Increased weight or increased reps??

[Danny]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for some advice from some experienced weight lifters. 

Basically I want to know what the best weight / reps combination is.  Should a person do 15 reps with a light weight, or 6 reps with a heavier weight, or somewhere in between?  Or say, alternate with a set of each? Or does it matter? 

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information on the net and it's hard to know which sources are reliable.

My target is to improve my overall strength and fitness as I play a lot of sports.

Thanks

[Rock]

Greetings Daniel and welcome-
You are correct in that there's lots of advice and opinions on optimal reps as well as optimal number of sets etc.  Very confusing even for experienced lifters.  I've been a trainer for about 15 years working at the collegiate and pro level so I think I can share some insight. 

Most of the confusion comes from goal setting - bodybuilders train differently than wide receivers who train differently than triathletes.  The training advice an NFL receiver's coach might provide is correct if you're preparing for the NFL (or college) combine but not the right fit if you're preparing for your first 10K. 

Most important that you match your training to your goals.  You said you want to improve sports performance.  What sports?  If you're a tennis player, don't train like a powerlifter or a bodybuilder; train like Agassi or Navratilova.  Be honest with yourself; do you want to improve your batting average or do you just want bigger arms?  No wrong or right answers here. 

The best way to improve sports performance is to break your sport down into primary components such as skill, strength, speed, agility, endurance, etc. prioritize each one, and then build your training to match.  You'll also want to give lots of attention to flexibility, nutrition, hydration, and proper rest which a lot of folks overlook. 

For example, sports like golf or tennis with a high skill emphasis will benefit from more on court/course time supplemented by some strength, endurance, and flexibility training in the gym or at home.  If you're a baseball/softball player, spending 3 days a week at the local batting cage is better than doing a hardcore weightlifting routine in the gym 5 days a week.  If you're a cyclist, doing 150 miles a week on your bike (or on a trainer indoors) is better than heavy leg presses or leg extensions.  Train like you play is the best advice. 

The general answer to your question (conventional wisdom and what I'd recommend) for general sports conditioning is 3 sets for most exercises with a target range of 12-15 reps (not including your warm up set of 15-20 reps of a very light weight).  This gives you a good combination of muscular strength and endurance which is what you need for sports.  To pack on a bit more size, you can drop to 10-12 reps but give consideration to the above and train like you play. 

My last bit of advice, and this applies to anyone and any goal, is to plan a training program that allows you to train consistently without injury.  Too many regular folks train super hard like a pro athlete killing themselves for about 2 months and then get injured (sore shoulder, quads, pulled groin, etc.) so they have to lay off for 3-5 weeks and then start over.  At this pace they pretty much stay stagnant for 3 years.  Train smart.

Daniel, feel free to check in any time.  There's lots of folks here with good advice.

Best in health,

Rock 

[Paul]

Hey Daniel,
Rock makes a very good point about goal setting, etc. and matching your training to your objectives.  Otherwise you can spend a lot of counterproductive time in the gym but the right workouts can add yards to your drive, speed to your serve, and maybe make you the hero at the next flag football game with the guys.

For general sports performance, assuming you're not an NFL guard or tackle doing heavy squats once a week, I'd say stick to the 12-15 range for reps.  That doesn't mean 15 reps on each set; it means first set is 14-15 and last set 11-12 and sometimes only 10 reps on a sluggish day.  Once you're doing 15 or more reps on each set it's time to bump the weight a little to keep you in the range.  Mix up your training a bit so every few workouts pick a lighter weight and do 3-4 sets of 20 reps each with 30 seconds rest.  Variation is important.  Try some bodyweight workouts and don't overlook flexibility.

Whatever you do, log it so you know how you're progressing. 

[Danny]

Wow, thanks guys.

Didn't expect such detailed, well thought out responses!!

Appreciate the advice.


Thanks