30 Seconds SummaryDoes high-rep training actually improve strength endurance more than heavier training?
- The principle of specificity suggests training methods should match the desired performance characteristic, but its application to strength endurance is more nuanced than typically understood.
- Research indicates the effectiveness of high-rep versus low-rep training on strength endurance depends on how 'strength endurance' is defined and measured.
- Meta-analysis shows that high-rep training is better for improving 'relative strength endurance' (ability to perform reps as a percentage of an increasing 1RM), while high-rep and low-rep training equally improve 'absolute strength endurance' (fixed load endurance).
- The optimal rep range to enhance relative strength endurance peaks around 20-30 reps per set, beyond which no additional benefits are observed.
- Heavy, lower-rep training can also be effective for absolute strength endurance unless rep counts are extremely low (e.g., single-rep sets).
- Combining heavy, low-rep and lighter, high-rep training may be the best approach for maximizing overall strength endurance, supporting the use of diverse training regimens like reverse linear periodization or daily undulating periodization.
- The research underscores that both the context of competition and the specific performance goals should dictate the appropriate blend of strength training strategies.
Stronger By Science
Greg Nuckols
