strength. Adjust the weight to what you want.
A good ratio of cardio to muscular is 1 to 3 muscular sessions per week, and 3 to 5 cardio sessions per week.
150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness and double (or more) to improve fitness.
Hope this helps.
With all due respect I disagree with A chunk of this.
It's unnecessary to train until you cannot do any more reps for the majority of people and that can be quite detrimental to both progress and enjoyment of the program.
Training all the way to failure may increase injury risk, it will substantially increase muscle soreness post exercise, it will significantly increase levels of fatigue which may increase recovery time.
Training to failure may reduce both per session training volume and weekly training volume depending on how it is structured within the context of the overall program and so A better recommendation for most people most of the time would be to leave at least one repetition in reserve and even closer to 2 to 4 for many exercises.
Additionally it really depends on the exercise and the individual when it comes to assigning number of sets per exercise. Volume is primarily dictated by the recovery capacity of the individual, The amount of volume they need to make progress, and their individual goals.
5 -
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.1 -
mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".9 -
mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".
Come on, dude.0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »Whatever program you choose is fine as long as it follows basic guidelines for muscular fitness.
Work every major muscle group 1 to 3 time per week
do reps to the point of not being able to do any more
do 3 sets to break down both muscle fibers
also a nice little hint to get more benefit is to double the length of time of the negative part of the rep compared to the positive part of the rep. Also, don't jerk the positive part of the rep. Make it a nice smooth action for the entire normal range of motion.
less weight more reps will build more toward endurance, and more weight less reps will build more toward strength. Adjust the weight to what you want.
A good ratio of cardio to muscular is 1 to 3 muscular sessions per week, and 3 to 5 cardio sessions per week.
150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness and double (or more) to improve fitness.
Hope this helps.
With all due respect I disagree with A chunk of this.
It's unnecessary to train until you cannot do any more reps for the majority of people and that can be quite detrimental to both progress and enjoyment of the program.
Training all the way to failure may increase injury risk, it will substantially increase muscle soreness post exercise, it will significantly increase levels of fatigue which may increase recovery time.
Training to failure may reduce both per session training volume and weekly training volume depending on how it is structured within the context of the overall program and so A better recommendation for most people most of the time would be to leave at least one repetition in reserve and even closer to 2 to 4 for many exercises.
Additionally it really depends on the exercise and the individual when it comes to assigning number of sets per exercise. Volume is primarily dictated by the recovery capacity of the individual, The amount of volume they need to make progress, and their individual goals.
It's only a basic guideline and is the way the military does it (at least back when I was a military fitness instructor back in the 1980's).
You could certainly adjust it to fit your personal goals.0 -
Thinking of creating my own lifting routine to be done st home with Dumbbells. What is the best way rep wise. 8-10 reps or 15 reps? 4 sets of each exercise?
This is not the greatest idea unless you have a fairly vast amount of knowledge...people who create program their own routines generally end up with muscular imbalances due to overtraining in some areas and undertraining (or not training at all) other areas. Also, results tend to not be as efficiently achieved as when following a structured program that has been tried and tested.
Judging by the question itself, you don't really have the requisite knowledge to program your own routine. There are plenty of good dumbbell routines out there.
1 -
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
Generally speaking, heavier loads tend to promote strength. And heavier loads force fewer reps.
Lighter loads allow more repetitions to be done.
Generally speaking, training volume tends to promote muscle growth however the lower the weight relative your strength levels may require a disproportionate amount of volume to produce the same hypertrophic response.
For example you could do heavy sets of three and get very strong and you could also get larger muscles if you're doing enough heavy sets of three to accumulate training volume.
However, heavy sets generally require longer rest periods, they may be more demanding on soft tissues and so they may promote injury, and so in many cases it's not practical to do enough heavy and low repetition work to use it as a primary means of muscle growth.
