Proper Reps for Gaining Quick Mass?

[XJay]

Hello all,

In my workouts ( though I confess due to school and work, I do not lift on a regular basis, I am seeking to remedy this ), I generally like to start off with 1 or 2 sets ( w/ 12-15 reps ) at lower weight to warm up. Afterward, I start stacking towards my max for each exercise, hitting off anywhere between 8-15 reps ( depending on the weight ). Once I've maxes out, I usually like to drastically drop the weight with some higher reps to ' burn it in ' and go for the muscle endurance aspect. Generally, I'll work out 2 muscles a night, going with ( usually ) 3-4 exercises per muscle, the number of sets depending on my mood and fatigue level.

Right now, my goal is to pack on some ' quick mass ' ( for lack of a better term, as we all know nothing is quick in this game if it's done right ), therefore my question is, do the number of reps have a high impact on that? I'm sometimes told that to make the most of out gaining mass, the weight must be high and the reps low, which makes me wonder if my preference for higher ' burn-in ' reps after I max out will interfere with my maximum mass-gaining potential.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[benman2002]

Originally Posted by XJay

Right now, my goal is to pack on some ' quick mass ' ( for lack of a better term, as we all know nothing is quick in this game if it's done right ), .

do you eat a good diet?--if you dont have a good diet then dont count on getting much bigger....

to get big you have to eat big!!(combined with intense workouts ofcourse)

read through the forums and you can learn valuable info to reach your goals

[XJay]

Originally Posted by benman2002

do you eat a good diet?--if you dont have a good diet then dont count on getting much bigger....

to get big you have to eat big!!(combined with intense workouts ofcourse)

Right now I am on the Atkins diet, trying to shed some accumulated bodyfat. I eat 3-4 average meals a day ( sometimes 1 or 2 larger meals in those 3-4 ), the only carbs I take in are from salad; the majority of what I eat is meat.

[Todd]

Yes, doing your "burn in" rep sets after maxing out is something that can and will hinder you from reaching your goal of gaining the most mass in the quickest amount of time. If you want to pack on some serious muscle fast, once done your warm-up sets, pick a weight that will allow you to get between 6-8 strict reps in, and that is it! You want to reach positive muscular failure within this range. If you can't get 6 reps, the weight is too heavy, reduce it. If you can get more than 8, the weight is too light, increase it. Besides warm-up sets, you should only need to do 2 working sets for that exercise, at the most. Stick with the most basic/compound exercises you can find, don't bother with isolation work. Focus on the basic lifts.

Eat for mass! Make sure you are taking at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight, per day. Read up on and learn how to eat properly (how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat to take in each meal) etc. Diet is 80% of your success with working out. Rest and training comprise the rest of the equation.

[BigManSlim]

"Right now, my goal is to pack on some ' quick mass ' "

You've got to change your diet then. Atkins is not going to help you gain mass. Go for a 30/50/20 ratio of protein, carbs, fat for your calories. You need to eat well above your maintenance level.

Your diet is going to be the controlling factor for your muscle gain. Anyone can lift hard ... controlling your diet is much more difficult.

Also, skip the 'burn it in' reps ... not sure where you're getting the information that says this is helpful.

[abarlament]

You will absolutely not gain mass on Atkin's go for a 50% 30% 20%, eat your carbs and protein in the morning, fat and protein at night. Eat a lot, eat every 3 hours.

[Wolfnatas]

I agree with what's being said here... Atkins is NOT the way to go for muscle gain. It works great for overall weight loss, but you lose both fat and muscle indiscriminately. As far as how to exercise to gain muscle mass... high weight, low reps. Diet is 80% of the equation.

[Alex(AJ)]

igf you want to get big quick 3 keys

1) eat eat eat eat eat eat eat eat ; diet is key

2) heavy compound lifts (bench, deadlift, squat, militiary press, etc..)

3) low volume; low sets, low reps (4-6) and pile on the weight; keeping good form

[XJay]

Thanks for all of your replies, they are greatly appreciated.

I hear ' rest ' being brought up a great deal, which leads me to the question, would it be better ( for gaining mass ) to work each muscle ONCE a week ( instead of twice )?

