Page 169 - Muscle & Fitness (December 2019)

B Y D AV I D B AY E

don’t want to be getting into If we look at the cases of people
ultra-high-rep sets if hypertrophy getting hurt while lifting, more
is your goal, you can still make times than not it’s when they’re
all the size and strength gains shooting for sets under six reps.
you need to make on an eight- While you undoubtedly have to be
to-12-rep scheme. Along with lifting heavy and using progres-
being more than adequate for sive overload principles to make
building muscle, this rep range progress, you can accomplish
can significantly reduce your said gains without having to put

risk of injury. “Usually we see yourself at a high risk for injury.
guys getting hurt when they’re
stacking up the really heavy PRE-EXHAUSTION
weight and maxing out or going MOVEMENTS
for low reps because they think 3Heavy, compound move-
that’s where the real gains are,” ments have always and will
he says. “That’s usually where always be the meat and potatoes
we start seeing guys sacrifice of putting on quality mass, but
form for just moving the weight— often they’re also the movements
that’s also where the injuries are.” that result in injuries. “Basic

You don’t
always need
heavy weights
to see some
heavy gains.

“It’s just about feeling whether
my body is ready to go heavier.”
Also, being physically warm is
key. Growing up in the North-
east, Cutler knows all about low
temperatures and cold gyms. If
your gym is in a cold-weather
environment or the AC is always
cranked up, wear a sweatshirt
until your body is warmed up. A
cold muscle is a tight muscle, and
you never want to get into heavy
working sets if you’re stiff from
low temperatures.

AVOID THE LOW REPS
A lot of people believe that
2you need those low, four-
to-six-rep sets to make serious

mass gains. Cutler just doesn’t
think that’s the case. While you

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