If the goal is muscle building, is there any benefit to doing sets of 50 – 100 repetitions in your training?
For beginners, definitely not. With beginners I actually take the opposite approach to what is usually recommended: I keep sets moderate or even on the short side, until they have properly mastered the technique of complex exercises such as the squat or deadlift. My reasoning is that I don’t want to put them at risk of injury right away with long sets. Often, when the weight isn’t chosen correctly, their technique starts to break down after just the first 5 – 6 reps, and grinding out more reps beyond that increases the chance of injury.
As for advanced trainees, leg training with long sets can work wonders. In other words, long sets are a good way to gain a solid amount of muscle mass in a very short time. I usually keep sets at 20 – 25 reps, but sets of 50 – 100 reps will certainly give good results too. Tom Platz had some of the mightiest legs in bodybuilding history, and he also recommended training legs with long sets. I have had the honor of talking about this topic with Steve Austin as well, and he is also a big proponent of long squat sets, doing his own squat sets mostly in the 30 – 50 rep range.
But, as I said, for such long sets you need to be past the beginner stage and have a solid command of squat and deadlift technique. Otherwise the risks may not outweigh the benefits. Many people have a core that isn’t strong enough: they lean forward, their backs round, their heels come off the floor and so on. In short, the technique hasn’t been properly learned.
Long leg sets can also be done successfully on machines. The leg press is one such option. Belt squats or squatting with a weighted vest are equally good options for long leg sets. Personally, I always prefer to do the heavy sets first: I do my working sets of regular squats and then, as the last squat set, finish with one set of 30 – 50 reps. I don’t recommend more than one such long set at the end.
Does it make sense to do deadlifts or their variations as long sets too, or is the injury risk with deadlifts too high and the exercise unsuited to long sets?
The deadlift will definitely build solid mass in the traps and upper back, but, as I said before, if you use a long set for this exercise, don’t do it as a beginner. While with the squat and leg press you can occasionally go all the way to 50 – 100 reps, with the deadlift I would limit the set to 20 – 25 reps. Most of the time the long set should stay at around 15 reps. Although Dr. Ken Leistner is probably very well known for his 30 – 40 rep deadlift sets with a trap bar, I wouldn’t recommend that practice to the average gym-goer.
In our own workouts, within our circle of trainees, we already consider a deadlift set of 10 – 12 reps a long set. If the goal is muscle mass, those same 10 – 12 reps are already maximally effective for the deadlift. Most people lack the lower-back endurance needed to deadlift for more than 10 – 15 reps. A deadlift set longer than 10 – 15 reps is also draining on the shoulders.
Also, if you try a long deadlift set, I recommend avoiding a mixed grip, because in a long set the biceps of the underhand arm also comes under very high, sustained tension. That can end badly and should be avoided. I definitely recommend using lifting straps for a long deadlift set. You will most likely never try such a long set at the start of a workout; rather, you’ll leave it as a “finisher” after your main deadlift sets, so you don’t lose any grip strength either. I sometimes do such a long deadlift set as the final set of a regular upper-body day, too, and it’s a great way to build mass. Once again, I stress: don’t do such a long deadlift set right at the start of the workout, otherwise the rest of the workout is ruined. Keep the weight moderate, something you can confidently pull for a long set with proper technique.
Finally: could you give a sample plan for how to use long sets in a leg workout?
1) Squat – 2 x 5-7, 1 x 8-10, 1 x 12-15; rest 120-180 seconds.
2a) Barbell Romanian deadlift – 2 x 5-7, 1 x 8-10, 1 x 12-15; rest 90-120 seconds.
2b) Hanging knee raises – 4 x to failure; rest 90-120 seconds.
3) Belt squats (squats with a weighted vest, or leg press) – 1 x 50; rest 3 minutes after the set. See [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PldcPTOACm4]here.[/url]
4) Single-leg standing calf raises – 4 x 8-10; 45 seconds rest (4-second pause in the bottom position).
5) Seated calf raises – 2 x 50; 90 seconds rest between sets (1-second pause at the top and 1-second pause at the bottom).
Original article: [url=http://jasonferruggia.com/how-to-build-muscle-with-high-rep-leg-training/]HERE[/url]
From the translator: I’m continuing with more translation on the same topic…
I think this is something (long sets for the legs) that works and does the job. The quadriceps respond very well, in terms of muscle growth, to sets longer than 10 reps. Adding one (rarely two) twenty-rep squat set to your leg day once a week is definitely worth considering. Make sure to also try to progress on this long set, by adding 2.5 kg to the twenty-rep squat set every week.
Say that in your regular squat workout you do, for example, 5 sets of 12, 10, 10, 8, 8. You can freely add a sixth set from time to time and try to squat 20 reps in a row. If the first time you do 20 reps with 100 kg, next time try to do those 20 reps with 102.5 kg. What’s more, once a month you can try squatting, for example, one set with 90 – 100 kg for as many reps as you can. Men can try squatting with 90 – 100 kg, women with 45 – 50 kg. All reps must go strictly below parallel, otherwise the rep doesn’t count. In the starting position, rest as long as you like. Believe me, such a long set is hell!
I tried it myself and once even did 50 reps with 90 kg. Honestly, my back, lungs and traps were “screaming” at the end of that set even more than my quads. True, squatting in the 1 – 5 rep range is also hard, but it’s pure fun next to a twenty-rep squat set, which tests you properly.
From the translator: I’m adding one more split of my own, on how to arrange your body-part training across the week if you want to train legs twice a week and prioritize them.
Monday (lower body): quadriceps (more thoroughly and with shorter sets…10 – 12 sets in total), hamstrings (lighter, with longer sets…4 – 6 sets in total), calves and abs.
Tuesday (upper body): chest, shoulders, triceps.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday (lower body): hamstrings (more thoroughly and with shorter sets…10 – 12 sets in total), quadriceps (one exercise with long sets…4 – 6 sets in total), calves and abs.
Friday (upper body): lats, traps, biceps.
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
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