High Rep vs. Low Rep Training

When designing a gym routine, one of the biggest decisions you'll face is whether to train with high reps and lighter weights or low reps with heavier weights. Each approach has unique benefits and drawbacks depending on your goals—whether it's fat loss, muscle growth, strength, or aesthetics.

The Basics: What’s High Rep and Low Rep Training?

• High Rep Training: Typically 12 to 20 or more reps per set, using 50 to 70 percent of your one-rep max (1RM).

• Low Rep Training: Usually 3 to 8 reps per set, using 75 to 95 percent of your 1RM.

Benefits of High Rep Training (Lighter Weights)

• Greater Time Under Tension: More reps mean muscles are working for longer durations, which promotes muscle growth, especially sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (increased muscle volume).

• Improved Muscular Endurance: Helps improve your ability to sustain effort, useful for sports, fitness classes, and functional fitness.

• Higher Calorie Burn per Session: The longer sets and shorter rest periods keep your heart rate elevated, helping burn more calories.

• Reduced Joint Stress: Lighter weights are easier on joints, making this approach safer for beginners or those recovering from injury.

Disadvantages of High Rep Training

• Limited Strength Gains: Less effective for building pure strength or improving 1RM performance.

• Fatigue Accumulation: Muscular fatigue can reduce performance in later sets and reduce form quality.

• Longer Workout Times: More reps take more time per exercise.

Benefits of Low Rep Training (Heavier Weights)

• Increased Maximal Strength: Targets neural adaptations that make you stronger and more powerful.

• Efficient Workouts: Fewer reps and more rest can make sessions shorter and more focused.

• Improves Bone Density and Connective Tissue Strength: Heavier loads stimulate bones and tendons, improving long-term joint health.

Disadvantages of Low Rep Training

• Higher Injury Risk: Heavier weights require better form and control; without it, injury risk increases.

• Lower Caloric Burn per Set: Shorter sets and longer rest periods reduce overall energy expenditure.

• Requires More Recovery: Nervous system fatigue is higher, which may affect training frequency.

Muscle Growth: Which Builds More Muscle?

Both methods build muscle, but in slightly different ways:

• High Reps stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, increasing the volume of fluid and glycogen in the muscle cells, leading to a fuller, pumped look.

• Low Reps stimulate myofibrillar hypertrophy, increasing the density of the muscle fibers themselves, resulting in harder, more defined muscle.

Best for muscle size: A combination of both, cycling phases or using both methods in the same week (also known as periodization), tends to produce the best long-term gains.

Fat Loss: Which Burns More Fat?

• High reps with short rest periods increase heart rate and caloric burn, making them better for fat loss.

• However, low rep heavy training preserves muscle mass during calorie deficits, which keeps metabolism higher over time.

Best for fat loss: High rep training with a calorie-controlled diet and cardio. But include some low-rep strength work to retain muscle.

Aesthetics: What Makes You Look Better?

• High reps give a pumped, rounded look. Muscles look fuller, especially during and after workouts.

• Low reps give a denser, harder appearance. Muscles feel firm and appear more etched when body fat is low.

Best for appearance: Combining both. Use high reps for shaping and pump, low reps for strength and density.

Full Weekly Routine Examples

Here are two full 5-day workout plans: one focused on high reps (hypertrophy/fat loss) and one focused on low reps (strength/power). You can follow one style or alternate every 6 to 8 weeks.

High Rep Routine (12 to 20 reps per set, short rest, 60 seconds)

Day 1 – Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

• Dumbbell Bench Press – 4 sets x 15 reps

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets x 15 reps

• Lateral Raises – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Triceps Pushdowns – 3 sets x 20 reps

Day 2 – Pull (Back, Biceps)

• Lat Pulldowns – 4 sets x 15 reps

• Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets x 15 reps

• Barbell Curls – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Hammer Curls – 3 sets x 20 reps

Day 3 – Legs

• Leg Press – 4 sets x 20 reps

• Walking Lunges – 3 sets x 20 steps

• Leg Extensions – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Seated Leg Curls – 3 sets x 20 reps

• Calf Raises – 4 sets x 25 reps

Day 4 – Core and Conditioning

• Hanging Leg Raises – 4 sets x 20 reps

• Russian Twists – 3 sets x 30 seconds

• Plank – 3 rounds x 60 seconds

• Finish with 20 mins HIIT or treadmill incline walk

Day 5 – Full Body Pump

• Kettlebell Swings – 3 sets x 25

• Cable Chest Press – 3 sets x 20

• TRX Rows – 3 sets x 20

• Sled Push or Battle Ropes – 3 rounds x 1 min

Low Rep Routine (4 to 6 reps per set, longer rest, 90 to 120 seconds)

Day 1 – Upper Body Strength (Push Focus)

• Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets x 5 reps

• Overhead Barbell Press – 4 sets x 5 reps

• Weighted Dips – 3 sets x 6 reps

• Skullcrushers – 3 sets x 8 reps

Day 2 – Lower Body Strength

• Barbell Squats – 5 sets x 5 reps

• Romanian Deadlifts – 4 sets x 6 reps

• Walking Lunges (weighted) – 3 sets x 8 reps per leg

• Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps

Day 3 – Rest or Active Recovery
Light cardio, mobility work, or stretching.

Day 4 – Upper Body Strength (Pull Focus)

• Barbell Deadlifts – 5 sets x 3 to 5 reps

• Pull-Ups (weighted if possible) – 4 sets x 6 reps

• Barbell Rows – 4 sets x 6 reps

• Barbell Curls – 3 sets x 8 reps

Day 5 – Full Body Power and Core

• Power Cleans or Snatch-Grip High Pulls – 3 sets x 4 reps

• Front Squats – 4 sets x 5 reps

• Hanging Leg Raises – 4 sets x 15

• Farmer's Carries – 3 sets x 30 seconds

If your goal is muscle size and aesthetics, high reps are effective, especially when paired with volume and short rests. If your goal is strength and muscle density, low reps are key. For best results, combine both approaches throughout the year, periodising your training to focus on different goals at different times.