Right after making the leap to a heavier
resistance, it's not as easy to maintain the rep range you've been
aiming for once you reach the 3rd or 4th set. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance offers a simple solution for banging out the sets and reps you have in mind.
To calculate the right amount of load reduction needed to maintain 8-12
reps across sets, researchers had 24 experienced male lifters work with
their 10 rep max for a week. For the next 4 weeks, they decreased
resistance by 5%, 10% and 15% after each set.
Reducing the load between 5% and 10% allowed the average lifter to
maintain 8-12 reps per set. Dropping the load by 15% resulted in an
increase of reps. That's fine if your goal is to increase muscular
endurance, but to build mass it's best to work in the 8-12 range.
No comments:
Post a Comment