Final up to date on September third, 2025
A brand new examine reignited the controversy in regards to the lowest repetition vary to maximise muscle hypertrophy. Analyzed by the Home of Hypertrophy (HoH), the analysis reveals proof that challenges standard recommendation.
One to 5 reps is taken into account the energy zone, the place hypertrophy is noticed. As a result of mechanical stress, quantity, fatigue administration, and joint well being, the six to 12 rep vary is commonly thought of the candy spot for muscle progress.
May just a few units of three to 5 reps produce comparable or higher progress stimulus?
The Examine
Fourteen skilled people with at the least two years of lifting expertise carried out unilateral leg presses and extensions. (1) Topics skilled one leg for 3 to 5 reps to volitional failure utilizing heavy hundreds, whereas the opposite leg carried out 20-25 repetitions to failure with lighter weights. Exercises comprised three units per session with two-minute relaxation durations between units, coaching twice weekly for 9 weeks.
Can 3 to five Reps Produce Higher Positive aspects?
“Muscle thickness will increase weren’t considerably totally different between situations,” HoH famous. As different analysis decided, vastly totally different rep ranges can produce comparable hypertrophy outcomes. (2)(3)
Nevertheless, whereas complete muscle thickness elevated for each rep ranges examined, neither confirmed elevated muscle fiber cross-sectional space from biopsies, seemingly because of sampling limitations.
“Biopsies clearly solely extract a comparatively small portion of muscle,” HoH reported. “Within the paper, simply over 150 fibers had been contained per biopsy, however muscle tissue, even small ones, often comprise hundreds of fibers.”
Failure Coaching and Hypertrophy
Did all topics practice to failure equally, and does it matter? This wasn’t completely clear, although verbal cues inspired effort. Literature signifies that skilled lifters would possibly profit from pushing units to finish failure, however coaching habits and particular person effort may skew outcomes. (4)
The Minimal-Rep Query
Figuring out a minimal rep quantity to stimulate hypertrophy is sophisticated, as many research report rep ranges. Particular person variation, together with genetics, coaching habits, diet, well being, and exercise fatigue, determines how individuals can carry out totally different rep counts on the similar proportion of their one-rep max. (5)
HoH beforehand advocated for a six-to-35-rep vary for hypertrophy. Solely six research examined 5 or fewer repetitions, with many having confounding variables, reminiscent of further units or longer relaxation durations.
Including further units of three to 5 reps and resting longer enhances progress stimulus. Solely two research help three to 5 reps with these variables; the entire proof base is comparatively small.
The Variance Demon
Small-sample research can fail to symbolize actuality because of measurement error, sampling variance, or genetic variations between teams. This examine, whereas promising, is proscribed, with solely 14 topics.
In case your aim is to maximise muscle hypertrophy…practice with six or extra reps per set.
—Home of Hypertrophy
How one can Apply the Science
These benefitting from three to 5 reps ought to persist with it and blend rep ranges for joint well being and diverse stimuli. Whereas the brand new examine suggests three to 5 reps might maximize hypertrophy when carried out to failure, proof isn’t but robust sufficient to verify that it’s equally hypertrophic.
Six reps and above stay a safer minimal to maximise muscle good points, however some lower-rep work remains to be good for energy and motor unit recruitment.
Extra Coaching Content material
References
- Toldnes Cumming, Okay. (2025, Could 1). Comparable energy and hypertrophic diversifications to low-load and high-load resistance train coaching [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.28.650925v1
- Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Results of Low- vs. Excessive-Load Resistance Coaching on Muscle Energy and Hypertrophy in Effectively-Skilled Males. J Energy Cond Res. 2015 Oct;29(10):2954-63. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958. PMID: 25853914.
- Lopez P, Radaelli R, Taaffe DR, Newton RU, Galvão DA, Trajano GS, Teodoro JL, Kraemer WJ, Häkkinen Okay, Pinto RS. Resistance Coaching Load Results on Muscle Hypertrophy and Energy Achieve: Systematic Evaluate and Community Meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports activities Exerc. 2021 Jun 1;53(6):1206-1216. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002585. Erratum in: Med Sci Sports activities Exerc. 2022 Feb 1;54(2):370. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002838. PMID: 33433148; PMCID: PMC8126497.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Coaching Proximity to Failure, Energy Achieve, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Collection of Meta-Regressions. Sports activities Med. 2024 Sep;54(9):2209-2231. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2. Epub 2024 Jul 6. PMID: 38970765.
- Nuzzo JL, Pinto MD, Nosaka Okay, Steele J. Maximal Variety of Repetitions at Percentages of the One Repetition Most: A Meta-Regression and Moderator Evaluation of Intercourse, Age, Coaching Standing, and Train. Sports activities Med. 2024 Feb;54(2):303-321. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01937-7. Epub 2023 Oct 4. PMID: 37792272; PMCID: PMC10933212.
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