High rep or low rep ?

Low weight and higher reps is what you want for hypertrophy. I can’t speak to the exact amount of reps to shoot for. No matter what you do don’t stop getting after it brother

 

Generally for hyperphotry (bigger muscles) low reps with heavier weights is what you want.

How much are you lifting? Low reps you should be pushing 70-80% of your 1 rep maximum m. That last rep should be hard to finish

Rest? Are you taking rest days between workouts? Are you resting between sets? You should need at least 1-2 minutes between sets of a given exercise.

Lower body--for legs it can take a lot to see results b/c they can require more stimulation to grow. Square will usually do the trick. If you are doing enough weight, then try changing the exercises btry sumo squats, slit squats, leg press, one leg deadlifts Step/ups with dumbells are another good one.

 

In the past, I have kept volume low to 6 reps per set or less for a exercise like squat or leg press; 8 reps for leg extension. I built very strong and large legs with that technique. I am experimenting now for the first time with higher reps in the 12-20 range. I have a journal here in this section if you are interested in looking at it.

 

I like higher reps myself b/c for me I get more muscle endurance and some strength gains. But I also use bodyweight primarily which means you're always going high reps.

But for the OP, I think that rep range you use is great for low rep sets.

 

Feel free to take a look. It is in the Fitness section with this thread.

 

Here’s a resource I just found breaking down sets. These guys are great I’ve been using them to guide me in the start of my barbell training journey. They’re well respected and the info is good. Hope it helps.

 

The age old adage is low reps = power, high reps = bodybuilding.

I do low reps because I'm a grappler. I don't lift weights to gain muslce, I lift to gain strength.

 

I mix up every week but generally use low reps high weight, as I want to train for power and not for muscle. if you want muscle, train medium-higher reps to failure, if you want pure strength, go low reps with insane high weight.

 

Personally when I was younger, I used some heavier weight.

But now as I am getting older, my main priority is to avoid injury at all cost, so I can stay focused on my projects. I can maintain muscle size and still increase it with higher reps. I find higher reps and lower weight easier on the joints and the nervous system. It may not be the ideal program for someone into developing maximum power/speed or doing competitive sports but it's completely suitable for me.

This is one program modelled on the French bodybuilder Serge Nubret (contemporary of Arnold's):
https://skinnyfattransformation.com/serge-nubret-pump-training/

 

I often ask myself the same question (though I mostly care about upper body). I got to where you are now (best squat workout was 3x5 @ 256 lbs and 5x3 @ 258 lbs) after about a year of Stronglifts 5x5. I am 5'10" and weighed about 165 lbs at the time. I made good strength gains in this period (was a total newbie before) but I can't say my legs have grown massively, an inch or two at the most.

I like the 5-rep range though. In the 8+ rep range on squats, I always hit cardiovascular failure before muscle failure, i.e., I just can't catch my breath. So it doesn't sound optimal for hypertrophy (?). For the big compound lifts I stick with 5-6 reps, with higher reps on isolation lifts which aren't as taxing on my cardiovascular system.

Also: make sure you are eating enough... I don't think I was eating enough to gain size, I barely gained fat even.

 

Studies have shown that the amount of reps isn't all that important for hypertrophy. What's important is going to failure (and that's a living hell if you're doing 30 reps, so wouldn't recommend).

 

High reps for Bodyweight calisthenics.

Weightlifting sets of 5-12 plus cardio should = good fitness