subject: How Many Repetitions Should I Do When I Lift Weights? [print this page] How Many Repetitions Should I Do When I Lift Weights?
Some people lift weights to build muscle, some weight lift to get stronger, and others do it to build lean muscle. Whatever your reason for pumping iron, the amount of repetitions you do for each set is important. If you are lifting in the wrong repetition range, you may be making it harder for yourself to meet your goal.
If you are interested in gaining strength, doing 1-5 reps per set is what you want to target. To properly stay within 5 reps you have to be lifting heavy enough that you cannot lift the weight more than five times. Staying in this range will help you build strength. The adaptation made is more in building strength than mass when you lift a weight 1-5 times. So, if you have more of an interest in building strength and power rather than mass, this is the range you want to mainly focus on.
Bodybuilders, and anyone that is interested in building mass would want to focus on lifting in the 6-12 rep range. The adaptation made in this range is an improvement in both mass and strength. If you want to build muscle, than lifting a weight that is heavy enough that you cannot lift more than 12 times is ideal for gaining mass. You will build strength and build mass doing sets of 6-12 reps.
Women or anyone else that doesn't want to pack on extra muscle mass, but wants to take part in the benefits of weightlifting, build lean muscles, or focus on improving muscular endurance, will want to do 13-20+ reps each set that they do. Lifting a high volume of reps has the added benefit of increasing the mitochondria count in muscle, and the number of capillaries in muscle. This means that after some time of doing high rep weightlifting, you experience improved blood flow through your muscles, and an increased capacity for energy storage in your muscles.
In summary, the amount of reps you do depends entirely on what your goals are. If you want to build as little muscle as possible, do 13-20+, if you want to build huge muscles, do 6-12, and if you want to primarily improve your strength, do 1-5 reps.
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