Can you gain muscle mass using moderate weights/high reps?

[5unny]

Hi guys,

I'm after a bit of advice please.

Bit of background:

I'm quite new to training and over the past 6-12 months have used a combination of interval training on the rower/treadmill and some weights to lose quite a bit of weight.

I'm still a fat though (85kg & 25% body fat....most of it on the belly) with very little lean mass but I'm looking to change that through upping the resistance work.

The problem I face is I have no access to a squat/bench press rack nor do I have a spotter.

On the rare occasions when I have had a spotter/someone to help if anything goes wrong I can bench around 55 kg 3 or 4 times, squat around 65 kg 2 or 3 times and deadlift about 80 kg a couple of times.

However when on my own I generally do 3 sets of 10-15: Bench press is around 35kg (don't go any heavier in case I get stuck), squats around 45kg (can't go any heavier as I'm too weak to lift the weight onto my back) and deadlift around 60 (form isn't fantastic and I have a weak core so I don't go heavier). Now this does make me work - heart rate is in the high 180s after each set of squats (and deadlifts) but can I actually gain any muscle mass using this method or am I wasting my time?

Anyone here experienced actual gains using this 'moderate weights, high reps' method? Can 20 reps at 50% of your max achieve similar results to 2-3 reps at 95% of your max?

Cheers,

Sunny.

[carmonk]

There's endless talk about this and it all boils down to intensity being the key. Without that, it doesn't matter what you do, you'll not get anywhere in terms of muscle mass. If you strain that muscle until it's white hot with pain then it doesn't matter whether it's your 20th rep with 20kg or your 5th with 40kg (within reason - as I'll mention), it will stimulate growth, assuming a good diet and adequate rest periods. A good way to think of this is rep until you can't possibly under any circumstances do another one, then do another one. 99% of people are unwilling to do this and therefore don't get good results.

The reason high reps and low weights isn't advocated is that you tend to get tired before you can work the muscle to failure. If there's nobody to spot you, use fixed benches / squats. Unless you rep to failure, which you can't do without a spotter, there's not much point doing the exercise if muscle growth is your aim.

[goldblum]

No.

Prepare yourself for an onslaught on various training regimes from a huge amount

of people on this forum who think they are real deal,despite having spent less than

a couple of years in a gym or are only qualified on paper!

[carmonk]

Then it's probably a good idea to add I trained with weights for 22 years, drug-free, and attained 17.5" biceps and 49" chest with a max bench of 240lb at 5'8" and bodyweight 183lb

[bales]

Yes you can, the rough percentages given for hypertrophy training are 6-12 reps at approx 70-85% of your 1RM.

I'm sure some posters above may not agree but there are a number of core training principles - which incidentally in a previous thread I got slated for mentioning and told I know nothing about this subject.

I have written this before and obviously reps and percentages change depending on the individual and their strengths weaknesses but;

Maximum strength is worked at low reps and higher sets, usually around 85-100% or even slightly more if you being assisted and 1-3 reps and upto 5 or 6 sets sometimes.

Power is worked at 6-8 reps at 60-80% of your 1RM where all the movements are fast and explosive.

Hypertrophy is as mentioned above.

Maintenance work is usually lower reps and lower sets but still 70-85% of your 1RM.

Its up to the OP whether he believes this but if he buys some of the well known books on training then most of the theory is well tried and tested.