Why always working out on the higher rep ranges is killing your progress

At Onset Strength, we believe in a holistic approach to fitness that prioritizes sustainable progress and long-term results. While high-rep training can have its place in a well-rounded program and specific circumstances, relying solely on it can hinder your overall development, especially your strength gains.

You all know that our main focus with clients is always improving strength first, which leads to building muscle, which leads to faster metabolism and easier fat loss, so we will rarely have you working out on the higher rep ranges, or as we call it "cardio with weights," unless your goal is simply muscle endurance.

But you may ask, what is considered high rep training?

Anything above 15 reps is considered high rep. The signals and stimulus we send to the body are very different than, for example, the 2-5 or 8-12 rep ranges. Think of it like the difference between long-distance running and sprinting – very different adaptations.

Understanding the Downsides of High-Rep Focus:

• Limited Strength Gains: High-rep training primarily targets muscle endurance and metabolic conditioning. While it can certainly build some muscle at the beginning, it's less effective for increasing raw strength.

  
  

• Plateauing Progress: If your workouts consistently consist of 15+ reps per set, you may find yourself hitting a plateau. Your body adapts quickly to repetitive stress, and continual high-rep training can limit further gains in muscle size and strength.

  
  

• Increased Risk of Injury: High-rep training, especially with heavy loads, can put significant stress on your joints. This increases your risk of overuse injuries like tendonitis or muscle strains. This is something people tend to understand backward. Most people think they will get injured if they do a set of heavy squats in the 3-5 rep range, however, the damage of a 15-rep set of squats is far greater, of course, always considering your technique is on point.

  
  

• Neglecting Key Areas: Focusing solely on high reps can neglect important aspects of fitness, such as power development and explosive strength. These qualities are crucial for athletic performance and overall functional fitness. Even if you are not an athlete, most of your daily tasks and movements require more strength than muscle endurance, from getting up from the floor or picking up your kids to putting a box on a high shelf or taking your luggage out of your car's trunk.

So what should I do then?

The answer is balanced approach made up of phases of raw strength (1-8 rep range), hypertrophy (8-12 rep range) and endurance (12-20).

• 1-5 Raw Strength Training: This works best with exercises that target strength development, such as heavy compound lifts such as squat, deadlift, bench press, row, or overhead press.

• Power Training: Incorporate exercises that emphasise explosive movements, such as plyometrics (box jumps, medicine ball throws) and Olympic lifts.

• Hypertrophy Training: Include moderate rep ranges (8-12 reps) to maximise muscle growth.

• High-Rep Training: Utilize high-rep training strategically for muscle endurance, metabolic conditioning and active recovery.

Depending on how often you workout in a week, each phase should last 3-5 weeks. This allows your body to adapt to the stimulus of each phase before moving on to the next one, ensuring continuous progress and minimising plateaus.

Until next time!