Yes, There Is A BEST Rep Range For Muscle Growth (MAX GAINS!)

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Yes, There Is A BEST Rep Range For Muscle Growth (THE TRUTH!)

What is the best rep range for muscle growth? Is there even such a thing as a best rep range for building muscle?

Over the past few years we've had quite a bit of "high reps vs. low reps" research come out that has essentially showed that virtually any number of reps will work effectively as a hypertrophy rep range as long as you get close to failure and progressively overload.

When it comes to the question of "how many reps to build muscle", many coaches now simply go with the advice that it really doesn't matter since they're all equally effective for gaining muscle.

However, even though on a set for set basis you technically could do as low as 3 reps up to 30 or more and still gain muscle to the same degree, there is still an optimal "zone" to center your training around and that could be considered the best rep range for muscle growth. I would put that range roughly around 5-10 reps per set.

You can certainly still mix in sets below or above this bodybuilding rep range, but I would recommend positioning the bulk of your sets within that zone.

The issue with very high rep sets is that there is more of a cardiovascular component involved which can interfere with your ability to reach muscular failure effectively, and they also require longer periods of mental focus (which could lead to form breakdown), produce more muscle burn and muscle soreness (these are not the primary factors involved in stimulating hypertrophy) and there are much less efficient since you have to perform way more total reps to get the same net muscle building effect. If we're talking high rep sets such as 20 reps per set or 30 reps per set, these would not be ideal to center your entire training plan around.

When it comes to low rep workouts, performing a high volume of these sets will place more stress on the joints and central nervous system, and they're also less efficient since you'll need to perform more total sets. One rep maxes, doubles and triples can be included if achieving specific strength numbers is a goal for you (for example on the squat, bench and deadlift), but again, it shouldn't form the basis of an effective muscle building workout plan.

There is certainly some individual variation at play, but for most natural lifters in most situations, I would consider about 5-10 per set as the best rep range for muscle growth overall. Center your training in this zone, and then if you want to mix in some supplemental low rep or high rep work that's fine too.

If you're a more experienced lifter and just prefer high reps for some reason then go ahead, but at least as a starting point I would advise novices to keep their reps on the lower to more moderate side first.