OPENING ARGUMENTS color>

Defense Lifting heavy weight is what separates the men from the boys and allows bodybuilders to make the biggest gains in mass. In fact, some of the largest bodybuilders to ever grace the posing dais were ex-powerlifters. Prosecution Lifting with light weight and higher reps may seem like the girly way to train, but it is very effective for building muscle size as long as you take sets to muscle failure. Tom Platz, who built some of the biggest legs in bodybuilding, was known to frequently train with sets as high as 30, 50 and even 100 reps.

EVIDENCE

VERDICT: LIGHT WEIGHT FOR HIGH REPS color>

Light weight wins for its ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and prevent injuries.

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The real bottom line is that the majority of your workouts should utilize light-to-moderate weight for moderate-to-high reps. However, you need to frequently change your weight and rep ranges to keep the muscles stimulated and build both strength and musclemass.Soalternatebetweenrepsaslowas3–7 and as high as 25–50, but with the majority of workouts in the 8–15 range for best results.