high volume of light weights?

[xtcking]

Ive always been told that to gain the most mass, you lift as heavy as you can for 5-10 reps. so my question is, What are the pros/cons to lifting say 50%-75% for say 25 reps? or something like that.

Not that I would probably ever do this in the gym, but I mean there is a few small barbells hanging around the house, just a shame they have been out grown

[TClune]

You'll still make muscle gains, more so on the tone and definition of your muscles. They will grow but at a much smaller rate as it tears the muscle fibers differently. Like I said though, gonna be more on the toning side, just depends what your goals are.

[xtcking]

exactly what Ill need to do after this cut and another bulk.

[repsandsets]

8-12 reps is usually considered optimal for size gains. Less than this and you're focusing on strength - you'll get size gains too, but you'll also be training your CNS to engage more muscle fibre - so maybe a little less efficient if you're only interested in size. Over 12 reps is training for endurance - a good substitute for cardio perhaps, and often relevant in sports conditioning - e.g. High reps range in lunges, squats and leg press for runners.

But endurance training is sub-optimal for size gains. You'll be training your less bulky slow twitch muscle fibres more.

[danbradster]

Ive always been told that to gain the most mass, you lift as heavy as you can for 5-10 reps. so my question is, What are the pros/cons to lifting say 50%-75% for say 25 reps? or something like that.

The con of 25 reps is that you get near zero hypertrophy or strength gains. It's better than sitting on your ass, but worse than 3-10 reps. (Source: Strength Endurance Continuum)

[ZombieEater]

The con of 25 reps is that you get near zero hypertrophy or strength gains. It's better than sitting on your ass, but worse than 3-10 reps. (Source: Strength Endurance Continuum)

Not saying you're wrong but the guys who do 50+ push ups a day look good and are pretty strong. This mainly directs to military folk.

[akmusclehamster]

Not saying you're wrong but the guys who do 50+ push ups a day look good and are pretty strong. This mainly directs to military folk.

this. especially the guys who are in tip top shape (rangers, seals, etc) have INTENSE bodyweight variations they do and they are big but functionally strong. and most of those guys are tanks.

[gomez26]

Not saying you're wrong but the guys who do 50+ push ups a day look good and are pretty strong. This mainly directs to military folk.

well he is wrong, 25 rep sets can get you a fair amount of size, saying 'near zero' is flat-out wrong.
its a question of efficiency though, using 5-15 with greater load will get you there with far less energy outlay, and of course can take you much further beyond as well.

[chazzy1864]

Not saying you're wrong but the guys who do 50+ push ups a day look good and are pretty strong. This mainly directs to military folk.

lol clearly you've never been in the military. The guys who only do push ups look like sh*t.

The ones who have a good physique spend their time in the gym.

[SixFootSniper]

lol clearly you've never been in the military. The guys who only do push ups look like sh*t.

The ones who have a good physique spend their time in the gym.

this. in the military, moat soldiers aren't training for hypertrophy - they're training for endurance ie. conditioning. size isn't going to help them run for miles while carrying 20kg of equipment, in fact being bulky can be a hinderance. most of them have amazing conditioning, but they don't have the physique to show for it.

[danbradster]

well he is wrong, 25 rep sets can get you a fair amount of size, saying 'near zero' is flat-out wrong.
its a question of efficiency though, using 5-15 with greater load will get you there with far less energy outlay, and of course can take you much further beyond as well.

Near-zero is probably wrong, but 25 reps definitely results in lower strength and muscle gains than lower reps. The journal article 'Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones.' showed near-zero improvements in the 25 rep group though after 2 months.