Rep Targeting Workouts For Strength and Muscle Growth
Every bodybuilder or weightlifter works out at the gym with a target in mind. Many of them want to be fit, gain strength and develop bulging muscles. Such targets are not easy to achieve without a good program. Therefore, a suitable workout program should be developed or planned before starting. Programs can be designed to enable you to achieve certain goals such as a ripped physique or muscle growth.
What is Rep Targeting?
There are various possible approaches to training with these types of results in mind. For instance, to achieve lean muscle and the desired muscle mass, you may fair better choosing a rep targeting workout. Basically, rep targeting workouts are workout programs where you start off doing a number of reps of a given exercise and then gradually increases the number of reps.
The most common number of reps or repetitions for beginners is between 8 and 12. Once you're able to comfortably do 8 to 12 repetitions of your selected exercise, the next target would be to increase the reps to 15 then 20. The number can keep increasing over time until you can do 30 to 40 reps, this gradual increase in reps has a number of benefits to achieving your muscle goals.
What Does Research Tell Us?
A research study conducted by a group of scientists looked at the effect of increased rep workouts versus low rep workout. The aim was to debunk myths surrounding high rep workouts. The study was conducted over a 3-month period and examined the effects of high rep workouts on one group of participants and low reps in another group. The results were astounding! They revealed that rep targeting workouts not only built endurance but also helped the participants develop muscle mass with lean muscle. They also enjoyed increases in strength but only up to a certain level.
The scientific study concluded that low reps and heavy weights resulted in increased strength and muscle while rep targeting workouts saw not just increases in strength and muscle but better defined muscles and muscle growth as well. Many personal trainers now advise their clients to focus more on rep targeting workouts because they have more benefits compared to low rep workouts.
Benefits of Rep Targeting
The benefits include an increase in endurance and faster development of lean muscle. Increased repetitions help to develop a ripped physique. Muscle growth will also be experienced through rep targeting workouts. However, impressive muscle mass will require an increase in the size of weights used. In my opinion it's always better to have rep targeting workouts because they provide more benefits than weight targeting workouts.
An ideal workout scenario is where you have a target in mind such as gaining a great physique with sufficient muscle mass. This will require careful balancing between rep targeting workouts and gradual increases in the size of weights. We're all different with very different body types and each will require a personal program. As mentioned previous, it's always best to plan your workouts so you know what you need to do to achieve your goals. Often when you start working out you'll find that you need to adapt you program to best suit your body and end goal, but ultimately having a baseline will give you spring board to leap forward!
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