[llm_trw]

If you're doing strength training you'll be doing no more than 1 to 6 reps of whatever exercise in sets of 1 to 3.

Large numbers of reps are for looking good, not actually being strong. This leads to the rather fun paradox that body builders are quite weak for how much effort they spend on training, while someone looking like a fat mechanic will be much strong than you'd expect.

[akhileshwar09]

large number of reps are for looking good ,, okay ill say yes!! but i never do exercise for good looking i dont concentrate on looks rather i just watch my stamina that how long i push.... btw i dont go to gym,, so i like home workout like pushups just i said before. that fat mechanic stronger but eventually get diseased when he/she crosses 30 or 40

[llm_trw]

Looks like and is are two rather different things.

You should probably talk to someone who knows what they are doing.

Chances are you're doing damage to your body.

[akoboldfrying]

Yeah, doing 50 push-ups sounds pretty dangerous. As you point out, 50 is a lot more than 6.

They should definitely get multiple expert opinions before continuing on this dangerous path a moment longer.

[Sakos]

This is some crazy amount of misinformation. It really doesn't matter whether you do 5 reps or 20. People obsess too much about the specific number of reps, as if magically you stop benefiting because you did 10 reps instead of 5. It's absurd. There's particularly less of a case for low reps if you're not specifically training for powerlifting and competing in powerlifting.

[cthalupa]

> It really doesn't matter whether you do 5 reps or 20

As long as you're training to the point that you are getting close to failure and you don't have efficiency in one particular area in mind, sure.

>as if magically you stop benefiting because you did 10 reps instead of 5

There are different methods of action that come into play doing low reps at very high weights vs. moderate reps at lower weights. Being strong isn't just about muscle gain - your central nervous system has to adapt when it comes these higher weights in a way that it doesn't with moderate weights. And if you're training properly, you're not doing the same weight if your sets are only 3-5 reps than if they're 10.

> There's particularly less of a case for low reps if you're not specifically training for powerlifting and competing in powerlifting.

Not everyone wants to be strong specifically for powerlifting competitions.

I fundamentally agree that most people are perfectly fine doing 10 reps and plenty of very effective strength focused programs will have sets of 10 being a common component.

In reality if you want to be serious about weight training, be it for strength or hypertrophy, these numbers aren't consistent anyway. You might primarily target one or the other, but basically everyone benefits from periodization.