muscle growth/strength and rep range
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sengalissa
Posts: 253 Member
Hi
I've been lifting -mostly on a deficit - for 1.5 years. I am female but apparently with good genetics so my arms look fairly muscular now. (I am still trying to go down in body fat.)
Especially my triceps really shows. I am proud of it and I like it to be visible that I work out. However, I don't need more. I would love to get stronger though. Although the bench is my favorite lift, I hardly made any progress, I am doing 5x5 55lbs which is not much but my limit. My muscles seem to grow more than my strength!
So if I get that right I have to lift heavier but fewer reps to get stronger. Now, with all that context, please let me ask this - can I keep my triceps muscles from growing more? My biceps I would like to develop some more, so 5x3 for bench and rows, pull-ups and OHP still 5x5? Is the difference in rep number really noticeable?
free pic
I've been lifting -mostly on a deficit - for 1.5 years. I am female but apparently with good genetics so my arms look fairly muscular now. (I am still trying to go down in body fat.)
Especially my triceps really shows. I am proud of it and I like it to be visible that I work out. However, I don't need more. I would love to get stronger though. Although the bench is my favorite lift, I hardly made any progress, I am doing 5x5 55lbs which is not much but my limit. My muscles seem to grow more than my strength!
So if I get that right I have to lift heavier but fewer reps to get stronger. Now, with all that context, please let me ask this - can I keep my triceps muscles from growing more? My biceps I would like to develop some more, so 5x3 for bench and rows, pull-ups and OHP still 5x5? Is the difference in rep number really noticeable?
free pic
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Replies
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Muscle fitness web site has tons of info
Some respond better to more reps, some don't .
Bodybuilding.com
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There will still be some growth in lower rep ranges as you are still providing stimulus to the muscle, but since you are lifting heavier, there should be a drop in overall volume over time which plays a bigger role in muscle size (will take a long time as you are still working in the higher side of intensity with 5x5, so we are only talking about 10 reps per workout difference).
Also as a side note...most people's biceps are "shown" more once the triceps are developed more since its a bigger muscle. Also, OHP is an excellent shoulder AND tricep exercise.
As an edit, you have to take into account its how much weight you can lift for prescribed reps and sets. So one could lift more weight utilizing 3 reps than 5 reps, so you are creating a better overload stimulus to that muscle which has greater impact on strength than size. But since you working with such intensities, the recovery will be greater, thus overall volume (the amount of work that is done, which lends to size) will be affected downward.
Sorry for the ramblings, have not had coffee yet
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^ don't know what that guys trying to tell you.
You are probably just seeing an illusion. You have good triceps but I wouldn't call them big and if they do grow it'll be slow. If you've been in a deficit for that long you should be losing weight. The lower your bf is the more definition you'll get. Your tricep probably isn't getting bigger, you are just gettin leaner giving the illusion of a larger muscle. A shredded 250 pound bodybuilder looks bigger than an offseason 310 pound bodybuilder for that exact reason.
General rep ranges are 1-5 for strength, 5-8 for hypertrophy, and 8-15 for definition.0 -
There is a major difference in rep range in every exercise on yr last two sets rep to failure shock them muscle fibres. And stick to a good diet u will see more results. I ALLWAYS chop an change my routine every 3/4 weeks. I hit every body part twice a week 6 days aweek. In the winter I do one body part a day.0
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^ don't know what that guys trying to tell you.
You are probably just seeing an illusion. You have good triceps but I wouldn't call them big and if they do grow it'll be slow. If you've been in a deficit for that long you should be losing weight. The lower your bf is the more definition you'll get. Your tricep probably isn't getting bigger, you are just gettin leaner giving the illusion of a larger muscle. A shredded 250 pound bodybuilder looks bigger than an offseason 310 pound bodybuilder for that exact reason.
General rep ranges are 1-5 for strength, 5-8 for hypertrophy, and 8-15 for definition.
Her question was about dropping volume some on her current program if that would have a effect on size. Since she is lifting at a higher intensity level anyway, the lowered volume would have a small impact, as size is more impacted by overall volume than intensity while strength is more impacted by intensity than volume. The product of this and the ability to recover is where we get these general rep ranges that are typically given. Like mentioned, did not have coffee, so thoughts might have come across a little discombobulated.0 -
^ don't know what that guys trying to tell you.