For instance, I break it up into 2 muscles a day ( like Monday/Thursday - Chest and Shoulders.....Tuesday/Friday - Triceps and Biceps......Wednesday/Saturday - Back and Forearms ); I never do the same schedule ( like the one above ) 2 weeks in a row. Would it be better for optimal ( quick ) mass gain to move from 6 days a week to 3 ( same idea as above, except every muscle gets hit only once a week instead of twice )?

I know I ask a lot of questions, I apologize in advance if they come off as annoying.

Also, in terms of diet, it is Atkins, however I don't care to go into all the details that the diet requires; for the most part, all I do is cut out processed sugars and processed carbs ( like bread, etc ). Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't an insulin spike neccesary for a good muscle ( atrophic ) work-out?

Thanks again for being so generous with your knowledge.

[Axion]

good infoo here thx. all

[MonStar]

Packing on quick mass really isnt all that possible man, I hate to let you down, but thats the truth. Nothing really comes all that quick in bodybuilding, or powerlifting, etc. I would stick to reps in the 6-12 range and just focus on eating more calories than youre burning. That will be more effective than trying to find the perfect training program.

[XJay]

I hear ' rest ' being brought up a great deal, which leads me to the question, would it be better ( for gaining mass ) to work each muscle ONCE a week ( instead of twice )?

For instance, I break it up into 2 muscles a day ( like Monday/Thursday - Chest and Shoulders.....Tuesday/Friday - Triceps and Biceps......Wednesday/Saturday - Back and Forearms ); I never do the same schedule ( like the one above ) 2 weeks in a row. Would it be better for optimal ( quick ) mass gain to move from 6 days a week to 3 ( same idea as above, except every muscle gets hit only once a week instead of twice )?

[alucard]

Originally Posted by XJay

Hello all,

In my workouts ( though I confess due to school and work, I do not lift on a regular basis, I am seeking to remedy this ), I generally like to start off with 1 or 2 sets ( w/ 12-15 reps ) at lower weight to warm up. Afterward, I start stacking towards my max for each exercise, hitting off anywhere between 8-15 reps ( depending on the weight ). Once I've maxes out, I usually like to drastically drop the weight with some higher reps to ' burn it in ' and go for the muscle endurance aspect. Generally, I'll work out 2 muscles a night, going with ( usually ) 3-4 exercises per muscle, the number of sets depending on my mood and fatigue level.

Right now, my goal is to pack on some ' quick mass ' ( for lack of a better term, as we all know nothing is quick in this game if it's done right ), therefore my question is, do the number of reps have a high
impact on that? I'm sometimes told that to make the most of out gaining mass, the weight must be high and the reps low, which makes me wonder if my preference for higher ' burn-in ' reps after I max out will interfere with my maximum mass-gaining potential. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

k, me, i make the weight so heavy that i can only do 4 reps max(talkin about benching here) anything more then that and i add weight (unless the 5th rep is eexxtreemely difficult to do, then ill keep it the weight the same)


"Right now I am on the Atkins diet, trying to shed some accumulated bodyfat. I eat 3-4 average meals a day ( sometimes 1 or 2 larger meals in those 3-4 ), the only carbs I take in are from salad; the majority of what I eat is meat." --xjay


and wwttff...get off that atkins diet, you trying to gain mass on that thing is like trying to get dry by jumping in a swimming pool- aint gon work. eat eat eat. but eat right with a lot of protein AND carbs. you wont gain on that thing AND if your body doesnt have carbs its gonna start picking at your muscles for nutrients, not to mention you will just feel like crap because it doesnt burn that energy as efficiently as carbs.

[MonStar]

I completely agree with alucard on this one, the Atkins' diet is NOT going to get you big. You need carbs to replenish muscle glycogen and fuel your workouts. Get off Atkins', eat clean and more often, and good luck!

[BiKr2005]

Originally Posted by XJay

I hear ' rest ' being brought up a great deal, which leads me to the question, would it be better ( for gaining mass ) to work each muscle ONCE a week ( instead of twice )?

Good thinking man. A 4 day split is a great program. You work Chest/Tris on monday, backs/bicepts on tuesday, quads/hams/calvs on wednesday/ and thursday shoulders/abs. Then on saturday after a days rest, i prefer doing some sort of cardio. On saturday, I hit a heavy bag and just bought a speed bag, and I try to run for atleast 10 min...however far I get.