What are the best rep ranges for hypertrophy?
Standard Range
If your workout goal is solely focused on maximizing hypertrophy (aka muscle gain or bulking up), the standard range is 8 to 12 repetitions. This is backed up by sport science in this study "Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy". You can increase up to 14 reps, but anything beyond 15, then you hit endurance training/cutting and weight-loss territory. Typical reps for hypertrophy in a barbell chest press:
- 12 x 135 lbs
- 10 x 145 lbs
- 8 x 155 lbs
Total number of sets per muscle
The referenced article goes on to describe that 12 to 28 sets per muscle group is ideal. For example, a typical chest day might look like this:
- 3 sets of Flat Barbell Bench Press
- 3 sets of Incline Barbell Bench Press
- 3 sets of Decline Barbell Bench Press
- 3 sets of Flat Dumbbell Bench Flys
- 3 sets of Incline Dumbbell Bench Flys
- 3 sets of Decline Dumbbell Bench Flys
Drop sets
A more advanced variation, the drop set, might be used at the end of a workout to maximize hypertrophy by ensuring that the muscle is pushed to exhaustion. Pin-loaded machine equipment is ideal for this type of set, as you can switch weights quickly and don't need a spotter. You want to choose a starting weight where you can comfortably perform 12 reps and then lower the weight and start the next set without rest. Typical drops set for Chest Press Machine:
- 12 x 155 lbs
- 12 x 145 lbs
- 12 x 135 lbs
- 12 x 125 lbs
- 12 x 115 lbs
Drop sets are the safer alternative to the one repetition max (1RM) because your failure point happens at a lower weight, which reduces the risk of injury.
Other rep ranges
Other rep ranges used are power (1-3 reps), strength training (4-7) and cutting/weight-loss(15+). While it is proven that they can build muscle, they are sub-optimal for hypertrophy. In fact the ranges of 1-3 and 15+ actually perform extremely poorly for this workout goal. Chasing these other ranges is more time spent at the gym not chasing your goal of muscle gain.
Advanced techniques for hypertrophy
There are other techniques such as half repetitions, one and half repetitions, no rest sets (reverse drop sets), high rest sets (3 mins or more break between sets), and low rest sets (no more than 30 seconds rest time) but these are best used when you hit plateaus.
How Gym Log Track helps you track hypertrophy
Goal Summary Report
Breakdown your weight lifting workouts by power, strength, hypertrophy, and weight-loss
Drop Set Report
Every exercise has dedicated reporting to drop set volume.
Conclusion
Stick to the standard time-tested rep range of 8 to 12 repetitions. It works. Its low injury prone. Any time you try to hit that 1 rep max with a high weight, you risk injury. For consistent results, 8 to 12 repetitions is the gold standard for hypertrophy.