For the tall and lean guys – which rep range has worked best for you?

[VanHermanator]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters about rep ranges. Which has worked best for you in terms of gains in size? I’m curious to hear from those of you past noobie stage and working out regularly.
Cheers!

[JerryB]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters about rep ranges. Which has worked best for you in terms of gains in size? I’m curious to hear from those of you past noobie stage and working out regularly.
Cheers!

The physiological effect of rep ranges is not related to one’s height.

[nvrstopworking]

I've always done high volume workouts and pyramided up a weight that I can only handle for 6-8 reps.

That, and eating more has worked for me over the years.

[azstrengthcoach]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters about rep ranges. Which has worked best for you in terms of gains in size? I’m curious to hear from those of you past noobie stage and working out regularly.
Cheers!

I do a wide variety of workouts to get the best results, usually I combine speed, power plyometrics twice a week with more traditional hypertrophy workouts.

[bigtallox]

The physiological effect of rep ranges is not related to one’s height.

I agree with that. But other aspects of training are, I think he's just asking the wrong question ( but his real question is related and close to what he asked IMHO ).

[VanHermanator]

I really do appreciate input! I intentionally avoided the use of ‘ectomorph’ or any reference to body type, but wanted to target my question to a certain audience – those most closely matching my physiology.
I have been focusing the past 6 months on low-rep, heavy weight compounds, and while my strength gains have been good, my size gains have not. So not wanting to randomly jump to another program, I’m hoping to benefit from others’ experience.
Thanks again for replying.

[musikguy72]

I really do appreciate input! I intentionally avoided the use of ‘ectomorph’ or any reference to body type, but wanted to target my question to a certain audience – those most closely matching my physiology.
I have been focusing the past 6 months on low-rep, heavy weight compounds, and while my strength gains have been good, my size gains have not. So not wanting to randomly jump to another program, I’m hoping to benefit from others’ experience.
Thanks again for replying.

You didn't mention or ask about diet and that, in my experience has far more to do with putting on mass than rep ranges (for the beginner to intermediate lifter).
What is your TDEE (maintenance calories)? How far above that are you eating? For how long? How much weight do you gain (average) per week? For how long?

[bigtallox]

I have been focusing the past 6 months on low-rep, heavy weight compounds, and while my strength gains have been good, my size gains have not.

Eat more. If you want more meaningful feedback, post your training program too.

[MichaelCJ]

For me, though I am trying to stay more or less "lean" while doing so, I'm on the same road - the road to swole, or whatever. A powerbuilder, I guess, in the modern parlance.

And I've found that the most effective way to get there, thus far, is high volume, full body, a combination of high and low rep ranges, and a high protein intake, along with a large amount of food in general.

In other words, what might well be the classic generic bulking method, as far as I'm aware anyway. I got there through trial and error (which is still a work in progress, like me, lol) but you could certainly start right there and save having to mess around so much.

I strongly suggest dropping the notion that you are some mythical "body type" that needs special treatment in order to grow. It's total bullsh!t, by the way. Eat moar fud, is the essence of it. And, in my opinioin, high volume, along with pretty high intensity (aka the "hard work" approach) will work wonders in combination with that.

[nvrstopworking]

Pretty much what the last 3 guys have said... can't get bigger unless you're in a calorie surplus. You'll definitely get STRONGER lifting heavy weights.... but you need the extra food to gain mass.

I remember WAY back when I first started to focus on working out and gaining weight it was as simple as eating 3 microwave dinners at a time instead of the usual one (ok, so I didn't know much about nutrition back then lol). I put on a good 15lbs in about 2 or 3 months that way.

[bigtallox]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters about rep ranges. Which has worked best for you in terms of gains in size? I’m curious to hear from those of you past noobie stage and working out regularly.
Cheers!

OP i get a lot of crap on here for saying stuff like this, but it's true...
I lifted weights for many many years and I never made any progress doing the typical beginner bodybuilder program, I didn't make any real progress until I started training with the local powerlifting crew, we used the westside barbell conjugate method. Without having found that, there's no way I'd be anywhere near strong enough to compete in strongman now.

Good luck.

[stingray72]

reps spread by me to everyone

[ThePoz]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters about rep ranges. Which has worked best for you in terms of gains in size? I’m curious to hear from those of you past noobie stage and working out regularly.
Cheers!

Low rep for strength and high rep for size. I prefer to stay around 10-12 reps with my main lifts.

