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Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 06:02:10 PM

Title: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 06:02:10 PM
Is there a scientific basis to 10 reps? Over the years I've seen for the most part 8, 10, 12 reps. What is the reasoning for this?

Why not 20 or 30?

Is this rep scheme just a derivative of the age of Sandow and the muscle beach guys?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: NaturalWonder83 on July 01, 2008, 06:12:27 PM
i prefer 8-12 reps..gotta keep the muscle under tension
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 06:13:25 PM
so what about instead of curling 60lbs for 10reps, you curl 30lbs for 20. Would that be the same?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: 240 is Back on July 01, 2008, 06:14:44 PM
something about fast and slow twitch muscle fibers?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: NaturalWonder83 on July 01, 2008, 06:15:18 PM
so what about instead of curling 60lbs for 10reps, you curl 30lbs for 20. Would that be the same?

hmmm interesting question

i always try to go for an increase in weight or reps...i would say NO...not the same my man
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 06:20:06 PM
hmmm interesting question

i always try to go for an increase in weight or reps...i would say NO...not the same my man

well at some point you plateau or else I'd see all the veterans curling 150lb dumbells
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Bast000 on July 01, 2008, 06:20:56 PM
http://www.bodybuildingweb.net/blog/best-rep-range-weight-load-for-muscle-growth/
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Brutal_1 on July 01, 2008, 06:21:37 PM


sounds like THE COACH needs to end the "rep range" debate as well  ;D


Or candy...either one  ;)
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 06:23:39 PM
I'd like the coaches input on it. I'm not refuting it. I'm curious as to why.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: OTHstrong on July 01, 2008, 06:30:11 PM
I'd like the coaches input on it. I'm not refuting it. I'm curious as to why.
No need for schience here 99 % of the ifbb are in agreement 10 reps with the exception of certain abs, calves, and forarm exercise.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: dov on July 01, 2008, 06:37:37 PM
the basis of bodybuilding is putting targeted muscles under enough tension to break it down by causing tiny, microscopic tears in the fiber. Anything handled for over 12 reps is pretty much just doing cardio and not inducing the breakdown of the muscle
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: YoungBlood on July 01, 2008, 06:50:25 PM


Each rep range makes the muscle adapt in a different way. There are gray areas as to where, or if, the cut off lies. 1-6 will be suited for absolute strength and power. 6-12 brings about hypertrophy, and 13+ is more endurance rated.
You can change the effects too, but using TUT (time under tension). A set of 6 using 202 will have the same tension as a set of 12 using 101. Very similar amount of TUT, but the look and effect is very different.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 01, 2008, 07:40:57 PM

Each rep range makes the muscle adapt in a different way. There are gray areas as to where, or if, the cut off lies. 1-6 will be suited for absolute strength and power. 6-12 brings about hypertrophy, and 13+ is more endurance rated.
You can change the effects too, but using TUT (time under tension). A set of 6 using 202 will have the same tension as a set of 12 using 101. Very similar amount of TUT, but the look and effect is very different.


This was before established science took a look at it? Or were the guys who started bodybuilding just extremely lucky to guess these numbers?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: peroni on July 01, 2008, 07:52:13 PM
something about fast and slow twitch muscle fibers?

That's exactly it. People who's muscles are predominantly slow twitch will respond better to higher reps with a lighter weight and vice versa for those who are made up of more fast twitch fibers. Every muscle has a mixture of the 2 (skeletal muscle) and it's up to the lifter to know which he/she has predominantly in order to target their goals more effectively. This isn't to say that a slow twitch muscle group shouldn't be trained with a heavy load for growth. It just simply means that it by nature is easier for the muscle to accomplish the lift if it's in it's element
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: wildsteve on July 01, 2008, 10:26:52 PM
That's exactly it. People who's muscles are predominantly slow twitch will respond better to higher reps with a lighter weight and vice versa for those who are made up of more fast twitch fibers. Every muscle has a mixture of the 2 (skeletal muscle) and it's up to the lifter to know which he/she has predominantly in order to target their goals more effectively. This isn't to say that a slow twitch muscle group shouldn't be trained with a heavy load for growth. It just simply means that it by nature is easier for the muscle to accomplish the lift if it's in it's element


How do i figure out what type i am???
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Bigger Business on July 01, 2008, 10:34:37 PM
As a training partner it's hard to come up with more than 10 ways to say 'Come-on!'



