How many repetitions is better to do for muscle development? Sometimes those who call themselves experts respond quickly and confidently. Unfortunately, they rarely coincide with each other. Some people say 5, others 15. It has even been heard that their thing is to do three repetitions at most, with really high weights. Some get too emboldened and say that you have to do 50 repetitions. So what is the correct answer? How many repetitions are optimal for muscle growth?
Bodybuilding professionals surround me.
Fortunately, at the Sport-Tiedje Group, we have many “real” experts: graduates, PhDs and PhDs. We also have Marcus Heuer on the team, one of the most successful weightlifters in Germany. Likewise, we have numerous reference material to which we can go when we have any doubts.
With all these sources, in this article, we try to find common sense and coincidences to clarify the optimal number of repetitions for the muscular development of each one.
There are different types of muscle fibres.
An optimal number of repetitions in strength training But let’s start at the end: there is no ideal number for muscle growth. Or put another way: there is no perfect number of repetitions; there are several. Muscles consist of two types of fibres. Slow muscle fibres (Type 1) are differentiated from fast muscle fibres (Type 2a and 2b). For hypertrophy (or muscle growth by increasing the cross-section of the muscle), it is best to activate both types of muscle fibres.
This is the only way to achieve maximum muscle development. For this, both types of muscle fibres need a different number of repetitions in any case.
For muscle development of type 2a and 2b fibres, each set’s optimal number of repetitions is between 6 and 12. However, for effective muscle growth of type 1 fibres, the number of repetitions per set should be between 13 and 20 or more. Of course, several repetitions between 3 and 5 also have their justification. If they are carried out with a lot of weight, the maximum strength is improved. This is seen less in muscle mass, although it provides excellent support for muscle development.
How many repetitions is better to do for muscle development? Sometimes those who call themselves experts respond quickly and confidently. Unfortunately, they rarely coincide with each other. Some people say 5, others 15. It has even been heard that their thing is to do three repetitions at most, with really high weights. Some get too emboldened and say that you have to do 50 repetitions. So what is the correct answer? How many repetitions are optimal for muscle growth?
Bodybuilding professionals surround me.
Fortunately, at the Sport-Tiedje Group, we have many “real” experts: graduates, PhDs and PhDs. We also have Marcus Heuer on the team, one of the most successful weightlifters in Germany. Likewise, we have numerous reference material to which we can go when we have any doubts.
With all these sources, in this article, we try to find common sense and coincidences to clarify the optimal number of repetitions for the muscular development of each one.
There are different types of muscle fibres.
An optimal number of repetitions in strength training But let’s start at the end: there is no ideal number for muscle growth. Or put another way: there is no perfect number of repetitions; there are several. Muscles consist of two types of fibres. Slow muscle fibres (Type 1) are differentiated from fast muscle fibres (Type 2a and 2b). For hypertrophy (or muscle growth by increasing the cross-section of the muscle), it is best to activate both types of muscle fibres. This is the only way to achieve maximum muscle development. For this, both types of muscle fibres need a different number of repetitions in any case.
For muscle development of type 2a and 2b fibres, each set’s optimal number of repetitions is between 6 and 12. However, for effective muscle growth of type 1 fibres, the number of repetitions per set should be between 13 and 20 or more. Of course, several repetitions between 3 and 5 also have their justification. If they are carried out with a lot of weight, the maximum strength is improved. This is seen less in muscle mass, although it provides excellent support for muscle development.
