Moving up

[DB88]

hi, i have been worked out for about 3 weeks then got hurt for about 2 months now i have gone for 5 weeks in a row. I have been doing 4 sets,8-10 reps for each exercise with medium size weights. question is to get bigger muscles you increase the weight with less reps? for example im curling 20's so should i push myself to a weight that gets me 6-8 but with effort?

[swanso5]

you grow different types of muscle with different sets and reps so using the one parameter limits you to basically only 33% of your muscle growth potential...do some 3 - 5 rep work, 6 - 8 rep work and 9 - 15 rep work for optimal results

progressive overload is what makes you grow and apart from food, nothing else does...so if your aim is 3 sets of 5 with 50kgs and reach it, then the next session you need to increase the wt the smallest loading you can and try again...if you can't than it doesn't matter as your "overload" has come from the wt increase...if you increaser to 52.5kgs and get 5 , 4, 3 then next time you need to get at least 5, 5, 4 and so on

[DB88]

this is what i had in mind... right now i am curling 20's
1st set- 30's with 4 reps
2nd-25 reps with 6 reps
3rd -20's with 8 reps
4th-20's with 8 reps


thas an example

[swanso5]

why decrease the wt to get more reps?? doesn't make sense...i would say use the 30's and aim for 4 x 6

[DB88]

why decrease the wt to get more reps?? doesn't make sense...i would say use the 30's and aim for 4 x 6

see it sounds great but the only problem is that say after the first 2 sets with 30's i won't be able to complete a whole set with them

[swanso5]

what ever you get next session just get more the one after so if you get 6, 6, 5, 3 next session get at least 6, 6, 6, 4 and work up to 6, 6, 6, 6, then increase the wt and start again...do this for all exercises