You can find research to back up just about anything you want to believe. I know that there will be people who insist that research shows that the law of specificity proves that you should only use one amount of reps within a given workout. Those who think this way will also believe that if you do more than one amount of reps within a workout, you will confuse your body and get a nonspecific response. In my opinion, some lifters will find exceptional success by doing just one amount of reps within a given workout, but I think it’s a mistake for others.
Learning From The Westside Method
Have you ever noticed that a substantial number of outstanding lifters use the West Side Method? It’s true that the westsiders work up to a heavy single in one workout, and do sets of 3 reps in another workout, but you may also remember that they do assistance exercises and special exercises with higher reps for those same muscle groups that they did for singles or triples within the same workout. In other words, they do more than one amount of reps within the same workout.
Heavy and Light In the Same Workout
The reason I point this out is that I see no problem with doing a heavy set with lower reps followed by a lighter set with higher reps within the same workout. Some lifters need some higher rep stimulation in every workout and some don’t. If your strength seems to stall out when you do workouts that only include lower reps, try adding in some lighter work to your heavy lifting. For those who need to include some lighter lifting, I suggest the following 8 week cycle for each basic strength training exercise:
Week 1
1 to 2 sets of 8 reps with 73% of your single rep max
1 set of 15 reps with 60%
Week 2
1 to 2 sets of 8 reps with 75%
1 set of 15 reps with 60%
Week 3
1 to 2 sets of 6 reps with 77%
1 set of 12 reps with 62%
Week 4
1 to 2 sets of 6 reps with 80%
1 set of 12 reps with 65%
Week 5
1 to 2 sets of 3 reps with 87%
1 set of 10 reps with 67%
Week 6
1 to 2 sets of 3 reps with 90%
1 set of 10 reps with 70%
Week 7
1 to 2 sets of 2 reps with 95%
1 set of 8 reps with 75%
Week 8
1 set of 1 rep with 100% or more of your previous best max.
1 set of 8 reps with 77%
Note: All percentages listed are based on the maximum weight that you can lift for a single rep for the lift you are performing.
Exercises To Be Used
The training cycle listed should be applied to exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows or pulling motions. However, if you want to include assistance exercises, do them in conjunction with the lighter set that is listed for each workout.
Amount of Sets
The workouts listed are based on two to three work sets per muscle group. However, you can do more sets if you have the ability to remain at full strength for more. Repeat work sets as long as you are at full strength. When you begin to weaken, stop repeating sets.
Training Frequency
The workouts must be paired with a training frequency that matches your recovery ability. A small percentage of lifters will do best if they train each exercise just once per week. Most will do best if they train each exercise two to three times per week. A smaller percentage will do best if they train each exercise four or more times per week. The only way to know which training frequency will work best for you is to try out different training frequencies in order to discover which one works best.
If you have only been using one amount of reps per workout and are wondering if it will work better to try two different amounts of reps within the same workout, the workouts listed will provide an option that may prove to be very beneficial to your training. Best of training to you.