How Many Reps Should I Do?

Was this post helpful? Make sure to check out my follow up post, “How Many Sets Should I Do?” for more fitness tips.

The “right” number of reps can vary greatly depending on your goals. The way a bodybuilder trains is going to be different from that of an endurance athlete. It’s important to determine your goals before you start strength training, so you can follow an appropriate plan and get the results you are after.

Training for Muscle Growth

A lot of people think that you should always do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. This is based on studies that show this is the optimal way to build muscle. If this is your goal, pick a weight that is heavy enough so that your muscles fail somewhere in the 8 to 12 rep range. If you reach failure in less than 8 reps your weight is too heavy, and if you can do more than 12 reps you need to increase your weight. By working your muscles to the point of failure, you will stimulate muscle growth, also known as hypertrophy.

Training for Strength

While any kind of weightlifting is going to make you stronger, people who are concerned primarily about strength should do fewer reps with heavier weights. There’s a lot more that goes into training for strength, but it’s enough to know that you want to target fewer reps if your goal is less about maximizing muscle size and more about increasing the amount you can lift.

Training for Endurance

Endurance athletes should take a different approach altogether. People training for muscle and strength are targeting their fast twitch muscle fibers. Endurance sports, however, require that you train your slow twitch muscle fibers. This is achieved by increasing the number of reps to more like 15 to 20 and using a lighter weight. This type of exercise tends to be more low intensity since the focus is on the duration of movement.

Whether you’re training for muscle, strength, or endurance, I have the skills and background to get you where you want to go. Contact me to schedule your free 30-minute assessment.