Rep range for strength and size
Posted by Tom
I have a few queries that I was wondering if anyone could help me with. I have been training in the 8 – 12 rep range (upper body) 10 – 15 (lower body) and have made some decent gains. However I currently now feel it is time to go back to more strength oriented power training (not to the extent of just 1- 3 reps of power lifting though). I want to develop size and strength concurrently; Larry Scott believes doing heavy weight and low reps (six reps) is the best way to develop this! My question is would you still recommend 6 reps to achieve these aims (strength and size?). Also If I am doing for example 6 reps with 300Lb on the bench press should I warm up to that weight with any previous sets on the bench (not included in my work set) or would press ups and a warm up on the bar be substantial enough. Thanks for your time.
Take care,
Tom
Re: Rep range for strength and size
Posted by Leo
Hi Tom,
Welcome to the Forum.
I am in the same camp as Larry Scott. The 6 rep method is the most successful for gaining size, strength and power. It's worth knowing that with this type of program you will eventually reach your sticking point. At that stage, I recommend that you use the pyramid method, i.e, 6 reps, add weight 5 reps, add weight 4 reps add weight, and so on until you reach your maximum for 1 rep. There are other strategies for overcoming your sticking point, but the pyramid is one of the top methods.
If you are benching 300 lbs for 6 reps, you should warm up gradually using a weighted barbell. To achieve your maximum, this process requires sound judgement. You must warm up sufficiently to perform your best and avoid injury but at the same time, you do not want to spend all of your energy before you reach your maximum set.
Good luck.