Rep ranges that are closer to the 8 to 12 rep range at an appropriate weight for that rep range which is a key point, tend to allow you to accumulate training volume in a more efficient manner because you can get more done.
Fortunately, we are not required to only use one repetition range and so some programs include multiple ranges depending on the exercise.
I'm posting this from my phone hence the grammatical errors but you could look up some of Brad Schoenfeld's blog posts and research on this topic to get more detailed information if you would like.
Also consider that none of this is black-and-white on and off type of scenarios. While strength and muscle growth are not the same thing, there is a lot of overlap in between the two and so especially in someone who is untrained, you will see significant improvements to both in a wide range of rep targets.3 -
I think people are concerned that someone making up their own program doesn't know what they're doing. You stated you were unsure how many reps or sets to do, so that is probably why people are responding the way they are. It would benefit you to look at some of the established programs to make sure you're covering everything in the proper reps, sets, and progression over time. Lots of people make variations to the prescribed programs, so you could do the same.
The thing is, there are lots of different types of programs out there, some with more reps and some with fewer, some that include a range. So in the end, as long as you're targeting the body areas, I agree, I'm not sure it makes a big difference. There isn't just one way to train. All the jibber jabber about training a certain way for a certain goal is mostly that, jibber jabber, unless you have one and only one very narrow goal, like a power lifter, muscle man, or bikini competitor. Every program I've seen seems to think they have some secret strategy for achieving a goal. Truth is, many of us are looking for overall functional fitness, not only strength, not only bulk, not only appearance, etc. We want to look and feel better. I haven't seen a program with that as the stated goal, I guess it doesn't sell very well, LOL. Sorry for the rant.
PS Also look at this sticky post:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308750/so-you-want-to-start-lifting-great/p1
Thank you for that , you said that perfectly! I am not striving for a specific goal. Just for health in general!
I've done so many beach body programs and they all have have a different style. Clx was a mix, hammer is lots of reps in general , jnl fusion was lot of reps as befit in 90. But over all most of them do the same similar moves, so figured why spend money in a new DVD program when I can just create my own!0 -
mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".
Come on, dude.
Where we going?2 -
bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Whatever program you choose is fine as long as it follows basic guidelines for muscular fitness.
Work every major muscle group 1 to 3 time per week
do reps to the point of not being able to do any more
do 3 sets to break down both muscle fibers
also a nice little hint to get more benefit is to double the length of time of the negative part of the rep compared to the positive part of the rep. Also, don't jerk the positive part of the rep. Make it a nice smooth action for the entire normal range of motion.
less weight more reps will build more toward endurance, and more weight less reps will build more toward strength. Adjust the weight to what you want.
A good ratio of cardio to muscular is 1 to 3 muscular sessions per week, and 3 to 5 cardio sessions per week.
150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness and double (or more) to improve fitness.
Hope this helps.
With all due respect I disagree with A chunk of this.
It's unnecessary to train until you cannot do any more reps for the majority of people and that can be quite detrimental to both progress and enjoyment of the program.
Training all the way to failure may increase injury risk, it will substantially increase muscle soreness post exercise, it will significantly increase levels of fatigue which may increase recovery time.
Training to failure may reduce both per session training volume and weekly training volume depending on how it is structured within the context of the overall program and so A better recommendation for most people most of the time would be to leave at least one repetition in reserve and even closer to 2 to 4 for many exercises.
Additionally it really depends on the exercise and the individual when it comes to assigning number of sets per exercise. Volume is primarily dictated by the recovery capacity of the individual, The amount of volume they need to make progress, and their individual goals.
It's only a basic guideline and is the way the military does it (at least back when I was a military fitness instructor back in the 1980's).
You could certainly adjust it to fit your personal goals.
I understand, I'm saying it's a very bad guideline.5 -
Then provide one please!cwolfman13 wrote: »Thinking of creating my own lifting routine to be done st home with Dumbbells. What is the best way rep wise. 8-10 reps or 15 reps? 4 sets of each exercise?
