Light Weights, High Reps Vs. Heavy Weights, Low Reps

It seems that the vast majority of gym goers are all making exactly the same mistakes.

Take a look around during your next workout and you’ll see two types of weight training. There are those lifting weights no bigger than pencils for a ridiculous number of repetitions while others lift lumps of iron heavier than their cars for one or two reps, then collapse in a quivering, red-faced heap.

For years, the misnomer that you should do high rep sets with light weights to lose weight and burn fat and heavy weights for lower reps to build muscle has been plaguing gyms across the land.

The whole notion that rep ranges make a difference to body composition is laughable.

In practice, it makes sense – when you lift a light weight for a high number of reps, you really feel the burn. Take a dumbbell should press for instance. If your 10 rep maximum is with 30-lb dumbbells, and you decide to go all out with a pair of 15s, you’ll probably hit 20, 25 or maybe even 30 reps. You’ll get an intense burn in your shoulders, and triceps too, and feel like you’re literally torching the fat away. The increased blood flow to the muscles will also make your veins stand out as blood fills the tissue and makes your muscles look ripped. This is what bodybuilders call “the pump.”

Those trying to build muscle on the other hand have always been advises to keep their reps slightly lower. Not super-low powerlifter style training, but certainly lower than the standard fat loss ranges. Bodybuilding magazines usually prescribe sets of eight to 12 reps, using a weight that causes you to reach muscular failure somewhere within those guidelines.

The trouble is, there’s not much truth in either of these gems of perceived expertise.

It’s true that tough high rep sets will burn calories and fat, but then so will any weight training. While cardio is often considered the daddy of fat loss training, lifting weights burns calories too. Half an hour of lifting might not burn as many calories as half an hour on the treadmill, but weight lifting has a powerful effect on metabolism that cardio doesn’t have.

The number of reps you do doesn’t matter though – it’s all about intensity – work hard and you’ll burn fat and create that metabolic advantage.

The lactic acid produced from high rep sets can have a positive effect on fat loss, as it causes a slight spike in testosterone and growth hormone, but again, heavy lifting can also do that.

When performing high rep sets, the weight may be lighter than it would be when you’re going heavy, but at no point should it feel light or easy.

There are issues with always lifting heavy too.

If you’re building muscle, you’ll probably do well sticking in the 8 to 12 range, but always going heavy can cause a plateau in results as you’re not stimulating all your muscle fibers correctly. There’s also the temptation to keep pushing the weights up, leading to poor form and potential injuries.

Combining Light Weights, High Reps And Heavy Weights, Low Reps

The key to creating a balanced physique, whether you’re training for fat loss or muscle and strength gains is to incorporate all the different rep ranges into your routine.

The main benefit of heavy weights is that they stimulate the muscle fibers known as “fast twitch” or Type 2. These are the muscles responsible for producing power and building strength.

Lighter weights for higher reps on the other hand work your “slow twitch” or type 1 fibers. These are the muscle recruited when you’re performing more endurance-based activities.

As discussed, the number of reps you do has little effect on body composition. If you’re working hard, you’ll see positive changes in your physique – muscle size, body fat, definition, etc. Plus, the main factor in determining whether you lose or gain weight is your diet and overall calorie expenditure. When it comes to performance though, choosing the right rep ranges is absolutely critical.

To set up your training cycle to get the best of both methods, you need to break your training down into blocks. A typical cycle comprising all the potential set and rep boundaries would look like the following –

Weeks 1-3: Power phase
Weeks 4-6 Strength Phase
Weeks 7-9: Muscle Hypertrophy Phase
Weeks 10-12: Muscular Endurance
Week 13: Rest
Repeat

If all this looks completely confusing, fear not, it’s explained below:

Power Phase

Training Split: 3 Full Body sessions per week
Sets per Exercise: 6 to 10
Reps per Set: 1 to 5
Weight: 40 to 60% 1 Rep Max

This phase is all about building explosive power. You’ll focus on explosive lifts, such as box jumps, broad jumps, speed squats, speed deadlifts, clap pushups and Olympic lifts. The weights used aren’t particularly heavy, but you must lift them as quickly as possible, and focus on quality rather than quantity.

Strength Phase

Training Split: 2 upper body, 2 lower body sessions each week
Sets per Exercise: 4 to 6
Reps per Set: 3 to 6
Weight: 75 to 90% 1 Rep Max

Pick basic strength exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, pullups, rows and dips.

Hypertrophy Phase

Training Split: 2 pushing sessions, 2 pulling sessions, 2 leg sessions each week
Sets per Exercise: 3 to 5
Reps per Set: 8 to 12
Weight: 65 to 85% 1 Rep Max

Focus on creating as much muscle damage as possible, by concentrating on the mind muscle connection and using a controlled tempo on every rep.

Muscular Endurance Phase

Training Split: 3 Full Body sessions per week
Sets per Exercise: 2 to 4
Reps per Set: 12 to 20+
Weight: 45 to 65% 1 Rep Max

Aim to increase your time under tension each set, and use weights that are light enough to allow you to complete all the reps, but heavy enough to be challenging.