Effective Reps for Muscle Growth
Effective Reps refer to the last five repetitions in a set, just before reaching muscular failure, which is when you can no longer perform another repetition.
For example, if you’re doing the bench press with a certain weight and reach muscular failure at repetition 12 (meaning it’s impossible to do a 13th rep), then the Effective Reps are repetitions 7 to 12 (the last 5 reps).
Recent research suggests that the volume or intensity of a workout is better measured by the number of Effective Reps performed, rather than the total number of reps.
Effective Reps
Scientists claim that these last reps, close to failure, engage the maximum number of motor units in the muscle fibers.
Not only recent scientific studies, but also Arnold Schwarzenegger stated in the 1970s (at 1:53 in this video) that the last 3-4 repetitions are what make muscles grow. These are the reps that separate champions from non-champions.
In a research article published in February 2018 by Dr. Carl Juneau titled “Muscle Hypertrophy: Do All Reps Count the Same?” he states that the greatest factor for muscle growth is “density” or volume, which is the number of reps * sets * weight. However, not all reps are equal. Trainees who perform more Effective Reps achieve greater muscle hypertrophy, even if their overall volume matches that of others performing fewer Effective Reps.
He also mentions that Effective Reps save time and make your workout more efficient, but cautions against overtraining by constantly reaching failure. In this article, I will explain how to benefit from the concept of Effective Reps.
Dr. Carl Juneau referenced an interesting 2005 study:
In this study, two groups of trainees performed exercises with 3-5 sets of 10 reps, but there was one key difference between the groups:
The first group performed 10 reps continuously.
The second group took a 30-second rest in the middle of each set to recover the muscles, meaning they came closer to failure during the last 5 reps.
The result was that the first group, which did not rest during the set, experienced greater muscle growth (12.9% increase in muscle mass compared to 4% in the group that rested mid-set).
Even though the volume was the same for both groups, the first group, which performed more Effective Reps, gained more muscle mass and strength.
Another study published in Strength and Conditioning Research in 2019 divided trainees into two groups:
One group performed a “Rest-Pause” method, where they used 80% of their 1RM (their max weight for one rep), did as many reps as possible, rested for 20 seconds, and repeated this cycle until they reached 18 reps.
The second group performed 3 sets of 6 reps, resting 3 minutes between sets, for a total of 18 reps as well.
The study found that after 6 weeks, the group using the Rest-Pause method had a muscle gain of 11%, compared to just 1% for the second group.
A further study in 2017 found greater muscle growth for those using drop sets compared to traditional sets.
However, this doesn’t mean you should do all your workouts with drop sets or Rest-Pause methods, as this can lead to fatigue and overtraining. But stay tuned, as I will explain how to utilize Effective Reps effectively.
Does this mean you should train to complete muscular failure, where you can’t perform another rep, for better results? Not necessarily.
A 2019 study found that training to muscular failure results in less muscle growth.
Other studies have shown no significant difference in hypertrophy from training to complete failure.
So, is there a conflict between the concept of Effective Reps and the idea that training to failure doesn’t yield extra benefits?
There’s no conflict. What you can take away from this article is that you should train until 2-3 reps before reaching failure. For instance, if you expect to reach failure at rep 12, stop at rep 9 or 10.
This way, you avoid fatigue, overtraining, and injury (or possibly dropping the weight on yourself). You’ll be able to finish your session with more energy while still benefiting from Effective Reps.
There’s no need to train until complete muscular failure.
And if you’re training at home with light weights, you may reach failure at rep 25. In that case, do 22-23 reps instead. Doing just 20 reps because you’re bored means you’re far from performing Effective Reps and won’t achieve optimal muscle growth in your workout.
