Which is better: few reps with heavy weights or lots of light ones

If you want to increase strength

To get stronger, that is, to lift heavy weights to the limit of your capabilities, it is not enough just to build up a mountain of muscles.

The fact is that our muscles are made of fibers, and not all of them are simultaneously tense to produce strength. In order for you to lift really heavy weights, you need to train your nervous system to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible.

Heavy sets of 2-5 repetitions are suitable for this purpose. In this case, the weight should be 85-95% of the one-repetition maximum (1RM) - the weight that you can lift only once.

While this workout is the best thing you can do to build strength, you shouldn't practice it all the time. Especially when it comes to complex movements that involve many joints and muscle groups: squats, deadlifts, bench press, snatch and clean and jerk.

Such exercises greatly tire the central nervous system (CNS), and working with large weights only increases the load.

As a result, you will recover for a long time, and the accumulated fatigue can result in injury or overtraining. Even if your goal is to get strong, periodically insert lighter weights into your workout to relieve muscle and brain stress.

If you are going to pump stamina and health

If you don't want bench and squat records and prioritize health and endurance, go for more than 15 reps with light weights - roughly 30-50% of the weight you can lift once.

This intensity is well suited for beginners, injured and elderly people, and those returning to strength training after a long break.

By working with light weights, you reduce the risk of injury from technical errors and reduce stress on the joints and spine.

Strength work 20-25 times per set increases muscle endurance - the ability to work longer without fatigue. And it pumps up intermuscular coordination - the ability of your body to strain and relax the right muscles in time. This helps to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury in endurance sports.

Many people think that working with light weights eliminates muscle building. This is not true. In fact, doing repetitions can build muscle just as effectively as with a heavier barbell. But only under certain conditions.

If you want to build muscle

It is the same for building muscle, 2–6 heavy reps per set, and 6–2 times with medium weights, and even 20–25 with light weights work well.

The main factor for muscle growth is not reps and weight, but muscle fiber fatigue.

In other words, you have to tire the muscles so much in each set that you come close to their failure - a state in which you cannot do it even once. With a heavy weight, five times will be enough for this, with a light barbell you will have to suffer longer, but the essence of this does not change. If there is fatigue, there will be growth.

However, in bodybuilding, sets of 8-12 reps are considered the gold standard. And they work really well. The fact is that our body is constantly adapting to stress. Today, five 50kg barbell squats will tire your muscles enough to kick-start their growth, but after 1–2 weeks this will not be enough.

The muscles adapt and you will need to increase volume again - do more weight, reps, or sets. And this is where the average number of repetitions has its advantages.

It is difficult to increase the volume by working 2-5 times with heavy weights. The strength does not grow so quickly, and the load on the joints and the central nervous system is simply enormous. Having inadequately assessed your capabilities, you run the risk of injury or burnout.

It is not easy to increase the volume when working with light weights: sets that are too long will become exhausting and waste a lot of calories. As a result, it will be more difficult to gain muscle mass.

Performing 8-12 reps at 75-85% of 1RM, you can increase the volume easier and safer, without the risk of injury and the prospect of spending three and a half hours in the gym.

If you want to build muscle, have no joint problems, and don't chase strength, 8-12 reps per set will work best for you.

However, this does not mean that different training intensities will be useless. You can mix them together to avoid stagnation and pump all aspects of your fitness. Here are some examples of how you can do this:

1. Within one workout … For example, do a heavy squat for 2-6 reps, dumbbell press and dips for 6-12 reps, and set dumbbells for 15-20 reps.

2. Splits … One day work on upper body strength (2-6 reps from 85-95% of 1RM), the second day - on the strength of the lower part, the third day - on the volume of the upper body (8-12 reps from 75-85% of 1RM), the fourth - on the volume of the bottom.

3. By training cycles … Work on strength for 2–4 weeks (2–6 reps), the next 2–4 weeks on muscle volume (8–12 reps), and for 2–4 weeks on endurance (15 or more reps).

Listen to your body, track your progress, and decide what works best for you.