I feel a beach day coming...
One of Coach Newton's Q and A from his site:Q: What’s the scoop on benefits and drawbacks of high reps vs. low reps, high load vs. low load when weight training?
A: There are no black and white answers, but plenty of shades of grey. Generally speaking, if you use low intensity (light resistance) and can perform more than 15 reps, you are working muscular endurance. Again, generally speaking, if you use heavier intensities and can only execute six or fewer reps, this protocol is considered the best for strength gains. It’s that area in-between, say eight-12 reps, where it is normally expected that one will have the greatest gains in muscular hypertrophy, or growth.
True enough, weightlifters and powerlifters, the most advanced strength/power athletes, tend to train with fewer than five reps. And bodybuilders, those seeking the most muscular growth, tend to work moderate reps in the eight-12 range. But, that’s not to say that the average person, likely to train in this moderate range, is likely to gain much muscular bulk. Too many other factors are involved.
It does suggest that those who train with light weights and higher repetitions are pretty far removed from the training that we think produces increased strength.
It’s been my experience that most females and a large percentage of endurance athletes (both genders) think that lifting heavier weights results in gains in muscular bulk (something they do not want). It’s an age-old myth, one not likely to change any time soon. The one known result of lifting heavier weights (assuming one has properly prepared for this challenge) is that strength levels tend to increase. Whether or not one gains significant muscular hypertrophy is probably more determined by genetics, diet, and training priorities.
Endurance athletes, for some odd reason, like to treat the weightroom as another endurance sport, keeping the heart rate high and not resting adequately between sets. As a result, they train cardio-respiratory fitness, the same as when they train for their event, but do not gain strength. In my opinion, most people should not seek cardio-respiratory benefits in the weightroom; this is a place to get stronger and gain power.
For most of us, training across the entire repetition continuum probably makes the most sense. There’s no reason to attempt heavy efforts if you’ve not established the proper muscular and nervous system integration needed for high-intensity work. So, the first year of training may include no high load, low volume training. Conversely, weightlifters and powerlifters do start off (sometimes a bit prematurely) with high intensity work when they should establish a more solid base through moderate training.
All repetition schemes have benefits and drawbacks. Creating and utilizing a sound periodized training program after an initial year of general training in moderate loads and volumes make the most sense for the typical lifter.
The variety also becomes a great equalizer. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and when the workout has ten elements, both are likely to be featured.
