posted
Is it possible to do too many reps of an exercise? I have been receiving conflicting messages. I was hoping someone could tell me if it's possible to do too many reps
Tazz
posted
Too many, no not really but once you reach a certain point it is rather counterproductive. 1-5 reps= strength train 6-8= medium hard for gains in strength or endurance. now then 10 reps is a good point overall, safe and effective 12-15 endurance training 15-20 very low % here practically 50 % and below effort level. 20 + can not see as how this would do anything. The less reps you can do, the harder it is. I say stick to 8-10 or 10-12 these are safe and effective, and require little rest in between.
posted
Ok, and then how many sets are ok?Posts:
1 | From:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Registered: 03-06-06
Tazz
posted
Yikes... 3 sets are the norm, 4- 5 sets are the most sets. 3 sets for reps using 8-10. 4-5 for sets for either lower number reps i.e. 4-5 (using heavy weight of course) or 4- 5 sets for more higher reps such as 15-20.
The short answer to your first question is "yes, you can do too many reps"...it's always possible to do too many, but the appropriate number of reps, and sets depends on several variables.
In what context are you trying to determine reps and sets? What is your current fitness level? How much exercise experience do you have? What are your goals? How are your workouts structured (full-body, 2x split, 3x split, etc.)?
http://www.topfitonline.comPosts:
134 | From:
Medford, OR USA | Registered: 01-27-00
posted
I'll just add in that if you are looking to lose fat and/or gain strength then you want to focus on the 3-4 sets of 8-10 rep range.
Just focus on working each major muscle 1-3 times per week and be sure you lift a heavy enough weight that your muscles feel tired on the last rep of every set. However, you should always maintain perfect form
posted
If you ever took a Body Pump class you'll know what high reps do. You do anywhere from 80 to 110 reps of many exercises. I have found it burns a lot of calories and does get you cut, as long as you still have workouts in the 8-12 rep range. It's tough!
Laine
posted
You did not specify whether you were referring to an individual strength workout or a group fitness class. We generally do a few more reps of exercises in classes. However, too many instructors do mega-repetitions of some exercises - squats, bicep curls, and crunches, to name a few. This exhausts participants and leaves them stiff and sore. Unfortunately, people still tend to think this type of workout is what should be done...
Don Palmer
posted
The other question we need to ask is what is the goal? Is the goal muscular endurance or strength? If it is hypertrophy less reps and greater resistence is called for. I find some clients are better off with few sets and greater weight. My best strength gains with some of my clients have been with one set but more more exercises targeting a specific muscle group. I don't think that there is one answer.
If your workout is extremely long because you are doing so many reps in order to feel the exercise, than yes, you are doing too many reps. To build muscular endurance & overall fitness you may want to use a weight that allows you to do 12-15 reps, and feel fatigued on the last 2-3 reps.
Many group fitness classes do many reps. Group fitness classes normally have small weights available & are done rhythmicly, so the weights cannot be heavy. I try to change the angles of the trining muscles in my group fitness class. Although there may be many reps per muscle group, I try to hit the each muscle groups in its various ranges of motion to relieve the stress to one particular area and to stress different parts of them muscle. (examples: alternating hammer curls with preacher curls or alternating sqats with lateral hip extensions.)
Many people still insist on doing more than 2 sets per exercise. The gains of doing more than 2 sets are so minimal, that it may seem like wasted effort. Best to put an all out effort into your 2 sets & leave the extra time for stretching and cardio.
Try to do 2 different exercise for your quads, 1 for hanstrings, 1 for calves, 2 exercises for your back (one close grip & one wide), one for low back, 1 or 2 for chest, 1 exercise for each head of the shoulder, 1 for biceps & one for your triceps. Of course do your abs. It may take longest to exhaust your abs, because they are in constant use all do in all of your activities, but crunches, planks & some ab bicycles (alternating elbows to knees)will do the trick of abs & obliques. You should be done in about 45mins to an hour. 2 times per week (leaving 24-48 hrs between each session to allow for recovery of the muscle groups.
Of course you need to do your cardio & eat nutitionally to help you to lose bodyfat, but your question was about reps.
posted
I also was going to ask this question. My client had success losing weight with her trainer over a year ago who set her up doing 20 - 25 reps 3-5 sets. She had large muscles at the time and she wanted to lose weight and size. She was also doing at least an hour of cardio per day. Now she is a spin instructor at our gym and I set her up on an upper body workout today. I thought the reps sounded high and couldn't see the benefit. She's in great shape and she says this workout was working for her but she was willing to try something new as long as she didn't bulk up. Although rare for women, it is possible for some and she is one of them. I told her I would look into it. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.Posts:
4 | From:
Lynnfield,MA,USA | Registered: 03-12-08
posted
Really people.... I challenge any of you to try to do 100 pushups with out regard to sets or reps. Just do them till you can't do another without compromising form, rest as long as you need to get some recovery, and then continue all the way up to 100. Then do that with air squats. Then tell me how you feel. I guarantee it will feel harder and better than 3 sets or 1 set of 8-10 of anything else.
