Hi Ell,
I’ve just watched a Jones / Nautilus seminar from the early 80’s (Full Arthur Jones Seminar - YouTube) in which Arthur states that he believed that the lower body required only one set of very high reps (approx. 50 - 100). Although I have used your pump / stimulate / flutter methodology - which is much higher reps than I normally used - I’ve never tried as many as 50 - 100. It does seem very counter intuitive to rep ranges based on fibre type.
Have you ever experimented with lower body rep ranges this high?
In your opinion is it something worth further evaluation or have you collated info over the years that suggests Arthur may have been incorrect on this?
Thanks
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We did some training with high reps during the 1980s. We used the Nautilus Leg Press Machine and a standup Squat Machine. But I don’t remember ever having anyone do more than 50 reps. Fifty reps would really get your attention and the guys who tried them would not usually show up for a follow-up session.
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Since my ankles started bothering me (old army injury) too much to use significant weight in a 20 rep squat routine, I started doing 100 rep squats once per week with lighter weight. I find it really helps me when hiking. I’m a Florida flatlander section hiking the Appalachian Trail so need all the help I can get.
At 50 reps, I imagine they are done faster than 4/4 or 2/4? 300-400 sec TUL seems very aerobic with too light of a weight. I think up to 20-30 max would be more productive and some research bares this out.
Post new hips surgery, I still had fairly good strength, and felt the best way to target thighs was leg press. My lower back would light up if I were to try to get much in excess of 20 reps in squats. (My surgeon told me to hold no more than 100lbs on my hips supporting my weight. On the leg press I tried calculating the total weight, considering the mechanical advantage of an incline, to be 100lbs plus 75% of my body weight of about 200lbs. At about a 30 degree angle, the mechanical advantage is about 2X, or I was vertically lifting about half of the weight on the leg press including the weight carriage.)
My first routine was two sets of 60 reps or 2 minutes which ever was the most. My tempo was a 15 reps every 30 seconds. I used enough weight that the last 15 reps usually took me 45 seconds. My quads would light up about 30 to 40 reps and fade by 45th rep, then my glutes would light up and the last 5 reps were very challenging.
My next routine (a couple years later was 6 second reps: blast the positive, descend for about 5 seconds, pause at the stretched position, and repeat. I did this for 2 minutes, or 20 reps.
My next routine was 30-10-30.
Now I am doing a modified Surge Challenge Legs and Thighs Group.
Without a doubt, the 60 reps in about 135 seconds was the very most brutal.
I don’t know if I got much muscle growth, as I was 67 years old when I started doing my post new hips leg work (2015). But I still love training legs.
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If I do anything for 50 reps I use a heavier weight. I try to do no more than 3 or 4 short rest of less than 15 to 20 seconds.
I took this idea from Dr.Ken. It’s more effective to me.
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Chapter 6 “Life in the Service” from the book “Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way” by Steve Reeves with John Little and Bob Wolf planted the 100 rep squat seed in me.
Steve Reeves got better looking results than me. Still, I am better able to handle steep climbs while hiking.