What is the best rep range to build muscle?
Is the 6–12 rep range the only rep range that promotes muscle growth?
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When designing a muscle-building program, reps between 6–12 are commonly used with the belief this particular zone best promotes muscle growth.
This belief primarily originates from the traditional rep range continuum. This continuum states that 1–5 reps are ideal for strength, 6–12 reps are ideal for muscle growth, while 13+ reps are ideal for muscular endurance.
This continuum does have some truth to it. More specifically, 1–5 reps are generally preferred for maximal strength development. Given strength is based on lifting the heaviest load, it makes perfect sense that training with a relatively heavy load (1–5 rep range) would optimize strength adaptations. There is evidence of this in the research.
Additionally, similar reasoning applies to the muscular endurance rep range. Given muscular endurance is based on the ability to sustain repeated contractions for an extended…
