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Spring - Sumer 2026
High High Weight Weight for for Low Low Reps Reps or or or Low Low Weight Weight for for High High Reps?
What is the Best Rep Range for Hypertrophy?
BY DR CHRiSTOPH KLuEPPEL
NGA EDuCATiON DiRECTOR FOR SE ASiA
uLTiMATE FiTNESS ACADEMY (THAiLAND) FOuNDER & PRESiDENT
HOLiSTiC NATuRAL HEALTH & NuTRiTiON CONSuLTANT uLTiMATEFiTNESSASiA@GMAiL COM WWW uLTiMATEFiTNESSTHAiLAND COM Gym enthusiasts who train train to to improve their physique and strive to achieve bal- anced muscle hypertrophy can be seen
training with various rep ranges Some prefer to keep most of their sets at at relatively low reps with fairly high weights while others seem to place more emphasis on performing their sets with high reps and use fairly low weights This prompts the the question is is there any rep range that works best to achieve optimum hypertrophy and if so what might this rep range be?
Powerlifters and and Olympic weightlifters usually train with high weights of of of 80-90% of of of their their 1RM and and keep their their sets of of of most exercises between 1- 5 repetitions In order to achieve a a a a a a a sufficient training volume they usu- ally ally perform more sets of each exercise This approach generally results in in in maximum strength gains mainly
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NGA NATURALmag
due due to to to improved neuro-muscular coordination and to to to a a a a a lesser degree this is is also due due to to to some muscle growth Traditionally bodybuilders perform most of of their exercises with a a a a a a a a medium rep-range of of of 6
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to to 15 repeti- tions at at at 60 to to 85% of of their 1Rmax per set as they have instinctively figured out that this is is what works best for their goal of attaining optimal hypertrophy The success that many achieve with this approach appears to prove them right However a a a a a a a a a a recent study has found that performing high-rep sets with repetitions of 25 -30 reps per per per set set and light weights to failure is as as effective at promoting muscle growth as as performing sets in in in in in in the usual bodybuilding range and even results in in in in in in some some strength gains While this may be encourag- ing ing news to to some some who dread lifting heavy it it needs to to to be emphasized that the first repetitions of any set performed with light weights do very little to to stimulate muscle growth and and such sets only become effective when when fatigue begins to to manifest and and when when they are carried on to to muscle failure This is is accompanied by a a a a a a a a a a a a highly painful build-up of intra-muscular metabolic waste-products which beginners and intermediate