The Role Of Repetitions In Your Muscle Building Program

Repetitions are the basic building blocks of any strength or muscle building program but it is something that many lifters take for granted. How often do you see people at the gym speed through their reps, breathe haphazardly or fail to complete each rep correctly from a technical perspective? There is much more to the simple rep than meets the eye.

The first thing to note is that a repetition consists of three elements - namely lower, pause and lift. The speed at which this is achieved depends on the desired outcome, but to maximize muscle growth a slow, controlled tempo is required. The process should never be rushed, jerky or bouncy but instead should be controlled and smooth.

The second consideration relates to how many reps need to be performed. Once again, this depends on what you hope to achieve but you can use the following as a basic rule of thumb:

1. A single repetition maximum (1RM) increases muscle strength.

2. A six to eight repetition maximum increases muscle size.

3. A higher number of repetitions will have more effect on muscle endurance and little impact on size or strength.

Your aim therefore should be to complete six to eight reps of a load equivalent to 75-80% of your 1RM. This will maximize your muscle building potential, provided you complete each lift with perfect form in a smooth controlled manner.

You can find out more about building muscle by visiting the site listed below.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

---

Building a Better Home Gym

If you're looking to get fit and into shape, home... Read More

A Very Simple Program Anybody Can Follow To Gain MASS

Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains... Read More

How To Gain Weight

Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains... Read More

Follow the Path of MOST Resistance! Why Weight Training Is The Fast Track To Sculpting Your Body

Resistance is NOT futile! When it comes to changing your... Read More

Focus on Both Consistency and Variability in Your Workouts for the Best Results

In one of my recent articles, I spoke about the... Read More

Use This Quick Muscle Building Program for Fast Results

Quick muscle building is the goal of every underweight guy... Read More

Chest Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

The chest area is one of the easist muscle groups... Read More

Always Shock Your Muscles For Maximum Growth

Always try to "trick" your muscles into growth. You never... Read More

Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

An Amazing Technique That Can Make Your Gains Skyrocket While Others Have Reached A Sticking Point!

If you clearly understand and apply the principles involved in... Read More

Gaining Muscle Mass

This article will discuss how to gain weight naturally muscle... Read More

Fitness & Muscle Building Know How for Hard Gainers

Hard gainers are individuals who train equally hard as other... Read More

The MYTH of Gaining Muscle Without Fat!

Many of you have expressed concerns about gaining too much... Read More

Increase Your Training Intensity - Negative Repetitions

You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate... Read More

Enough Already! Stop Coming Up With New Weight Loss Programs...

Great weight loss techniques are completely worthless.That's a true statement... Read More

The Ultimate Hard Body Exercise

The Front Squat:As you may have already discovered, the squat... Read More

Build 80 Pounds Of Muscle?

Is it possible to gain 80 pounds of shredded muscle... Read More

How to Build a Bigger and Better Chest

Creating a larger more powerful chest is difficult but if... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Wrist Curl

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

Pipes, Guns, Bazookas - Killer Biceps

Pipes. Guns. Bazookas.Take your pick. Grab your weapon of choice.This... Read More

Lifting for the Love of It!

Over the last couple of years I have taken a... Read More

?Bodybuilding Sins? That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts

It's one thing for someone who sits at a computer... Read More

Muscle Building Workout For This Week!

As experts says, "NO PAIN, NO GAIN." This specially applies... Read More

Build More Muscle Mass And Strength Without Supplements

Who should use this method to build muscle quickly?If you're... Read More