High reps low weight/low reps high weight for bulk?

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  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    kazane1 wrote: »
    Hi all when bulking with the aim of getting stronger and bigger is it better to be doing high reps and low weight or low reps and high weight? What are all your opinions and tips about this?
    Personally I found low reps high weight worked for me well but because I have been following the PHAT workout lately a lot of there exercises call for higher reps so I’ve had to lower the weight but I hope that over time I will work back up to the weight I was lifting when I was doing lower reps.

    Both, I usually go heavy on compound lifts (3-5 rep ranges) and higher rep ranges (8-15 rep range for iso exercices (ex: BB curls)). You get the best of both worlds.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    The PHAT program is designed to both improve strength with lower rep higher weights sometimes, and hypertrophy with moderately higher reps and lower weight sometimes. That's how that program is designed. You went through a whole deal about what program and you picked that one just a month or so ago. Why are you second guessing it? Just follow the program. I'm guessing Layne Norton knows what he's doing.

    Ya think? LOL! He maybe - and forgive the cliche cliche - has forgotten more about this stuff that most of us know! He knows from the weight room and from the class room! Not a bad combination.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    kazane1 wrote: »
    Hi all when bulking with the aim of getting stronger and bigger is it better to be doing high reps and low weight or low reps and high weight? What are all your opinions and tips about this?
    Personally I found low reps high weight worked for me     well but because I have been following the PHAT workout lately a lot of there exercises call for higher reps so I’ve had to lower the weight but I hope that over time I will work back up to the weight I was lifting when I was doing lower reps.

    My opinion is you should perform training that your body responds optimally within the programmed volume.

    Rep schemes of others lifters and their programs(even the same program) really shouldn't hold weight with what is best for you. The fact is you might be more or less male, more or less efficient at hypertrophy, have more or less of athletic background, etc.

    Some people are resistant to certain rep schemes while others are good responders. Find yours and run it as long as you respond and add volume before reps are missed.


    Agreed. Everyone is different. Everyone responds to the same stimulus differently. I am 51 and I keep hearing from younger people, "Dude, you can't do that. You are way too old to be doing that!". Okay....but watch me...and see these results? What do you say about that?".

    I think, though, that people need to play with things and see what works best for them. You simply do not know without the experience. It does not matter what Aunt Sally did or what your colleague did....you may or may not follow suit.

    So, perfect advice!
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    Include both high rep sets & low rep sets in order to gauge strength progress (does not matter if cutting or bulking; this is another broscience misconception that high reps tone, low reps bulk/build).

    PHAT works well; however, I go with targeted exercises (mostly compound/multi-joint movements) for heavy, low rep sets with high rep, low weight "isolation"/single joint movements in the same lifting session (Jim Stoppani often advocates this type of approach). Experiment, but @ the end of the day, you need some way to gauge progress

    Jim Stoppani has a lot of interesting programs.

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