How to lift for bodybuilding?

[Kpaxi]

So I’ve been training for a few years now (seriously, always been fit And lifted, marine veteran). Natural at first then geared up after getting out of the marines.

I always trained 7-10 rep range. Training heavy. I peaked at around 215 (I’m 5’10). I was big and strong but I wasn’t very full. My muscle bellies weren’t very rounded. My BF wasn’t competition level but I was around 12% at my biggest.

My question is this. Rich piana (yea that dead synthol guy) and Arnold both suggested lifting for the pump. Higher rep ranges till it burns and then keep going. I did this for a week during my chest workouts and it seems to be putting some fullness to my chest. Is this the way to go for bodybuilding? Does this actually build muscle or just give volume to the muscle you already have like a pump? I don’t care how much weight I lift. I’m trying to compete. Looks only

Thank you in advance. All advice is welcomed.

 

[Demondosage]

Absolutely. Once the foundation is set don't be afraid to experiment with higher rep ranges. I'd tell anyone to train with progressive overload their first few years and focus on adding weight to the bar, but after that it's all about pump and time under tension.

 

[tengtren]

I think people misinterpret what they mean by go for the pump

To me it's about moving the weight with the entirety of the targeted muscle or muscles

A very hard thing to explain but when you have developed it you'll know exactly what I'm talking about

This is also known as mind muscle connection

This style of training goes hand in hand with the word and feeling we call "pump"

Also keep in mind when training this way you can achieve the same "pump" with 6-8 rep range as many associate you would get with 20+ reps

ITS ALL ABOUT HOW YOU USE THE MUSCLE. When you watch pros train and it looks like they're swinging shit , nope, they have mastered the style of training explained in this post and that's why they are PROFESSIONAL

 

[Necessary Evil]

Lifting for bodybuilding and lifting for powerlifting are two very similar things. If you want an overall balanced physique and progression I would suggest incorporating elements from both sides. If I remember correctly there are many studies that show a better hypertrophic effect at the lower rep ranges, rep ranges that are considered to be for "powerlifting".

In your case, I would most likely have low reps [4-6, or even 6-8] for heavy compound movements and then [8-10, 10-12] for isolation "pump" movements. Remember, total volume is key for hypertrophy.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

4-5 warm up sets but still heavy
And 1 set to absolutely failure incorporated with intensity techniques the rep range you decide anything from 6-20 works if you apply those principles.

 

[Uttukuxul]

IME it's variable based on the body part(s) involved and the lift itself. My chest responds better to higher intensity so I tend to do most of my pressing in the 5 - 8 rep range. My quads respond better to 10 - 15. My traps grow no matter wtf I do. Just experiment, keep good logs and adjust according to goals/needs.