The ACSM is too caught up in first principle science that it remains light years behind the clinical experiences of the everyday practitioner. IF we are going to spit out textbook answers then ACE would do well to just print the darn ACSM manual here and not have a discussion board at all... -----------------------------------------------
I know of no better example of functional strength than a 600-pound deadlift. Except a 700-pound deadlift. That's what strength is: the ability to generate force, and the "functional" part is really just a qualifier. Because when you're that strong, it's functional. That's the part that has the modern "academic" wing of the fitness industry in such a fog just now.Posts:
41 | From:
Herndon, VA | Registered: 10-11-07
Your body type is also going to determine what amount of reps are best for you individually. Some people respond better to 8 reps rather than 15 reps. It would be best to try out different rep ranges for 6 weeks at a time to see how your body responds. That leads me to my next point. Periodization is a very important part of strength training, for everybody. For a woman, bulking up is always a concern, but you dont have the building blocks to add muscle, at least not quickly at all. So dropping your rep range down to 8-10 will help enhance muscle definition without the fear of adding bulk. In order for your muscles to be able to respond to everyday activities and be strong, they need to be exposed to many differnt types of stimuli and intensities. Changing your rep ranges every month or so will be a great way for you to achieve maximum results. And yes, you can do too many reps. Anything over 20 is a waste of time, for everybody. Hope this helps.Posts:
2 | From:
eagle, co, USA | Registered: 04-10-08
You are wrong. The majority of the population does not need to ever be able to deadlift 600 lbs. If they can walk and carry boxes without hurting their back, then thats really all the average person needs. As a bodybuilder, then yes, lifting that much is a measure of functional strength, but the average person is not a bodybuilder in the since that you probably are.Posts:
2 | From:
eagle, co, USA | Registered: 04-10-08
posted
In answer to Angela's question regarding reps and sets. I read all the other responses and I found merit in all their answers. However, your first step should be to have your current health and fitness levels assessed by a qualified fitness trainer. Then your fitness goals will have to be objectively evaluated in conjunction with your prior assessment findings. Armed with this information and working with a qualified trainer, reps and sets could change from time to time based on what you want to or can achieve at a given point during your exercise history activities.
[This message was edited by Andy on 04-10-08 at 12:04 PM.]Posts:
2 | From:
Voorhees, NJ 08043 | Registered: 04-03-08
posted
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Buttars: Sasquatch:
You are wrong. The majority of the population does not need to ever be able to deadlift 600 lbs. If they can walk and carry boxes without hurting their back, then thats really all the average person needs. As a bodybuilder, then yes, lifting that much is a measure of functional strength, but the average person is not a bodybuilder in the since that you probably are.[/QUOTE]
Sorry dude, I am the anti-bodybuilder. I completely reject machines and isolation moves and training for muscle mass gains. I reject shaving my legs and fake tans and being judged by other men while wearing a purple bikini.
What you read was my signature and it was far from wrong. If one can lift 600 lbs from the floor safely then one will have no problem lifting a box without pain. The statement only qualifies the value of strength. A 50=yr old man with a 225lb deadlift is pretty good and would have him apt to being functional, but not like a 50 yr old man who can pull 315. Or 405. See what I mean? One is more functional than the other.
PS. There is nothing functional about bodybuilding. The whole thing is dysfunctional!
I know of no better example of functional strength than a 600-pound deadlift. Except a 700-pound deadlift. That's what strength is: the ability to generate force, and the "functional" part is really just a qualifier. Because when you're that strong, it's functional. That's the part that has the modern "academic" wing of the fitness industry in such a fog just now.Posts:
41 | From:
Herndon, VA | Registered: 10-11-07
posted
Angela - Lots of good advice, but Andy is right. Even a one-time session with a professional trainer will set you on the right path within the context of your individual goals and your present fitness level. You just want to buy a consultation if you're only looking for answers. It's really the best idea and better than abstract advice that may not be relavent to the specific, real you. Good luck.Posts:
33 | From:
Sarasota | Registered: 04-06-08
This is very dependent upon a few things, as others have said - but fundamentally it starts out simple. For a beginner - 1st 3-6 months, straight sets (1 to 3 sets per exercise) in the 8-12 rep range. Remember, you are probably doing a full body workout and starting with the largest muscles. Once you go the an Intermediate - for another 3-6 months, you no longer are looking to build ligaments, but want to focus more on muscle - change to a split where it takes two workouts to complete one full rotation of working all the muscles. So this means more exercises - and you can add more intensity techniques. For example, pyrimid sets - where each set has either less reps and more weight, or vice versa. By the time you are advanced, I know of at least 35 intensity techniques that could effect the number of sets, reps and muscle groups you would use in a single workout. It is not uncommon for myself as an example, to hit both fast and slow twitch muscles by going heavy after a warm up on incline bench press with a pyramid up from 40lb dumbbells to 70s to 100s to 120s while decreasing from 15 reps to 10 to 6 or 8. The burn out 12-14 reps with 60 to 80 lb DBs before going on to flys. Later in the 1 hr workout, I would flush the muscles with blood by doing a strip set from 135 lbs on the barbell down to the bar alone - by rep 20, and partial reps for another 10-30 reps with a good stretch. I am also done strips sets of leg presses from 800 lbs down to 80lbs, for 100 reps in a single set. This is a shock treatment for growth, and not something done every day. You ultimately have to see what works for you with out injury. I do not believe in the 1-4 rep range with maximum weight - it is an injury weighting to happen. For me pyrimids with an avg of 8 to 10 reps works best. Good luck to you - and understand that form comes first then intensity - counting reps is something of a distraction that is based on how well your choice of weight was.Posts:
3 | From:
Kennesaw | Registered: 09-03-08
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