Rep Ranges: Is 6-10 the Best?
Hi All,
I was just wondering what kind of rep ranges everyone uses. Mike recommended 6-10 reps for upper body and 12-20 for lower body and abs. I′ve been doing some reading on Doug McGuff′s site(www.ultimate-exercise.com), and in one of his articles he talks about finding optimal time under load(TUL) for each exercise. Since I don′t train with a stopwatch, I decided to sit down and try to figure out my optimal rep ranges for various exercises. After some consideration, I realized that my legs(thighs) seem to give out at around 13 reps, with any more than that quickly leading to overtraining. My calves, on the other hand, always seem to give out at about the 8 or 9 rep mark. Most of my upper body exercises top out at 8 reps, with any type of biceps curls topping out at about 7. I′ve decided to try the following rep ranges and see if my strength increases faster:
Upper body exercises: 5-8
Calves: 5-8
Thighs: 8-12
Biceps: 4-7
It′s not that I can′t go to 10 reps on most upper body exercises, but I find those last few reps are really hard to gain. I figure if I lower the top end of my range, my poundages might progress faster. If I′m warmed up and using proper form, I don′t think there will be any increased risk of injury either.
What do you guys think about all this? Do most of you follow the 6-10/12-20 protocols Mike recommended?
Any input appreciated.