I've been working out for about 4 years now (with varying levels of intensity and consistancy)... and everyone i've ever come across preaches "go heavy with low reps for mass, and light with high reps for cuts"...
I agree with the first part, it's worked for me. I've made substantial muscle gains with that principle.
But I have problems with the second part. After all, what does "ripped" mean ? To me, it means having full muscles, which are completely exposed because your body fat levels are low enough not to obscure your muscles.
With this in mind, a person on a low-fat diet, who supplements their workout with a substantial amount of aerobic exercise (walking, cycling...), and continues to lift heavy weights with low reps... should still get ripped, right ?
Any views on my (flawed ?) belief, would be greatly appreciated !
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10-22-2001, 07:35 PM #1
Why is high-reps & low-weight believed to "cut" you up ?
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10-22-2001, 08:27 PM #2
- Join Date: Oct 2001
- Location: Miami, Oklahoma, United States
- Age: 53
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Training heavy in the 6-8 rep range hits the growth fibers, also know as type 2b muscle fibers. You have it right, lifting builds muscle, diet and cardio burns fat. Build the muscle, supplement to preserve it and tweek the diet and add cardio to burn excess body fat. Light weights and high reps waste energy that can better be used to BUILD MUSCLE.
MsFit
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10-22-2001, 11:13 PM #3
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10-23-2001, 01:58 AM #4
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10-23-2001, 01:58 AM #5
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10-23-2001, 02:25 AM #6
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10-23-2001, 03:22 AM #7
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10-23-2001, 04:27 AM #8
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10-25-2001, 05:21 PM #9
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05-08-2008, 01:16 AM #10
- Join Date: Mar 2008
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Buffedtothecore SAYS TOO GENERAL
EVERYONE SAYS HIGH REPS LOW WEIGHT. ANSWER ME THIS AND RIDDLE ME THAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR BODY GETS USED TO THE RESISTANCE; HINT, IT DOESN'T RESPOND! THE BEST THING FOR GETTING BUFFEDOUT IS GREAT FORM PRACTICALLY PAUSING AT THE CONTRACTION; NOW TAKE HIGH REPS AND ADD RESISTANCE SO YOUR MUSCLES DO NOT ADJUST. WOW! MAKE SENSE. WORD AS TO BUFFEDOUT WHO CUT UP IN 81 DAYS CHECK OUT MY PAGE THEN BUY MY DVD IN 2 WEEKS. IT WILL SHOW YA HOW OR kellyeisele@yahoo.com and I will give a phone conference and write up a workout and diet program; my stuff is guarenteed! holla
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05-08-2008, 02:13 AM #11
I find that my different muscle groups respond to different rep ranges and different intensities. For example, my shoulders get better results from doing 6-8 reps, arms 8-10 reps, and legs 10-15 reps, so there is no set rep range you need to do to get big or cut.
As for the "get fat to get big" saying - due to the lack of cardio and the amount of calories you consume when bulking, it is hard to have a good solid bulk without adding a couple of per cent to your body fat. But as for the more reps gets you ripped...i say bol***ks to that idea. Having mass from your bulk and a low body fat due to cardio gets you ripped. If you supplement right after you bulk, and hit the treadmill a few times a week, you shouldn't lose any lean muscle, and should lose some body fat. Thus making you "ripped".
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05-08-2008, 03:11 AM #12
- Join Date: May 2007
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I think the main reason thay people tend to go light weight/high reps on a cut is due to the decreased caloric intake and decreased carb intake, both of which usually lead to decreased strength and increased fatigue due to glycogen depletion. Keeping the weight lower and the reps higher allows for keeping the intensity high even when unable to push your highest numbers.
HOLD UP BRO
I'm still curling in that squat rack.
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05-08-2008, 03:40 AM #13
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09-17-2009, 04:24 AM #14
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09-17-2009, 08:03 AM #15
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09-17-2009, 04:04 PM #16
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01-17-2010, 09:46 AM #17
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01-17-2010, 02:30 PM #18
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yes, you can still get ripped by lifting heavy but its not a good idea to be on a caloric deficit when ur lifting heavy because u dont recover and ull increase chances of injury... also... high reps which use endurance muscles use more fat for energy... so thats where the fat burning comes in
its also probably more effective to loose fat by cutting out ur carbs than being on a low fat diet
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02-16-2010, 09:00 AM #19
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02-16-2010, 09:15 AM #20
Just cycle weekly. One week do 4-6 rep range, Max-OT style, the following week do a little more volume 8-12 rep range, more of a bodybuilding style.
Or you can do it Fred Hatfield style.
3 x 4-6 Dead-lifts
3 x 6-12 Bent-over Rows
3 x 12-15 Wide Pull-downs Superset V Cable Rows
1 x 50 Straight Arm Pull-downs
Hitting different fibers in each workout.I had all the normal teenage fantasies..cars, girls, money, blow. Then my parents left for a week, and all my fantasies came true!
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03-15-2010, 07:43 PM #21
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07-06-2011, 06:23 PM #22
I know this is a bit late to the game, but I know that high rep routines, help to tone the body out. But more importantly it helps to build muscular endurance, and your Anaerobic ability in that muscle group. This seems to be forgotten by many people, because one of the by products is the resulting fat loss and "shredded" physique.
If you increase your anaerobic pathway, you can get more bang for you buck in the first rep when you're lifting heavy, or trying to gain strength.
It can also improve your cardio endurance, and increase your vascular system as well.
So there are benefits to both sides of the lifting coin.
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07-06-2011, 08:06 PM #23
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07-07-2011, 11:25 PM #24
People misconfuse cause and effect. They see skinny, "cut" people in they gym who can't lift a ton doing light weights over & over until they feel they've hit failure. And they see fat bastards doing heavy weights & their ego keeps them at 3-5RM so they can look like they're lifting more weight. Irregardless, effect doesn't come before causation.
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05-10-2012, 11:41 AM #25
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05-10-2012, 11:55 AM #26
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09-21-2013, 03:59 AM #27
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11-10-2014, 09:56 PM #28
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11-11-2014, 03:17 AM #29
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01-08-2015, 08:42 AM #30
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