Best Bodybuilding Rep Schemes

If you’ve been in the weight room for a while, I’m sure you’ve seen a few different rep schemes. Some of the more common combinations are 3 sets of 10 and 3×12. I don’t think you can open a muscle or fitness magazine without seeing these replays. I’ve used them myself and I’m willing to bet you have too. Some lifters use 12 reps exclusively. Never stray from it.

But is this the best combo…

Is there a better combination of reps and sets?

This is one of the questions that many times you answered here, well that depends. And that is true. It is difficult to say what is the best number of repetitions for each exercise. There are many variables to take into account. So the short answer…

there is no perfect repetition scheme.

Most people who have been training for a while can tell you that they have their sweet spot, they have a rep frame that they tend to use more frequently. For me, if I don’t follow a certain training program like a 5, 3, 1 or Westside training plan, I feel like I get the most benefits in terms of size and strength by doing 5 reps for most of my compound exercises. Accessory exercises have a much higher rep range, somewhere in the 10 to 15 area.

Bodybuilders and powerlifters you will have many different iterations as they have different goals. A powerlifter will spend most of his time doing low reps, singles, doubles, and triples. As a bodybuilder or someone looking to build muscle mass, it would be very rare to do reps in this range.

Tea low rep training, around five to six reps, is what I consider to be power training for bodybuilding purposes. But I’ll also do sets of up to fifteen on exercises for smaller muscle groups, and muscle groups that respond better to a higher volume of training, for example:

• calves
• ABS
• forearms
• traps…

these muscles respond differently compared to your major muscle groups.

best method

Since there really is no best rep schedule for building big muscles as a bodybuilder, you’re better off cycling your rep schedules. One of the best methods to pack on some serious muscle would be to incorporate the repetition cycling scheme.

What may be the best approach for this is to switch up your reps each week.

1. Week one of your training program would be high reps. Training somewhere in the 12-15 rep range.
2. The second week would see a drop in reps and an increase in weight. The repetitions of the week would be around 10.
3. In the third week, aim for 8 reps.
4. So in the last week of this type of program, you’ll be in the 5 rep range.

That completes the cycle. Then he would repeat the entire 4 week training program again starting with fifteen reps working down.

This is a great training structure where you can make consistent progress every week because it’s so unique. Even if you do the same exercises, you’re working a different rep range each time, so you’ll be working those muscles differently, working different energy systems, and targeting different types of muscle fibers.

So if I were to say what rep range I consider the best, I’d say fifteen reps a week, then ten, then eight, then five, and go back and start this cycle all over again. Incorporating high, medium, and low reps really helps maximize muscle growth.