May 13

Ideal Repetition Ranges

The question about what rep range to train in is a subject that has lots of rumours and also a fair amount of scientific data surrounding it. In most cases, a distinction is made between three different repetition ranges: low, medium and high. This article addresses each of these 3 ranges and will help you determine which is the best suited one for your training.

Low Repetition Range

Anything between one and about seven repetitions would be considered “low repetitions”. If you are using an amount of weight for an exercise that you can only lift a handful of times, then this is clearly a high weight-load for your body. In this repetition range, the weights will feel heavy, even during the first rep of the first set.

Low repetitions with lots of weight are ideal for building strength. Note that I wrote “strength” and not “muscle size”, though. If muscle size is what you’re after, then low repetitions aren’t the ideal choice.

Training with low repetitions takes less time than training in a higher rep range. This has it’s own benefits and drawbacks: On the one hand, it saves you time, but on the other hand, a shorter workout can mean overall less stress on your system and therefore a weaker growth impulse.

Perhaps the greatest drawback of low repetition ranges is that there’s a greater risk of injury, due to the high weight-loads. Obviously, you have to be especially careful when lugging around these kinds of weights (especially when doing free-weights exercises).

Medium Rep Range

Doing between eight and twelve repetitions is considered a medium rep range. This is every bodybuilder’s favourite repetition range, since it’s been shown frequently that doing 8-12 reps is best for hypertophy (increase in muscle size). The gains in terms of increased strength are smaller than with lower repetitions and higher weights, but in terms of what your mirror tells you, this rep range gets you the best results.

Positive and negative aspects of this rep range are quite obvious: If you’re after bigger muscles, this is the rep range to go for. If actual strength increase is more important to you, then this rep range is not ideal.

High Repetition Range

Anything above 12 or 15 repetitions is in the high rep range Performing more than around twelve repetitions of an exercise will generally take longer than half a minute. 30 seconds is about the outer threshold of what can be called strength training. If your muscles are under continual (or almost continual) stress for longer than that, then, biologically speaking, you’re already stepping into “cardio training” territory.

This doesn’t mean that a higher rep range has no merits, of course. It simply means that your body needs to recruit different resources to keep up high repetitions and this kind of training is not best suited for muscle growth.

There’s one very commong, and plain wrong, rumour about high repetitions: It is often claimed that higher repetitions will build lean muscles while lower repetitions will build “bulky” muscles.. High rep ranges simply stimulate less muscle growth, but you can’t really influence the shape of your muscles with a particular way of exercising.

Bottom line: For the majority of people, medium repetitions are the best choice, since lower repetitions require more experience and safety precautions due to the weights, and high reps stimulate less growth. In any case, mixing things up and changing rep ranges from time to time is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Further Info:

– How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass

– Circuit Training: A Very Tough Workout

Related Blogs

    May 13

    Naturally Treating a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)

    Many people suffer from chronic UTI. The medical term UTI stands for urinary tract infection. Signs of a UTI include the following: frequent urges to urinate, urine that looks cloudy, and painful and burning urination.

    Increasing your hygiene can decrease the amount of bacteria and germs that are on your body.
    Drinking cranberry juice can help the body get rid of toxins and bacteria. It helps fight the causes of UTI because it is well known to help flush your body of potential triggeers and causes of UTI. If you smoke, you are only increasing your cause of UTI. If you quit smoking, you decrease your chance of irritating your bladder and could cause bladder cancer.

    Cranberry juice is a well known and clinically proven method to treat UTI infections. However, not many people know that blueberry juice provides similar benefits and can also be used. These juices have antibacterial properties and, in their pure form, can disinfect the urinary tract very efficiently. Unfortunately, additional treatment may be needed to completely rid the body of the UTI infection.

    Another common treatment for uti is drinking lots of water. You should always drink lots of water when you have a uti, but if caught during the early stages, drinking lots of water to flush out the bacteria can cure the problem altogether.

    The most widely known remedy for UTI infections is cranberry juice. Juice should be 100% natural with no added sugars. Another option is to take cranberry extract tablets, available at your local health food store. It may be easier for you to take tablets than to drink cranberry juice throughout the day, and the tablets have been shown to be equally effective in the treatment of UTI infections.

