Which Rep/weight Ratio Fits My Goals?
I’m looking to both add muscle and lose weight, but I’m not sure if my workout is the best way to go (6 feet, 200 lbs, ~16% body fat if that helps). Right now i’m doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps of most exercises at a medium-heavy weight, trying to keep the reps the same throughout all 3 sets.
Should I be raising the weight and lowering the reps? I’ve read that my current approach burns the most calories, but I’ve also read that “muscle-building” lower-rep sets are actually more beneficial.
Who here can set the record straight?
The way you have it set up now is good if you are just starting a fitness regimen. First, it sounds like you need to lose a little bit of body fat and the way to do that is through cardio. Make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes of cardio on top of your weight training routine. Secondly, you can start raining the weight and dropping the reps once you get a little stronger and start dropping some of the fat. Higher weight/low rep puts more mass on so you want to do that after you are become stronger and leaner. Lastly, another important thing to remember is that no matter what type of program you do (muscle building, drop sets, super sets) you have to make sure those muscles are being challenged. So if you are going to do 3 sets of 10-12 reps, you need to do enough weight to make sure those last 2-3 reps of each set are significantly challenging, if not, increase the weight.
Tonig up will be your best option, perform two sets of 18-20 reps of each exercise, also try jogging before you work out.