Heavy weight / low reps vs. Light weight / high reps??

[bhspud]

So, I know the typical opinion on this forum is Lift Heavy (and seems to be target 4-6 rep range). And it has been communicated a number of times that "lifting light weight x 8 - 10 reps tones up your muscles" is a myth...

The reason I post the thread (and am even thinking about it in the first place) is that I have heard over 8 physical trainers in my gym tell their clients, "We're going to do a little bit lighter weights and target 10 -15 reps to really tone up your muscles." I've looked at their credentials and just about all have at least a Bachelor's degree in some form of biological study of humans if not a masters, along with other PT certifications.

What gives? Are they essentially passing on the coveted Bro-Science? I have seen good progress after switching up from lighter weight / higher reps to heavier weight / lower reps, so I know there is a difference and it works for me... just curious why it seems that almost all trainers at my gym are basically preaching the reverse of what I've come to believe.

P.S. This is geared towards trainers who are generally training overweight people who also appear to have very little LBM.

[jay24k]

Degrees are just pieces of paper. It doesn't make anyone smarter. Also, many trainers tell their clients what they want to hear. It sounds much better to their clients to use words such as tone and what not.

[defury]

Muscle hypertrophy takes a certain effort point to occur, otherwise its just slow cardio (unless they are doing HIIT lifts)

Always lift heavy.

[Dennis71]

people who dont workout think they get a better workout because after 15reps they are exhausted

[breaktheground]

Curious about the "certain effort" thing, I don't claim to know a ton about rep schemes, but if you are lifting roughly the same amount of TOTAL weight in the end, isn't it the same?

Break it down fellers.

[RoWdY_RuFf_BoY]

Reason they say that to their clients is it makes them feel better. Imagine your new to working out and your trainer says "in order to build a great body, your going to lift heavy weights, your going to break a sweat, you are going to struggle with the weight I set you and your workout with be of HIGH intensity", most people will get discouraged because they don't want to be in the hard effort is takes to get a good body.

I see too many chumps working out and they don't even break a sweat. Whatever it is they are doing, it doesn't even look challenging. They get the 'burn' and think they're awesome. 6 months later they look the same and they quit the gym. "Gyming didn't work for me"

[RoWdY_RuFf_BoY]

Curious about the "certain effort" thing, I don't claim to know a ton about rep schemes, but if you are lifting roughly the same amount of TOTAL weight in the end, isn't it the same?

Break it down fellers.

No it is not the same. Lifting heavier forces the muscle to recruit more muscle fibers in order to lift that weight.

All high reps do is fatigue the muscle. It may burn more calories but your not telling your muscles to grow because it has NO REASON too. Your just making your muscles tired.

[bhspud]

Thanks for all the replies! That's all along the same lines that I was thinking. If I were going to a trainer, it definitely wouldn't be for them to tell me what I "want" to hear... I'd want to be told what I "need" to hear. I guess it's a business as much as anything else.

Thanks everyone!

[ElGordoNoMas]

So what is the best rep range if you're not trying to build mass? I know a lot of mass comes through eating, but doesn't your lifting affect this as well? I typically do 3 or 4 x 8-12 hitting failure, or Do 4x12,10,8,6..making it heavier each time and typically hitting failure.

[JeffR88]

No it is not the same. Lifting heavier forces the muscle to recruit DIFFERENT muscle fibers in order to lift that weight.

fixed

when lifting heavy, your muscles recruit more TYPE IIB fibers than TYPE I, when lifting to improve endurance (high reps) you use more TYPE I and TYPE IIA than IIB. Different fibers are used for different processes, because heavy lifting is anaerobic, you don't need as many red muscle fibers as you do white fibers.

[ph4zed]

No it is not the same. Lifting heavier forces the muscle to recruit more muscle fibers in order to lift that weight.

All high reps do is fatigue the muscle. It may burn more calories but your not telling your muscles to grow because it has NO REASON too. Your just making your muscles tired.

If this is targeted at us fatties, isn't burning more calories better anyway?

I've looked for opinions on some of this stuff before and just found a lot of crap. You need to burn the calories to lose weight... but more muscle means you burn more cals while resting, right? So I do a bit of both...

I do 35 minutes on the bike using the "Fat burn" setting... then I do two circuits on the weight machines. I set them to as high as I can manage and do 10 reps until it gets easy... then I bump the weight.

[sureshk]

in the long run you'll burn more calories and look a lot better if you build up more lean muscle mass.

personally I noticed increases in weekly gains when switching my rep ranges from sets of 10 to sets of 5-8. When I was doing sets of 10, I wouldn't usually be able to up the weight each week, but now I can. almost all of my lifts are significantly improving every week while focusing on 5-8 reps with heavy weight. Definitely seeing growth in the muscles too.

[LiveForJesus]

No it is not the same. Lifting heavier forces the muscle to recruit more muscle fibers in order to lift that weight.

All high reps do is fatigue the muscle. It may burn more calories but your not telling your muscles to grow because it has NO REASON too. Your just making your muscles tired.

I have been working out for a little over 2 year now and i lifted heavy for a long time. But when i lifted heavy i had a big gut lol and couldnt get rid of it. So I changed my routine up the last months for bodybuilding. So I now lift light lots of sets lots of reps and i look the best on the whole gym that i go to. Although i was a little stronger when i lifted heavy ,but now i look great and feel good. But my light workout is heavy to alot of those guys in there. I know mist guys in there has been lifting way before me and i look the best. But one thing they are lacking in is nutrition they just can't eat right. And that is one of the most important things NUTRITION.