HIGH REPS VS. LOW REPS: WHICH WORKS BETTER?

​Whether you should train in the high or low rep range to build muscle commonly comes up with my clients. Working in a high rep range generally means lighter weight, while a low rep range is heavier weight. Which is better though? Which rep range is going to give you the most bang for your buck?

You will hear hardened views on this topic because people want to believe that what they are doing is the path to muscle righteousness, but I am going to give you the correct answer. BOTH high and low rep ranges are effective for gaining muscle! You can gain equal amounts of muscle using any rep range from 3-20 reps per set, provided you take each set within a few reps of failure. Let’s dig into this to make it easier to understand.
 
High Reps/Light Weight
I’m going to classify 8-12 reps per set as the high rep range. Going for 15 or 20+ reps has a place in some programming, but this is a topic for another post. As for weight, well that is relative. It all depends on who is doing the lifting. What is light for one person, may be extremely heavy for another. 
 
Many people think by lifting weights using this rep range, they will build muscle, or “tone” their body. Most women are taught to believe they need to work in this rep range (or higher) to avoid getting “too big”.  
 
A high rep training session would consist of these:
 
MORE REPS PER SET
FEWER SETS
LONGER TIME UNDER TENSION
SHORTER REST PERIODS
 
Programming for an exercise like a squat might look like this:
 
4 sets of 10 reps
Tempo: 3 seconds down, hold for 1 in the bottom, 1 second up
60-90 seconds of rest between sets
 
By slowing down the movement, coupled with the amount of reps you do per set, you're going to increase time under tension. This is a necessary stimulus for muscle growth. Gains in strength will no doubt come along for the ride. As long as you are getting close to muscle failure near the end of your sets, this will feel VERY challenging.
 
If it works so well, why would you ever want to switch to low reps with heavy weight? Quite simply, your body will adapt to this rep range and stop responding if you train this way for extended periods of time. You will also limit the amount of intensity you can cause as well. What feels extremely difficult will eventually be much easier. 

Low Reps/Heavy Weight
The low rep zone can be defined as anything between 1 rep with near-maximal effort and 6 reps in a set. I don’t recommend a 1 rep max for most people, so I will classify low reps as 3-6 reps per set. Again, weight is relative. An experienced lifter might warm up with your “heavy” working set weight. 
 
Many people think of this as the rep range for gaining strength. Some even think that only power lifters or Olympic lifters work in this range. Personally, I never considered using lower reps until a few years ago because I thought it looked boring. The rest periods seemed way too long. I’m kicking myself now! More on this later.
 
A low rep training session would consist of these:
 
FEWER REPS PER SET
MORE SETS
SHORTER TIME UNDER TENSION
LONGER REST
 
Programming for an exercise like a squat might look like this:
 
5 sets of 5 reps
Tempo: 1 second down, no pause, 1 second up
3-5 minutes of rest between sets
 
This focuses on making your nervous system more efficient. If you switch from sets of 10 reps to sets of 4-6, you will feel a major difference. At first it might be quite shocking. Every movement requires more overall tightness in your body and intense focus. More motor units and muscle fibers are recruited, which make your body more powerful. You will definitely get stronger and build muscle along the way.
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If you live in this low rep/ heavy weight world, I encourage you to try doing 4 sets of 10 reps, and only resting for 60 seconds. When the rest period for set 2 is over, I guarantee you will feel extremely challenged. 

The perfect combination
I think most people fall into either the high rep or low rep camp, but you need to spend dedicated periods of time in both ranges to maximize your muscle growth and development. 

If you’re a beginner, I think it is a very good idea to start with high reps/light weight. Jumping into low reps/heavy weight of an exercise like a Barbell Chest Press is not a good idea. You need practice. Your body has to learn how to be efficient and effective at moving weight. Once you feel solid and competent in your lifts, then set out to smash some heavier weights.

Maybe you have some time under your belt or just never considered (like me) low reps/heavy weight? You have so much potential for strength and muscle gains! It might take a little while to get accustomed to this style. I was so good at doing 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps, but when I went down to 4-6 reps with much heavier weight, my mind was blown. In my previous 10+ years of lifting, I never felt this intensity! That was the missing piece I needed to get stronger and build more muscle. 

When you become more efficient in this low range, you can move back to the high range and probably use much more weight for high reps. It really is such a winning strategy! 

Final thoughts
My recommendation is to spend at least 4 weeks in a new rep range. Just plan on changing this every so often. Personally, I like at least 4-6 weeks. This will reduce physical as well as mental fatigue that comes with staying in a program too long. Whether it is high reps/light weight or low reps/heavy weight, your body will thrive with the new stimulus.