    A natural herb supplement that fights UTI’s is called URIZOL which can be found at urizol.com. Urizol is made of all natural ingredients. These natural ingredients work as a diuretic which helps increase urination. They also can boost your immune system and fight infection. It has also been scientifically proven to cleanse, disinfect and protect your urinary system. It protects your urinary system by stimulating white blood cells and increasing their strength to fight infection thus making your fight against UTI’s a successful one.

    Learn more about Accuracy of urine test for UTI detection. Stop by our site where you can find out all about The Truth About Bladder Cancer.

    Related Blogs

      May 10

      Understanding How Menopause Symptoms Affect the Woman You Love

      Every woman is going to have to go through menopause. It is just part of being a woman.

      The “change of life” is something that is never easy to deal with. Many women have to deal with years that are filled with terrible symptoms that are difficult to control. Many women worry about how their changes affect the other people in their lives. You will be glad to know that if you learn how to identify menopausal symptoms you can help to be a comfort to any woman who is dealing with those symptoms. Knowing about menopause symptoms will help you figure understand what is going on with your wife (or mother or sister or friend)’s body so that you can figure out how to help her cope with all of the different things she is facing.

      Many women will start to gain more weight when they begin going through menopause. Menopausal weight gain happens in very specific locations. Menopausal women tend to gain weight only in their thighs and waists. This can make a woman’s former waistline to away. Weight gain is something that most women dread. Weight gain in these areas, however, is even more traumatic. If you find that you are gaining weight in these places when you usually don’t gain weight there you might think about calling your doctor. You might be starting to show signs of menopause.

      Many women who go through menopause report that one of their menopause symptoms was a sudden difficulty in sleeping through the night. If a woman you know is about the right age and suddenly loses her ability to fall asleep at night and stay asleep, she could potentially be going through menopause. Sometimes the inability to stay asleep is joined by night sweats or hot flashes. Other times it isn’t. A lot of the time this particular symptom gets misdiagnosed as just some simple difficulty sleeping. It is a good idea to have your doctor check out this symptom, especially if you are of a certain age.

      Many women will experience anxiety or panic attacks during menopause as a result of changing sense of security. This menopause symptom can manifest itself in anything from feeling on edge to experiencing feelings of dread or doom. Do not mistake these sensations as panic attacks, there is a difference. These feelings can be indicative of the fact that your loved one might be going through menopause. Fasten your seatbelt it’s going to be a bumpy ride and she will need your support to get through it. There are lots of different menopause symptoms. No two women will experience menopause in the exact same way. For some women, the symptoms are only mild. Other women have incredibly intense and hard to deal with symptoms. Being able to understand the symptoms of menopause can do a lot for both you (if you are dealing with it) and the other people who are in your life (who will be helping you deal with it). These are just a few of the symptoms you might experience. Have a conversation with your doctor so that you can learn how to identify the other symptoms you should be watching for.

      Some experts believe that Kegel can help. So check out our website as we look at Kegel Exercises for women. We also have another website that covers Kegel Exercises for men.

      Related Blogs

        May 10

        Hyperpigmented Skin? How to Treat It

        Eventually, we all are going to get it .  dark spots, sun spots, and uneven skin is just a fact of life .  There are some good possibilities that will help you treat hyperpigmentation without having to spend money on laser skin treatment or even go to a dermatologist. This report will highlight some of the possibilities that a woman can use to her uneven skin using natural sources.

        So What is Hyperpigmentation?

        Chalk it up to too much melanin in some places and not enough in others as the source of your problem.  Melanin is what makes us “brown” and gives our skin color.   Usually, our melanin production is fairly even in our younger years.  As we age, we produce melanin less effectively and we don’t produce enough sebum that produces new skin cells, which also means we carry a lot more dead skin cells the older we get.   Sun exposure will only aggrevate this situation further and sun spots form on our face and arms.

