How to Pick the Right Rep Range for Your Workouts (2024)

Break out beyond the standard 3 sets of 10 to unlock your training potential.

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How to Pick the Right Rep Range for Your Workouts (1)

PLENTY OF PLANNING goes into a well designed strength training routine. You'll determine the number of workouts per week, take inventory of equipment on hand, and perfectly curate a lineup of exercises. The one factor that might come last on this list is determining how many sets and reps of each exercise to do.

By far the most common wisdom dispensed to newbie lifters is the “3x10” rule. This holds that regardless of whether you’re trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start. The scheme mostly works, especially if you’re just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning.

Once your beginner's gains are behind you, though, you’ll want to tailor your training to suit your specific goals. that might mean changing up your sets and reps from the classic 3x10 format. Target rep ranges will change depending on what characteristic of training you’re looking to improve.

How Many Reps Should I Do?

Set and rep ranges should change based on what you're looking to achieve with your workout. There are three basic rep schemes that every lifter should know:

Strength and Power

If your objective is strength or power (think: heavy lifting or explosive movements), the textbook advice is to perform 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 6 reps per exercise.

Hypertrophy

If your aim is hypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

Muscular Endurance

If your objective is muscular endurance, shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps.

In each case, the key is to use the heaviest resistance that will allow you to complete all of your reps and sets with good form. You also want to allow yourself just enough time to recover between sets to maintain a high level of performance: 2 to 5 minutes for strength and power, 30 to 90 seconds for hypertrophy, and just 30 seconds for endurance.

How to Choose Which Rep Scheme Works for You

Focus on the training scheme that best matches your fitness goals—but don’t hesitate to include others in your workout plan as well. Why? Because their benefits overlap.

If your goal is hypertrophy, for example, lifting primarily in the 6 to 12 rep range will help you target your type II muscle fibers, which are the largest and have the greatest growth potential. But if you want to maximize your gains, you can’t neglect your more endurance-oriented type I fibers, which respond best to high rep sets.

By including a range of reps and sets in your workout plan, you’ll make sure that you optimize your training stimulus and fast-track your results.

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How to Pick the Right Rep Range for Your Workouts (2024)

FAQs

How to Pick the Right Rep Range for Your Workouts? ›

Moderate reps: typically 6 to 12 per set. Bodybuilders often use this rep range to enhance muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth). High reps: typically 12 to 20 per set. Most athletes that need to perform repeated bouts of high-intensive exercise use this rep range to build muscle endurance.

How to decide rep range? ›

Moderate reps: typically 6 to 12 per set. Bodybuilders often use this rep range to enhance muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth). High reps: typically 12 to 20 per set. Most athletes that need to perform repeated bouts of high-intensive exercise use this rep range to build muscle endurance.

Which rep range you should choose for your fitness goals? ›

The NSCA recommends doing 1-6 reps for strength, 6-12 for muscle growth, and more than 15 repetitions to build endurance. If lifting heavy weights to build strength or muscle mass, aim to lift heavier weights and complete fewer repetitions - anywhere from one to six per set.

What is the best rep range for training? ›

3-6 reps at 85-90% of your one-rep max (1RM) to build strength (i.e. powerlifting) 8-12 reps at 70-80% of 1RM for hypertrophy, a.k.a. bodybuilding. 15-20 reps at 50-60% of 1RM for muscular endurance (weight training for runners)

Is 20 reps too much for hypertrophy? ›

These are the three most common rep ranges and their most popular use: The low range (1-5 reps), typically employed to increase strength. The medium range (6-12 reps), also known as “the hypertrophy range”, usually recommended for muscle growth. The high range (15-20+ reps) for muscular endurance.

How do you calculate rep range? ›

There are a variety of formulas to use for finding someone's one rep max. The most popular formula is the formula from Matt Brzycki, which is weight divided by ( 1.0278 – 0.0278 × reps ). Epley's formula is the weight multiplied by (1 + 0.0333 × reps). Lander's formula is (100 × weight ) / (101.3 – 2.67123 × reps).

How many reps for fat loss? ›

For fat loss: One to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps using enough weight that you can only complete the desired reps. To gain muscle: Three or more sets of 6 to 8 reps to fatigue. For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before going to this level. You may need a spotter for many exercises.

Is 3 sets of 10 enough to build muscle? ›

If your aim is hypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

Is 2 sets enough to build muscle? ›

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will break this down, suggesting the following set ranges: 2-3 will help build muscular endurance (12 to 20+ reps) 3-6 build muscular hypertrophy (6 to 12 reps) 3-5 build muscular power (3 to 5 reps)

How many reps to gain muscle? ›

Progressive overload is necessary for muscle growth; this principle involves continually increasing the demands of the muscles. In order to get bigger and stronger, you must ensure your muscles work harder than they are used to. Generally, between 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will help to build overall muscle size.

What rep range for beginners? ›

Anything below two sets may not challenge you enough; anything over six sets could lead to overworked muscles. If you're just beginning, a good starting point is three sets of 10–15 reps. Another key consideration when "setting" your "set" expectations is the amount of time you have for your workout.

Should I go to failure on every set? ›

Because reaching failure is mentally and physically taxing, it's not recommended that you go to your endpoint in every set of every move. “For most of your training sessions, going close to failure, but not to failure, is probably ideal for muscle mass,” says Taylor.

What rep range is best for explosiveness? ›

Generally, explosive exercises should be performed with lower repetitions (3-6 reps) and more sets (3-5 sets) to allow for maximum power output during each movement.

How many reps is too many? ›

Are 25 reps for each exercise too much? If you divide 25 reps between four sets (about 6 reps per set) then 25 reps is not unreasonable. But if you can complete 25 reps per set, you probably need to increase the amount of weight that you are lifting.

How long to rest between sets? ›

To increase strength and power, the best rest period is 2-5 minutes between sets. To increase hypertrophy (muscle growth), the best rest period is 30-90 seconds between sets. To increase muscular endurance, the best rest period is 30 seconds or less between sets.

Which muscles respond better to high reps? ›

Also, generally speaking, big compound movements (like squat and deadlift) lend themselves to lower ranges, while isolation exercises that target small muscles (like lateral raises and bicep curls) respond better to higher reps.

What is the best rep range to look bigger? ›

Progressive overload is necessary for muscle growth; this principle involves continually increasing the demands of the muscles. In order to get bigger and stronger, you must ensure your muscles work harder than they are used to. Generally, between 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will help to build overall muscle size.

What is the 4 30 10 method workout? ›

What Is The 4-30-10 Method? The “4-30-10” Method is a fitness approach that combines four strength training workouts per week, 30 grams of protein at every meal, and ten thousand steps per day. Is A 4-30-10 Workout Split Effective?

What is the 3 7 method of weight lifting? ›

A new method (3/7 method) consisting of five sets of an increasing number of repetitions (3 to 7) during successive sets and brief inter-set intervals (15 s) was repeated two times after 150 s of recovery and compared to a method consisting of eight sets of six repetitions with an inter-set interval of 150 s (8 × 6 ...

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