Which works best; heavy weights, medium weights, or light weights? If I had to pick just one weight range for strength development, I would favor a weight that permits 5 quality reps. However, if I could use a variety of rep ranges in the same workout, I would. Why? Because my experience is that mixed rep workouts work better.
Simple Mixed Rep Workouts Work
I have tried several periodization programs, but the most consistent long-term progress I have made has come from simple mixed rep workouts. The workouts are especially effective when adjusted to your personal capacities.
The Benefit of Mixed Rep Workouts
The benefit of mixed rep workouts is that they turn on every aspect of your strength building physiology all at the same time. An example of such a workout is listed below:
A Mixed Rep Workout
Instructions:
Do the following sets and reps for each exercise performed including bench presses, squats, and seated pulley rows:
Easy Warm Up Sets
Set 1: Do 10 reps using a weight that allows 30 reps (30% to 40% of your 1 RM)
Set 2: Do 5 reps using a weight that allows 20 reps (about 50% of your 1 RM)
Set 3: Do 5 reps using a weight that allows 15 reps (60% to 65% of your 1 RM)
Ascending Single Reps
Set 4: Do 1 rep using a weight that allows 12 reps (70% of your 1 RM)
Set 5: Do 1 rep using a weight that allows 8 reps (80% of your 1 RM)
Set 6: Do 1 rep using a weight that allows 4 reps (85 to 87% of your 1 RM)
A Set of 5 Reps
Set 7: Do 5 reps. Hit your marker rep on your 5th rep (about 80% to 82% of your 1 RM)
A set of 15 Reps
Set 8: Do 15 reps. Hit your marker rep on your 15th rep (about 60% of your 1 RM)
Adjustments if Necessary
If you have the capacity to do one or more additional sets while remaining at full strength throughout the entire workout, then you can add one or more sets of 5’s to the workout. Don’t add single reps or sets of 15 reps as this can easily lead to burn out.
Comprehensive Activation With Mixed Rep Workouts
Remember that mixed rep workouts can be designed according to a mixture of any rep ranges that you would like to combine into a single workout. In regard to the workout listed above, the work-sets consist of single reps, 5 reps, and 15 reps. Each rep range has it’s own benefits.
The benefit of doing the heavy single reps is that it teaches your nervous system to fire in a synchronized fashion.
The benefit of doing 5 reps is that it will build both size and strength.
The benefit of the 15 rep range is that it provides volume and promotes a pump.
The diversity of rep ranges will turn on your nervous system, plus it provides the necessary weight to stimulate plenty of mechanical tension. At the same time, there is enough workload and volume to activate a pump and create a significant amount of metabolic stress and muscle damage. The combined effect of all these factors will promote strength and muscle growth. All of the triggers that are necessary to help you get bigger and stronger are activated with the proper application of mixed rep workouts. Trust me, it is an effective way to build strength and muscle size. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Eric Spoto, and Ronnie Coleman were all massive and extremely strong, and they all did mixed rep workouts.
Adjust To Your Capacity
As stated earlier, a big key to doing mixed rep workouts in an effective manner is to choose an amount of sets based on your own capacity. Your capacity is based on how many sets you can repeat at full strength. If you can stay at full strength when doing more sets than what is listed in the workout shown above, then add one or more sets of 5 reps according to your capacity. Do not add single reps or sets of 15 reps, as either one can quickly burn you out. Five’s are the sweet spot, and the single reps and 15 reps are designed to compliment the 5’s. In addition to doing the right amount of sets based on your own capacity, you must stop each set when you reach your marker rep or your limit rep. If you are not already familiar with precision point training concepts, more explanation is needed to define the marker rep and limit rep.
The Limit Rep and Marker Rep
As you begin a set, you will be able to maintain a steady even rep pace. As you continue, fatigue will set in and cause your rep speed to slow down. The last rep that you can perform while maintaining a steady even rep pace is called your limit rep. If you push yourself to do one more rep, the next rep will be a slower weaker rep. This rep is called your marker rep. To put it another way, your marker rep is the first rep that starts to slow down in comparison to the previous reps of the same set.
Progressing With The Marker Rep
The fact that you are forced to slow down when you reach your marker rep shows that it is significantly harder than the previous rep of the same set. Your body’s greatest concern is to reduce the difficulty of the hardest rep, which is the marker rep. If your body gets stronger, the marker rep will get easier. This is exactly what your body is trying to accomplish when it gains strength. Let’s look at an example.
We will imagine that your marker rep falls on the fifth rep. In this case, the fifth rep is the most difficult rep and your body will want to get stronger to make the 5th rep easier. You will know that the 5th rep has become easier when you are no longer forced to slow your rep speed down when you hit your fifth rep. When this happens, your marker rep will have transitioned into a limit rep. The result is that you will be able to do all 5 reps using the same rep speed. If you succeed at performing all 5 reps using a steady even rep pace for three consecutive workouts, you are ready to add another 5 pounds to the lift you are performing. Every time you add another 5 pounds to your lifts, your last rep will start to slow down a little again. Your goal is to keep using the same weight from workout to workout until the slowness of the last rep fades and you can do perform all 5 reps without slowing down. You should also use this process when doing 15 reps within the same workout. This means that your marker rep should be your 15th rep until you gain enough strength to perform all 15 reps using a steady even rep pace.
Keep it Simple
This form of progression allows mixed rep ranges within the same workout to work. When using simple mixed rep workouts, you won’t have to go through a typical cycle. These cycles generally start with all light weights and no heavy weights, and finish with all heavy weights and no light weights. Instead, you’ll use light, medium, and heavy weights in all of your mixed rep workouts. You will find that this makes very simple to track your progress and your poundages from workout to workout because of the consistency of the workout.
In the next article, I will discuss mixed rep workouts again. The emphasis will be on how you can add weight to each part of the workout at different times in order to make it easier to make progress. Best of training to you.
Click here for the next article: Partial Periodization for Mixed Rep Workouts
Related Content
Perhaps the most common form of mixed rep workouts is the use of the basic pyramid method. In the following video, the lifter recommends a 4 set pyramid as follows:
Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 8 reps
Set 4: 6 reps
You should notice that the reps decrease for each set. At the same time, weight is increased for each set. This type of training allows the use of light weights at the beginning of the pyramid. Medium weights are then used during the middle of the pyramid. The end of the pyramid finishes with heavy weights. Light weights and higher reps emphasize total volume. Heavier weights and lower reps emphasize intensity. This combination allows you to obtain both volume and intensity within the same workout. The result is an increase in strength and size.
Chuck Sipes used a mixture of reps when using the 1 – 10 – 1 method which explained in the following video.
In the following video, Eric Spoto starts with 20 reps. He then adds weight to the bar from set to set and does sets of 10 reps for a few sets. Eric keeps adding weight to the bar until he finishes with just 1 rep. By doing this, he uses a wide spectrum of rep ranges in the same workout.
The Vince Gironda 10 – 8 – 6 – 15 workout is a mixed rep workout that many bodybuilders find to be effective.