Know Which Is Better For Muscle Building: 50 Rep Madness Or 5 Reps

If you've ever been to the gym or lifting weights for a while, you're probably aware that your trainer told you to do 12 reps for three sets on your first day. But have you ever questioned why only 12 reps or three sets? No, because we believe our trainer’s words as the golden truth. Moreover, in India, trainers are everything, from your workout partner to your dietician. We also like to take advice from people who have well-built body thinking they know everything about fitness. And more recently, there has been a new trend of performing 50 reps for lean muscle and five reps for bulk muscle. So, if you're thinking of starting your fitness transformation or building muscle, let's first begin by understanding the different types of rep training.

Types Of Training

There are several types of muscle-building training, including strength training, powerlifting, and hypertrophy. The rep range for strength training is six to eight. In powerlifting, reps range from two to four, whereas in hypertrophy, your weight increases in each set and rep decrease. For example, suppose you do 15 reps in the first set, then increase the weight and do two reps. 

You will gain muscle regardless of which training you choose because when you lift weights, your muscles break down, and your body produces more cells, resulting in bigger and more rounded muscles. 

Also Read: Unable To Pack On Muscles? 7 Common Mistakes Causing Muscle Loss

50 Rep Madness

In the fitness world, it is commonly assumed that more is always better, but when it comes to muscle building, less is more. Weight lifting takes up only one hour of your day, and you only break your muscle while exercising; recovery occurs outside of the gym. Similarly, more training means more recovery time. In reality, 50 reps are a fad because muscle breaks in the first few reps and the extra reps will only contribute to muscle nausea, fatigue, and injuries. Moreover, if you are in a calorie deficit and performing 50 reps, you are most likely overtraining because each rep you perform shocks your muscles, which require food for recovery.

5 Reps For Muscle Gain

Another common practice among weight lifters is to lift heavy weights for no more than five reps because heavy weights result in more muscle gain. If your goal is powerlifting, five-rep training is ideal; otherwise, it is useless because heavyweights have a zero-reward ratio. Lifting heavy weights causes injuries, and when you lift heavy weights, you ego lift and perform with poor form, putting all of the load on the non-working muscles.

Also Read: 15-Mins Quick Workout Tips For Maximum Calorie Burn

What Should Be Your Goal?

Muscle building is all about genetics; some people have long biceps, while others have small, dominant heads. Instead of following the trend, listen to your body and determine your requirements. Second, the reps should always be related to your fitness objectives. For example, if you want to gain muscle while losing fat, hypertrophy is the way to go. However, among all fitness training, hypertrophy is superior because your muscle remains under tension for a longer period of time, and there is less risk of injury. Finally, you can switch up your training routine every six weeks; obsessing over one type of training can lead to slow progress.

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