For max strength, match goals to reps - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

For max strength, match goals to reps

How many reps does it take to build maximum strength? What about building bigger muscles? And what about endurance?

Could this subject be any more confusing?

Too often, I see junior troops at the gym following the latest workout fad rather than doing the right number of reps to achieve their goal. Then, there are the guys on some sort of super high repetition/light weight workout to "tone up." All are wandering blindly in the maze of weights and machines we call the "fitness center."

Fortunately, sports science experts have answers to these questions. Here is the quick and basic breakdown of how reps match up with weight-room goals: maximum strength, one to six reps; bigger muscles (hypertrophy), seven to 15 reps; endurance, 16 to 150 reps.

Now, let's take a closer look.

Maximum strength. To develop strength, experts recommend performing no more than five or six reps. In general, these sets are done with heavier loads and require more full-body tension. They tend to increase the body's natural production of growth hormone and testosterone. They also promote greater bone density and increased size and strength of ligaments and tendons.

Muscle-building. Bulking up usually requires drills in the range of seven to 15 reps, with a weight that is 30 percent to 80 percent of your one-rep maximum. The aim is to flush the muscle with blood and take it to muscle failure to build muscle size.

These drills are typically isolation exercises that work an individual muscle or muscle group in a fixed plane of motion. In professional sports training, this is used for only six to 12 weeks at a time, building muscle size during an anatomical adaptation phase to prepare the body for work.

Endurance. Here, we're talking 16 to 150 reps. It may shock you to see such high numbers, but elite athletes around the world routinely exercise at these rep ranges. This also is appropriate for adventure racers, mountain climbers and service members. But let me warn you: High reps are only for certain drills. Push-ups, for example, should never exceed sets of 25, with rest intervals and perfect form. On the other hand, you should strive to routinely perform sets of 50 to 80 reps of the "swing" with a 55-pound dumbbell or kettlebell (think of a bowling ball with a handle) to build strength and endurance in the posterior chain.

The right rep range depends on your goals. Look carefully at what you're trying to achieve and why. For exercises in the usual military workout — push-ups, sit-ups or crunches, etc. — keep your form perfect and your reps between five and 25. If you're powerlifting or Olympic lifting, never go above five reps. If you have your sights set on the next Arnold Classic, stick between six and 15 reps, and feel the burn.

Whatever your goal, be sure you know what it is you are trying to do and why before you run for the curl machine.

Nate Morrison is an Air Force pararescueman staff sergeant. He is a military fitness expert and founder of an online fitness magazine.