[VanHermanator]

Thanks guys. Just to reply to the few questions - I wish I’d have figured the importance of diet long ago. It’s been slowly better understood over the past few months by me. My maintenance is around 2400-2600. I ate 500 over maintenance last winter and spring and had some muscle gains but mostly big stomach gain – up to 37.5” waist. Not a great look on a pretty slim guy. I spent 8 weeks over this summer at 2200 and got my waist back to 34”. Good enough as my strength was really dropping. I’ve built back to 2,800 and have gained 2 pounds over the past month.
I eat 200P/90F and the rest carbs.

My workouts have been 3x/wk on a basic 5x5 program with weekly progression, build around squats and deads. Also include bench press, military press, weighted pullups and weighted dips. Only a few other isolation exercises at the end. I also did 4/3/2 program with the same compound lifts for a few weeks.

I appreciate the replies.

[UndesirableNo1]

A question to my fellow tall and lean lifters ...

Me am Bizarro Tall and Lean #1!

[cgc]

Best size/strength results I've ever had was on Madcow's 5x5 and eating a stupid amount of food.


Eating is key though.

[nixter]

A low rep only program has always been terrible for me in terms of size. I doubt it's related to my height though, I just think I don't personally respond to it well. I do a mixed program of high rep and low rep days. Low rep for strength. High rep for muscle exhaustion. Of course, as others have stated, your diet is main factor assuming adequate muscle stimulation from training.

[ilovethe80s]

My husband is 6'2 and used to be very lanky. He followed a typical bodybuilding split (typical 8-10 rep range I guess) and lived on kashi when I first met him. He probably looked his scrawniest while on his kashi diet and doing his bench-centric bodybuilding routine. So I'd have to say maybe you tall folk aren't cut out for that approach (who is, though, haha)

He gained a noticeable bit of mass when we got married because of the food; his workouts did not change for several years. He had 'biceps' I guess and his chest sort of chiseled looking but still looked like you could take him down no problem. And very skinny legs.

Now, he trains mainly in low rep ranges since he hopes to join me in a powerlifting meet by next year. he deadlifts once a week (which he wasn't doing at all before) and squats to full depth, no more excuses about being too tall. He is splitting his work pants like the hulk and is noticeably much more muscular than he has ever been. So a couple of different rep ranges for him, all worked, but this one leads him to pants-splitting greatness. He is bigger than ever, lost that lanky look totally, but also eats more than ever

[VanHermanator]

He is splitting his work pants like the hulk

Thanks for your story! Hopefully his work covers "full-range, low-rep squat-related attire destruction" with subsequent free (and larger sized) replacements...

[Guinea-pig]

Not lean but I am tall I stay around the 6 to 8 rep range most of the time.

[bigvin73]

I've had this conversation and arguments with many people and have spoken to both professional bbers and armatures. General consensus I get from guy 6'2" and above for growth is the 8-12 range for BBing purposes for taller guys.

Size is harder for tall skinny guys and yes te physiology is basically the same the make up of muscle fiber is different from person to person.

I've grown well on max-Ot but it was brutal on my joints. Keep in mind short folks our rom and pivots for exercises are much different to leverage and wear is different then in shorter folks. I'm currently having some decent progress in the 8-12 range and a lot less joint issues.


Diet is big eat big lift big rest big=get big

[SleeperService]

I've been using Wendler's 531 program. Low rep ranges for strength, higher rep ranges for hypertrophy. I've just finished cycle 4 and am making some reasonable size gains although I'll be cutting at the end of this week.

[Manospeed]

I really do appreciate input! I intentionally avoided the use of ‘ectomorph’ or any reference to body type, but wanted to target my question to a certain audience – those most closely matching my physiology.
I have been focusing the past 6 months on low-rep, heavy weight compounds, and while my strength gains have been good, my size gains have not. So not wanting to randomly jump to another program, I’m hoping to benefit from others’ experience.
Thanks again for replying.

I had a slender/lean muscular build like yourself. When I started training seriously about 2 years ago, I was 185lbs at 6'3". Fast forward 2 years and this morning I tipped the scale at 215lbs. Now while I am not as cut as I used to be at 10% BF (currently in the low 13s), I've certainly been able to pack on some muscle.

How did I do it?

1. Train consistently
I used to train almost everyday, but then realized I was over training and was not allowing my body the time to rest and grow. I've started using Dorian Gates' HIT training program and have definitely started putting on some mass.

2. Rest
If you're pushing your body to the limits and not getting enough rest, then the muscles will not grow to their full potential. Personally, I try to hit 8 hours of sleep per day.

