Lift heavier or do more reps?

russellvolk
russellvolk Posts: 102 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys,

I'm curious. What's better? Lifting heavier weight or doing more reps? For example, I can do 20 reps of bicep curls with 20lb dumbbells. If I want bigger muscles, should I increase the weight or should I do more reps?

Replies

  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    increase weight so that you can't do any more between 8-12
  • ChunkLaFunk
    ChunkLaFunk Posts: 38 Member
    The Power 90 program is a shedder type workout for getting cut but not going to help you gain much additional muscle mass. You're going to have to lift heavier and include exercises for the big muscles, legs, back, etc., like bench press, squats, pull-ups.

    Reps should be 6-15 per set, 3-5 sets per exercise. total workout should be less than one hour.

    Make sure you getting enough calories to build new muscle! Protein should be in the .9-1.25 grams per pound of body weight.

    Time to go beast mode!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Hey guys,

    I'm curious. What's better? Lifting heavier weight or doing more reps? For example, I can do 20 reps of bicep curls with 20lb dumbbells. If I want bigger muscles, should I increase the weight or should I do more reps?

    if you want bigger muscles- you should eat at a calorie surplus. rule of thumb between 5-15 reps will get you some strength and hypertrophy gains.

    There ARE exceptions- that is merely a guide rule- but in order to build significant muscle- you must have a calorie surplus.
  • russellvolk
    russellvolk Posts: 102 Member
    Thanks for your feedback guys. What about the fact that I still have fat to lose? I still have about 20 lbs that I need to get rid off. I'm currently eating about 1,800 - 2,000 calories per day. Should I consume less and do more reps? or what?
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    I still have weight to lose but my trainer has me doing both. Some days it's more reps, and others it's higher weight. I get the impression that it's good to do both.
  • rick_po
    rick_po Posts: 449 Member
    Lift the same whether you're bulking or cutting. You won't gain much, if any, muscle while you're cutting, but you'll keep more of it. Use it or lose it.

    Make sure you're eating adequate protein, and watch for signs of over-training. You might need to reduce volume (sets or reps) if it's too much for your body to handle.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Getting stronger is not the same as building muscle in the sense of size.

    Keep lifting- eat at a calorie deficit- it will help make sure that when you hit your target weight you haven't lost muscle AND fat. You'll have gotten stronger and optimized fat loss.
  • charlieibeling
    charlieibeling Posts: 93 Member
    Easy- Both! There are different pathways for muscular growth when stimulating the muscle.
    Simple plan- do three exercises per muscle group
    Exercise 1- heavy reps- 3-5 reps
    exercise 2- medium reps(8-12) with a slow controlled rep
    exercise 3- 20 plus reps with intent to burn the muscle and pump it to the max

    I train heavy reps in the morning and lighter reps later in the day when I can.

    Mix it up but use good form for everything

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