10 for life
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: benchthis on July 01, 2008, 10:42:41 PM
just max out for everything all the time 1 set 1 rep... and next week do 100 sets of 100 reps  that way you hit both extremes  :P
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: pluck on July 01, 2008, 11:35:47 PM
Physiology and science talk aside, when I first picked up a weight set in high school without any knowledge of rep ranges, proper form or g4p, I remember loading the bar with moderate weight and doing it for 10 reps until I got a burning feeling in the muscle. I guess anything less than 5 was too heavy and didn't feel right and anything over 10 was too light and felt like I wasn't really working hard. 10 seems like a nice round number to shoot for and throughout the years it stuck because people started getting results from it.

Let's say the only rep ranges that produced any results and progress were 1-2 or really high around 20-30 then that's all anybody would ever do. Nothing groundbreaking here, just makes sense to me.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 04:38:03 AM
Maybe there is a mystical connection in the DNA that leads us to 10
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Faust on July 02, 2008, 04:48:24 AM
You only have ten fingers to count on.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 04:56:59 AM
You only have ten fingers to count on.

Lift in bare feet and you can get to 20.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: troponin on July 02, 2008, 05:51:16 AM
Is there a scientific basis to 10 reps? Over the years I've seen for the most part 8, 10, 12 reps. What is the reasoning for this?

Why not 20 or 30?

Is this rep scheme just a derivative of the age of Sandow and the muscle beach guys?

30 reps?  That's too tiring.  If I wanted to get out of breath, I'd find a real sport.......
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 06:00:12 AM
30 reps?  That's too tiring.  If I wanted to get out of breath, I'd find a real sport.......

well obviously you'd need less weight.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: james_hetfield on July 02, 2008, 06:07:17 AM

How do i figure out what type i am???

do your 1 rep max. wait 10 minutes, load up 85% of your 1RM, and push out as much as you can. what ever you can do is what you should be sticking to as your ideal rep range. for example if you do 3 reps with 85% RM then you are predominantly fast twitch IIb muscle type. and you should be doing heavier loads with lower weights.

ps. this only applies to compound movements like squat, dead and bench, not bi curles.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: chainsaw on July 02, 2008, 07:28:41 AM
That's exactly it. People who's muscles are predominantly slow twitch will respond better to higher reps with a lighter weight and vice versa for those who are made up of more fast twitch fibers. Every muscle has a mixture of the 2 (skeletal muscle) and it's up to the lifter to know which he/she has predominantly in order to target their goals more effectively. This isn't to say that a slow twitch muscle group shouldn't be trained with a heavy load for growth. It just simply means that it by nature is easier for the muscle to accomplish the lift if it's in it's element

Very good answer.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: WJ_Harley on July 02, 2008, 08:21:30 AM
Is there a scientific basis to 10 reps? Over the years I've seen for the most part 8, 10, 12 reps. What is the reasoning for this?

Why not 20 or 30?

Is this rep scheme just a derivative of the age of Sandow and the muscle beach guys?
why don't you give us all the secrets to getting huge "big guy".
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 08:28:36 AM
why don't you give us all the secrets to getting huge "big guy".

why would I have the secrets?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: WJ_Harley on July 02, 2008, 08:33:21 AM
why would I have the secrets?
because you're a MONSTER. ;D
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: The Coach on July 02, 2008, 08:35:29 AM
No need for schience here 99 % of the ifbb are in agreement 10 reps with the exception of certain abs, calves, and forarm exercise.

You can't put science and IFBB or bodybuilding in the same sentences. They just don't go together.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 08:37:23 AM
because you're a MONSTER. ;D

monster beast!
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: The Coach on July 02, 2008, 08:39:29 AM
Anything over 15 reps your getting into muscular endurance.
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: BroadStreetBruiser on July 02, 2008, 08:44:16 AM
Anything over 15 reps your getting into muscular endurance.

So the muscle won't grow at all?
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Meso_z on July 02, 2008, 08:53:39 AM
what about "11" reps?  ::)
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: OTHstrong on July 02, 2008, 05:33:37 PM
You can't put science and IFBB or bodybuilding in the same sentences. They just don't go together.
No argument here :)
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: Zaphod on July 02, 2008, 05:44:38 PM

This was before established science took a look at it? Or were the guys who started bodybuilding just extremely lucky to guess these numbers?


Quote for truth
Title: Re: 10 reps....
Post by: YoungBlood on July 02, 2008, 06:12:07 PM

This was before established science took a look at it? Or were the guys who started bodybuilding just extremely lucky to guess these numbers?

Not sure of what came first, the science of the workout fanatic. ::)

Poliquin takes many things into consideration. He does his own studies with his lifters. Oversees other lifters from other coaches he advises, talks to and discusses things with. He will also study medical journals (he says he is an M.D., but doesn't use the letters after his name as he feels it's highly overrated) or whatever possible medium that allows him to further knowledge.

So I guess to answer your question, it's not based on one thing or the other, just pure experimentation with the results reported as to what was found at the time.