Should I be lifting heavier weights or more volume to build muscle?

[jacksonjogu]

I’m 22M looking to build muscle and loss some weight.

I wouldn’t consider myself overweight but have a slight beer belly.

I’ve been working out since October and haven’t seen a lot of muscle growth. My girlfriend said she can see a difference but I’m struggling too.

Currently at the gym I aim for higher weight but as a result I do 3 sets of 6/7 reps depending on how much I have done prior to starting the exercise I struggle. However, on the lower weight I can easily get out 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Everything I’ve seen online has said once hitting 10 reps easily to increase the weight but I feel this isn’t working for me.

Any tips?

 

[gypsyjill88]

@jacksonjogu Everything works. That is what I realized after almost two years of working out daily.

It doesnt matter if you go 4 times a week or 6, or if you do short sets with heavy weight or long sets with less weight or long sets with heavy weights.

The only thing that matters is how you train. Lifting very heavy often comes with poor form, lifting lighter gives you a lot more control over your execution but can get soulcrushingly boring.

As long as you hit the muscle you plan to hit, feel that pump and exhaustion in the end - that is the sweet spot. You also don't need to train to absolute failure, you can stop a few reps before.

These myths have mostly been debunked by now.

 

[dawn16]

@gypsyjill88 Saying everything works is the exact same as saying nothing worksthere is no value in that statement

 

[gypsyjill88]

@dawn16 I was mostly talking about the fact that every gym bro, maybe you are one of them, tries to push their own narrative onto others.

"You gotta train to failure everytime bruh"

"You gotta do this and that amount of reps for optimal muscle development, bruh"

"Bruh that exercise is garbage, take this and that one"

In fact most of these topics have been debunked by science already, I am not saying there are no optimal ways to go about it and suboptimal ways, but what matters is the training effect and how you get there is completely up to you and what you like to do.

Most people dont need to stress themselves with perfect routines, they just need to start and get into it. What they do, be it cardio, strengthtraining or mobility training is completely up to them.

So no, my statement is not without any value you dork.

 

[gypsyjill88]

I was speaking objectively. You’re calling me a gym bro when your making statements like “feel the pump and the exhaustion” you watched pumping iron once and based your personality around that.

And my question is if you dont need to train to failure and like you said ‘you can stop a few reps before’ why would your muscle ever grow? If it has no reason to get stronger and all you need is a pump then why not do just that?

I can only assume why you deleted this comment and decided to bother me in personal messages instead. But reading this I can't really believe your PM to me where you say you meant no disrespect mate. I don't even know what pumping iron is and I don't base my personality on the gym either, I don't need to cause I got a lot of other good shit going on for me in my life as well.

To answer your other oblivious question, it has long been proven scientifically that you don't need to train to absolute failure to achieve optimal hypertrophy, you can already stop a few reps before that point.

https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/295

And here is a source, yet we both know you won't read that anyway

So gtfo out of my DM's boy.