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Building muscle at any age is a lot less dependent on reps and sets than most people think.
- Muscle is muscle at any age and responds to stimulation pretty much the same across the board.
- The most important factor is Intensity, (going to failure and beyond).
- Survey performed on two groups of participants to determine how high and low Rep ranges effect muscle development: Group A did low rep ranges to failure (8-12 reps), Group B did high rep ranges to failure (25-30 reps). Both groups gained about the same amount of muscle during the testing period. Important to note that both groups performed their predetermined rep ranges to “FAILURE”
- Something to consider: Group B did more work because they performed more reps so it took longer with more effort total for the same overall results!
Some factors people over 40 should consider when determining their optimal rep ranges:
- Going too heavy can cause injuries much easier as you get older as our muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints are not as resilient as when we where younger. I find the elasticity is not the same which can cause injuries if I where to push that little bit too hard. When going heavy, any breakdown in technique or a small bobble in your form is compounded when using really heavy weights which again can lead to an injury.
- Going high rep and high volume can cause repetition based trauma and injuries especially in already sensitive or injured areas of your body. I find my arthritic knee acts up more when I do higher reps as apposed to when I do less reps using heavier weight.
- Shoot for a rep range somewhere in the middle to get results while staying away from injuries related to over-stress and over-use.
- As we get older we need to listen to our bodies and take time off when necessary. Ignoring an early warming sign will most often lead to some down time and a step backwards in your training.
Some tips to help you maximize your reps and sets:
- Intensity is always more important than how many reps and sets you do.
- Don’t be jerky and bouncy, ease into the bottom of the rep and almost pause at the bottom, then quickly move the weight to it’s top position and then without a pause, slowly lower the weight again into the bottom of the rep, repeat.
- Do not be confused with doing a lot of reps with doing a lot of work or getting a good workout. Challenge and push yourself hard and make the most out of your time in the gym! Simply moving weights up and down does very little to build muscle or gain strength other than get some blood into your muscle.
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Some of my favorite reps and sets formulas when training in the gym:
Generally speaking for the four main compound movements (Squat Deadlift, Bench, Overhead Press), I like to mix it up by changing my rep ranges around from week to week. Sometimes I will even go as low as 5 reps per set, I will also do 8 reps per set, 10 reps per set and then the occasional a 15+ reps per set workout. This is because I use these movement as an overall indication of my progress and how strong I am getting so I use more of a power lifter training method when I train compound power lifting movements. I will follow up most compound exercises with accessory work for the muscle areas I trained. So for instance on Squat day I will do some leg extension, leg curls, calf raises and even sometimes throw in some dumbbell straight leg deadlifts. On Bench Press day I will follow up with flies, dips and pushups.
When it comes to accessory isolation type exercises, I train by using a varied rep range method. I’m talking about exercises like flies, curls, extensions, rows, raises… I like to start with a warm up set that is fairly light and will go as high as 20 reps. I follow this up by increasing the weight for my first working set that is usually around 12-15 reps, my last few rep should be hard but not to the point of getting close to failure. My third set will be a a little heavier and I will shoot for 10 reps or so and make sure that my last couple of reps are very difficult and on the verge of failure. My forth set and usually last set, I will again raise the weight a bit and usually try and hit somewhere between 6-8 reps and go to utter failure, most of the time my last 1-2 reps look like crap in team of from and getting full range of motion! If the machine or exercise I am using allows for drop setting, I will drop the weight another two times and again go to failure on both of them. Sometimes it takes me 5 sets to get to my ultimate heavy set depending on my weight jumps and how warmed up I am.
In Summary:
- Don’t go to heavy or too light with your weights.
- Low Reps and High Reps can both cause injuries so stick with rep ranges somewhere in the middle, I recommend 10-15 reps per set as a default, or use a varied reps method pyramiding up to your heavy low rep set.
- It’s not how long you are in the gym it’s how hard you push yourself that matters.
- This method can be used for all ages but is ideal for those over 40 since it is easier on our bodies.