-Diablo's Journal, 10 May 2021

💪🏻Can light weights build big muscles? 🏋🏽‍♂️It’s often suggested that using the weight you can lift for 6-12 reps is optimal for muscle mass gains. In agreement, the American Society of Sports Medicine recommends 8-12 reps with 60-70% 1RM (the maximum weight you can lift 1 time). 🤔However, when reps are performed until failure (until you can’t do another one), you should have recruited all muscle fibers. Therefore, it can be speculated that rep range is not that important, as long as you perform your sets until failure. 🔍This study investigated the effect of both light and heavy weights on muscle mass gains. The ‘light’ group trained with 30% 1RM (for 30-40 reps), while the ‘heavy’ group trained with 80% 1RM (for 8-12 reps). Both groups trained until failure. 📊Both groups gained the same amount of muscle mass following 10 weeks of training. ❗️This suggests that the rep range you train in is not that important as long as you train until failure. 🧐Does this mean that every set has to be taken to failure? Not necessarily. Taking sets close to failure (1-2 reps in reserve for example) likely also gives an effective training stimulus and might be easier to recover from and allow you to train more in total. 💡In conclusion, light and heavy weights increase muscle mass to a similar extent when performed until failure. 📄Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22518835 #lightweightbaby #aintnothingbutapeanut #bodybuilding #gym #muscle #musclebuilding #training #smarttraining #fitness #resistancetraining #musclegain #lightweighthighreps #heavyweightlowreps #untilfailure #fitfam #evidencebasedfitness #1RM #fitnessmodel #fitspo #instafitness #physique #aesthetics #ifbb #gymtime #grind 

Push until you drop: This has been my strategy since I was in my 20's, though for different reasons, Diablo. First, I didn't always have access to a gym, so without equipment, I'd just use what I had (even if it was only my own body weight, like for pushups). Second, I get more of a "cardio" workout if I can go for longer (sit ups not in sets, but till exhaustion, can take several minutes). I also found that I could significantly increase my reps - daily - using this method. Just never knew there was science behind it.  

We were just talking about this so good to know. 👍🏻😉  

I always looked at it like this: Either way you're convincing your body it has to get stronger in order to survive, and so it does. (self preservation is strong in the animal brain that controls this stuff lol) 

Hey Chris, long time no see. I'm looking more like a short Santa than Leprechaun Gladiator these days, but I'm working on it lol 

Yep, too many people are in there counting reps and stopping at a certain number it seems going by their perceived effort. You have to push yourself to change. 

Speaking of pushing, I think I just found a new way to punish myself if I ever just really hate myself: overhead press, push press, shrug trisets. Man, it's brutal. But I figure I ain't working hard enough if I don't find myself questioning all the decisions that brought me to this point in between sets 😂 

I actually vary my reps per exercise but each set is 0 reps in reserve. For example yesterday was chest and triceps for me. For chest I did Barbell bench 3 sets 8-10 reps Dumbbell incline bench 3 sets 10-12 reps Machine press 3 sets 12-15 reps Pec deck 3 sets 15-20 reps. My understanding is that this variation allows you to work the slow and fast twitch fibers. For progression I’ve found setting a rep goal and then trying to add +1 rep to each set every week works awesome for me. My lifts have gone way up because of this and it provides me a challenge or a goal every time I hit the gym. 

Great info. I hate long workouts, the reason I lift as heavy as I can. I’d rather do like Chris said and lift 50 pounds at 10 reps instead of 10 pounds to 50 reps, as long as it’s to failure. And btw, I cannot lift 50 pounds for bicep curls! 😉 

CC, I enjoy these posts because they remind us of how many different ways there are to get to the same end goal. One thing that needs to also be considered is that you also need a reasonable amount of volume to really build muscle and that can me accomplished in different ways too. Awesome post D👊 

Same muscle building results. I don't know where it says to do one over the other. 

Muscle building isn't easy so yes, I prefer to tell people how to be efficient at it. Of course, if you're doing an endurance even or sport, do more cardio. Seems obvious. 

You're welcom Mike. I also vary my reps. I do almost everything from drop sets, myoreps, etc. I do 4-30 reps. Sometimes higher if I extend sets with myoreps. 

thanks D. I've been doing what works for me but recently changed it on some advice from friends. I'm heading back to doing me. great information.  

Btw, this is from 2012 https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00307.2012 

Wifey- I think similar things but recently thought why am I using 55’s - who am I impressing (besides myself) lol so it takes a minuscule amount of time longer to use 40’s and less risk of injury for same results. Now going to 10’s and being there all darn day is not something I’d do. 😉 

Good info. I recently watched a video about what failure and near-failure actually looks like, and how most people are not getting sufficiently close to it. 

I say, if your eyes aren't bloodshot after every set, you aren't even trying. Just kidding, but mine do get that way, every time lol 

ccc I don't think think this post supports only Diablo or other bodybuilders' objectives. It's for anyone curious about how to increase lean body mass, and if anything, he's posting the current research that shows there's more than one way to do it, against the bias that you have to lift super heavy to get any results. What you choose depends on how comfortable you are going heavier, your tolerance for longer workouts and preference.  

Yeah. I bet. 😂😂