freestyle training vs. heavy weights

[pianoann]

Hello all,
I have been researching freestyle training for women and think that it will help me since I tend to store weight in my lower half and build muscle easily there as well. However, with STS (which I preordered) saying that heavy weights are the way to go, I am confused. I find some articles saying that heavy weight with fewer reps will "lean out" the muscle, while lower weight with higher reps make the muscle bigger. Then I find information on freestyle which says to work the lower body everyday with little or no weight to get the lean, toned look I am looking for. Can anyone help me end this confusion? Thanks for any and all help!!!

 

[kathryn]

I think for lower body, Freestyle can work very well, especially for those who want to have a leaner look. But I don't think the concept works as well for upper body, mainly because it can cause a lot of wear on the joints from so many reps (and upper body joints are not as sturdy as those in the lower body, nor used normally for endurance the way the lower body is for just regular walking around).

As for the relationship between weights/reps and muscle size: according to "The Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength" (which presents different programs for hypertrophy and strength), for hypertrophy it's best to use a 10-12 rep range while going to failure on most sets and allowing a shorter rest period (about a minute) between sets, while for strength, a lower rep count (6-8, I think? maybe even lower) with heavier weights, not going to failure on many sets, if any at all, and allowing for longer rest periods between sets (3 minutes) is recommended. There is probably also some recommendation on total number of sets, but I don't have the book in front of me.

Neither growth (hypertrophy) nor strength use the higher number of reps that are usually used for Freestyle workouts.

YMMV, but perhaps a Freestyle lower body program, paired with a heavier weight/lower rep upper body program could help you reach your goals. Try it for 4-6 weeks, and see how it works for you.

 

[pianoann]

Thank you so much for your input! Do you think that changing up the freestyle for lower body with heavy weights/lower rep for lower body might work as well? I'm just wondering what to do next so I don't plateau...