This is not the greatest idea unless you have a fairly vast amount of knowledge...people who create program their own routines generally end up with muscular imbalances due to overtraining in some areas and undertraining (or not training at all) other areas. Also, results tend to not be as efficiently achieved as when following a structured program that has been tried and tested.
Judging by the question itself, you don't really have the requisite knowledge to program your own routine. There are plenty of good dumbbell routines out there.
I dont see how doing the m@s beginner dumbbell program would be any different then doing something similar at home like that? V
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mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".
Come on, dude.
Where we going?
Disney World?0 -
You might want to consider this routine: http://www.self.com/story/a-short-dumbbell-workout-to-do-in-your-living-room-right-now?mbid=synd_myfitpal0
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mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".
Come on, dude.
Where we going?
Disney World?
I do love Disney world.0 -
Raptor2763 wrote: »You might want to consider this routine: http://www.self.com/story/a-short-dumbbell-workout-to-do-in-your-living-room-right-now?mbid=synd_myfitpal
Ok...it looks ok but again I ask how is that any different then creating one on my own?
All these programs consist of the same moves I already do. So why is it such a negative thing to just wrote them down in paper and do then 3 days a week? Even if I went back to a progrZm like chAlean extreme I'm doing them all. Squats, lunges, chest press, over head press, triceps kickbacks, calves, hammer curls, etc?
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mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »mgalovic01 wrote: »
Ok the reason why I asked is. Side there are so many programs that do 8-10 reps and then tons that do 12-15. Some even say you should max out 6-8. So I got a bit confused as to what is best. Miss reps with a bit lighter weight or heavy and less reps.Sometimes with written communication things can come across more harsh than they are intended so I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't mean any of this maliciously and I am attempting to Point something out to help you better understand the issue.
The very fact that you asked how many reps you should be doing is precisely why you do not have the knowledge level required to design a reasonably effective and efficient program for your goals.
The best rep range is going to be the one you prefer doing, because you'll enjoy it more. But, if you are looking to tone, you're probably going to want to go lighter, with more reps to feel the burn. But, like I said, if that's not your thing, do what feels best.
No. Lighter does not equal "toning".
Come on, dude.
Where we going?
Disney World?
I do love Disney world.
Well, all right then.0 -
Raptor2763 wrote: »You might want to consider this routine: http://www.self.com/story/a-short-dumbbell-workout-to-do-in-your-living-room-right-now?mbid=synd_myfitpal
Ok...it looks ok but again I ask how is that any different then creating one on my own?
All these programs consist of the same moves I already do. So why is it such a negative thing to just wrote them down in paper and do then 3 days a week? Even if I went back to a progrZm like chAlean extreme I'm doing them all. Squats, lunges, chest press, over head press, triceps kickbacks, calves, hammer curls, etc?
Established routines generally put exercises in a particular order such as compound lifts first, isolations second, etc. There's really no telling whether or not the order you put them in will be effective.
For example, Stronglifts 5x5 has squats at the beginning of each workout because they are very taxing and if done at the end of the session, the person may be too wiped to do them with good form or get the 5x5. Same thing with the deadlifts at the end of one of the sessions - another taxing lift and that's why you're only doing one set of 5 reps. This was thought out carefully.
There's no guarantee that DIY programs are going to be like that. That's why a lot of people are telling you to pick an established program that has shown results. The sequence, weights, and rep ranges have all been studied and there is evidence that they are effective.3 -
Ok I can see some of that, though I've done programs in the past where squats and deadlifts were at the end.
Imo I think exercise if some point is better then none at all. I'm just trying to stay active for health! That's it. Not looking for specific goals. Body composition, body fat percentage etc. just to be healthier! I find a lot of these program have exercises like curtesy lunges and fancy moves like that and I can't do them so I feel like I'm always subbing exercises snd changing things up anyway. So why not make one that suites my body?0
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