3. Eat, eat, eat
In order for your muscles to grow you need to feed yourself adequately. This means, eating more than your caloric requirement based on your BMR. And when I talk about eating, I'm not talking about hitting McDonalds or Burger King and eating 1,000+ calorie meals. I'm talking eating high quality calories (chicken breast, salmon, tuna, steaks, salads, good fats like olive oil, avocado, almonds, baked potato, rice, sweet potato etc). Currently, I'm consuming around 3,400 calories per day.

[bigvin73]

I had a slender/lean muscular build like yourself. When I started training seriously about 2 years ago, I was 185lbs at 6'3". Fast forward 2 years and this morning I tipped the scale at 215lbs. Now while I am not as cut as I used to be at 10% BF (currently in the low 13s), I've certainly been able to pack on some muscle.

How did I do it?

1. Train consistently
I used to train almost everyday, but then realized I was over training and was not allowing my body the time to rest and grow. I've started using Dorian Gates' HIT training program and have definitely started putting on some mass.

2. Rest
If you're pushing your body to the limits and not getting enough rest, then the muscles will not grow to their full potential. Personally, I try to hit 8 hours of sleep per day.

3. Eat, eat, eat
In order for your muscles to grow you need to feed yourself adequately. This means, eating more than your caloric requirement based on your BMR. And when I talk about eating, I'm not talking about hitting McDonalds or Burger King and eating 1,000+ calorie meals. I'm talking eating high quality calories (chicken breast, salmon, tuna, steaks, salads, good fats like olive oil, avocado, almonds, baked potato, rice, sweet potato etc). Currently, I'm consuming around 3,400 calories per day.

Love Yates heavy duty just becareful and be sure to Deload it's brutal on your joints, even Dorians said so and look at the list of injuries he went thru.
Does work well for mass though, a lot of people don't understand just how intense you have to train with it

[Manospeed]

Love Yates heavy duty just becareful and be sure to Deload it's brutal on your joints, even Dorians said so and look at the list of injuries he went thru.
Does work well for mass though, a lot of people don't understand just how intense you have to train with it

Yes, it is pretty intense. However you hit each muscle group once per week, plus I'll throw in 1-3 days of cardio in between my 4 workout days. If I'm tired though I won't do any cardio. I'll just rest.

Yesterday I was doing legs and I swear to God I thought I was going to pass out after hitting the last set of leg press (12 reps @ 630). I think what a lot of people need to get through their heads is that training your muscles to failure will force/stimulate muscle growth.

The bottom line is this; your muscles do not know how much you're lifting or how many sets you're doing. If you work your muscle to failure, the muscle will build bigger, thicker, and stronger muscle fibers.

The only bitch about doing HIT is that you have to buy new clothes every 4-6 months because they don't fit you anymore.

[bigvin73]

Yes, it is pretty intense. However you hit each muscle group once per week, plus I'll throw in 1-3 days of cardio in between my 4 workout days. If I'm tired though I won't do any cardio. I'll just rest.

Yesterday I was doing legs and I swear to God I thought I was going to pass out after hitting the last set of leg press (12 reps @ 630). I think what a lot of people need to get through their heads is that training your muscles to failure will force/stimulate muscle growth.

The bottom line is this; your muscles do not know how much you're lifting or how many sets you're doing. If you work your muscle to failure, the muscle will build bigger, thicker, and stronger muscle fibers.

The only bitch about doing HIT is that you have to buy new clothes every 4-6 months because they don't fit you anymore.

Definatly works great used mon tue off thur Friday split myself weekend off but the joints really don't like it anymore. The trouble is trying to switch afterwards its very hard not to have that massive intensity once you get used to it

[BC02]

Just periodize. 6-12 for a couple months, then 3-6 for a couple months, then 1-3 for a couple months (#s reflect reps on compound exercises. for isos, Id stick to 8-12)

[BOSHO]

Just periodize. 6-12 for a couple months, then 3-6 for a couple months, then 1-3 for a couple months (#s reflect reps on compound exercises. for isos, Id stick to 8-12)

This is what I've got in my head right now: periodization. I've been lifting heavy weights/low reps since I started back up again in March. I switched to moderate weight/high reps in September for my current log and I do feel a lot more pumped during my sessions. Time will tell what this will do for my physique. Strength gains are nice, but I'd much rather have the "appearance of someone that works out" as opposed to just knowing I lift heavy weights.

[VanHermanator]

Thanks to everyone who has taken time to reply.

Strength gains are nice, but I'd much rather have the "appearance of someone that works out" as opposed to just knowing I lift heavy weights.

^^^ This is so spot-on with what's in my head these days, and why I started this post.