You are probably just seeing an illusion. You have good triceps but I wouldn't call them big and if they do grow it'll be slow. If you've been in a deficit for that long you should be losing weight. The lower your bf is the more definition you'll get. Your tricep probably isn't getting bigger, you are just gettin leaner giving the illusion of a larger muscle. A shredded 250 pound bodybuilder looks bigger than an offseason 310 pound bodybuilder for that exact reason.
General rep ranges are 1-5 for strength, 5-8 for hypertrophy, and 8-15 for definition.
Illusion or different taste?
You're talking to a girl here, I know that you guys can't get big enough
Anyway, yes, I'll just keep going, maybe lowering my rep range. I had forgotten that fat loss would make them look bigger, good point!0 -
^ don't know what that guys trying to tell you.
You are probably just seeing an illusion. You have good triceps but I wouldn't call them big and if they do grow it'll be slow. If you've been in a deficit for that long you should be losing weight. The lower your bf is the more definition you'll get. Your tricep probably isn't getting bigger, you are just gettin leaner giving the illusion of a larger muscle. A shredded 250 pound bodybuilder looks bigger than an offseason 310 pound bodybuilder for that exact reason.
General rep ranges are 1-5 for strength, 5-8 for hypertrophy, and 8-15 for definition.
Her question was about dropping volume some on her current program if that would have a effect on size. Since she is lifting at a higher intensity level anyway, the lowered volume would have a small impact, as size is more impacted by overall volume than intensity while strength is more impacted by intensity than volume. The product of this and the ability to recover is where we get these general rep ranges that are typically given. Like mentioned, did not have coffee, so thoughts might have come across a little discombobulated.
I understand now, thanks!0 -
Probably a little of both. But yeah I saw that you're a girl too. No discriminating here.
I can see where you're going with that now Cajuntank and that's true. Also a 5x5 routinne is a basic one designed right in the middle of strength and hypertrophy so you'll get a little of both worlds. If you don't want them to grow hit 2s and 3s with occasional 5s. But like you said, triceps that are too big? Nah lol
Another factor is how long you've been lifting. If you've been lifting for 1.5 years then you'll get those new gains quickly. Both size and strength will plateau after a few years of consistent lifting so they'd stop growing as fast then too.0 -
Is this body weight the lowest you've currently been? Are you in a calorie deficit?
I ask because I have a similar "issue" where my triceps are significantly more visible and defined than other muscles, especially biceps. My biceps are rather sad.
I honestly don't think my triceps have really grown since lifting though. Just dropping fat revealing what was built up in the past. They look similar to when I was at a lower body weight before. If triceps have just been a larger muscle for you or you've done some exercise in the past that built them up, you're probably not growing them as much as you are just dropping fat that's revealing them. Give it some time and keep with your current program. Once you start to lean out around other muscles it'll balance out. Just don't do targeted work on your triceps. Keep with your compound lifts. I'm starting to balance out as well.
They look great though!0 -
sengalissa wrote: »^ don't know what that guys trying to tell you.
You are probably just seeing an illusion. You have good triceps but I wouldn't call them big and if they do grow it'll be slow. If you've been in a deficit for that long you should be losing weight. The lower your bf is the more definition you'll get. Your tricep probably isn't getting bigger, you are just gettin leaner giving the illusion of a larger muscle. A shredded 250 pound bodybuilder looks bigger than an offseason 310 pound bodybuilder for that exact reason.
General rep ranges are 1-5 for strength, 5-8 for hypertrophy, and 8-15 for definition.
Illusion or different taste? You're talking to a girl here, I know that you guys can't get big enough
Anyway, yes, I'll just keep going, maybe lowering my rep range. I had forgotten that fat loss would make them look bigger, good point!
An illusion. They are not that big. There is still some fat covering them, and the fat you have lost probably makes the muscle more visible and seem big to you. Keeping your deficit will slim your arms down, even if you can see the muscle more-you may like the result better.0 -
Strength=size there is no way around it, but why do you care? Girls with some muscle on their arms are attractive. Just saying0
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