        How to Remove Age Spots

        Hyperpigmented skin doesn’t have to be something you will have to live with.   There are procedures, both professional and at home, that you can do.   .  The first way is to go to a dermatologist and have them treat you with laser therapy or a professional grade acid peel.  The problem with this type of treatment is that it can get expensive.  The other option (and cheaper) is to use a variety of skin products designed to inhibit melanin production.   Add a weekly exfoliation treatment with something like a Kojic Acid Lotion and I think you will be as satisfied as a professional visit to a skin doctor.

        Stop the production of melanin with these Skin Ingredients

        It is a known fact that the best ingredient to inhibit melanin production is hydroquinone  .  Hydroquinone basically inhibits melanin by interfering with a substance called tyrosinase, which catalyze melanin production in our bodies.    The United States is the only place you can legally get it though.  The good news is that there are some natural skin whitening ingredients that mimic the benefits of hydroquinone.  Alpha Arbutin, a substance found in a weed in Canada, is one of them.  In fact, many scientists believe that there is essentially no difference between how the body reacts to hydroquinone and how it reacts to these natural ingredients .

        One word of warning… 

        While most skin whiteners are safe, they all contain chemicals that will dry the skin.  The reason is that many skin whitening ingredients can aggravate sensitive skin.  Also, although natural creams containing things like Alpha Arbutin seems to be a safe alternative to hydroquinone , realize that these are “newer” products and testing hasn’t officially confirmed that they are totally safe  .

        Double your Chances with a deep exfoliator cream…..

        While skin whitening creams can work by themselves, sometimes the better option is to add something that exfoliates the skin .  I mentioned a glycolic acid face peel as a good exfoliator  .  There are also some others options that will help to life the darker, dead skin off the face and keep your skin looking younger . For example, you could use a kojic acid soap.  Totally safe for daily use.

        If you need more information on how to treat hyperpigmentation, then you can check out this page .

        Related Blogs

          May 09

          3 Ways that Drinking Coffee Can Harm You

          There is a lot of debate about whether or not coffee is good for health. Despite common misconceptions that drinking coffee is bad for you, research has shown that in moderation, one or two cups a day, it can have a positive health impact. Unfortunately, research has also shown that excessive coffee drinking can produce harmful health effects. Some studies indicate that drinking more than three or four cups each day would fall beneath the banner of “excessive.” This article will look at some of the effects drinking coffee can have on your own health. Also, in case you’re interested, I enjoy making green smoothies with my Vitamix blender almost as much as coffee. Here’s a Vita Mix coupon code if you’re interested.

          Anybody that drinks two or more cups of coffee every day, might be at a higher risk to develop osteoporosis. Research conducted with almost 1,000 women showed that heavy coffee drinking can stop the body from absorbing some necessary vitamins and minerals from the diet. This can cause the body to get osteoporosis, which is a large decrease in bone density that is generally linked to older patients. Yet, some people who drink a lot of coffee have been found to have a reduction in bond density. Of course, there of other factors in the lifestyle that could account for the early onset of osteoporosis. These things include smoking, drinking alcohol and using hormones. The study also proved that some of the bad effects of drinking a lot of coffee could be decreased by adding milk to the coffee.

          Another link to keep in mind is the one to a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Some studies show that drinking two cups of coffee daily can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 50%. Many believe that coffee works to decrease sensitivity to insulin.

          The downside is that this can lead to a condition called hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar in some people. The symptoms are unpleasant and my include sweating, clammy skin, weakness, and heart palpitations. People who have been diagnosed with this condition are encouraged to avoid coffee completely.

          In women patients who drink coffee, studies have shown that drinking too much coffee can lead to iron deficiency and anemia. Drinking too much coffee hampers the ability of the body to properly absorb iron. Maintaining a proper iron balance is important for the human body. Iron isn’t limited to transporting oxygen back and forth between the lungs and blood it also happens to be important for several different enzyme reactions. Iron also works to help control infections within the body. People suffering from iron deficiencies can have a very negative effect on these important functions. Anemia and constant fatigue are common results of prolonged iron deficiencies.

          Don’t forget that even though there are good benefits for drinking coffee there are plenty of negative effects to remain cautious about. Drink coffee in moderation to avoid those risks. Do this and you can avoid the potential benefits of drinking coffee without the risks of drinking too much. Last but not least, be sure to check out these Vitamix blender reviews.

          Related Blogs

            Load more