5x5 or 3x12

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n_soufiani

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hi peeps. Iv been training since january mainly doing 3x12 as i promiced myself that i would get the brad pitt look by july and its really coming along well and its thanks to you guys for helpin me out with my questions.

You see, the look that im going for is muscle showing purley because of low bf% but at the same time i want to add a bit of muscle mass. I do not wish to get HUGE. To do this i know i have to put in the cardio work and diet. However with the weights is it best to go for 3 x 12 or 5 x 5? i have tried both and I have mixed feelings because I dont want to get HUGE, rather just add a bit of muscle mass and at the same time lower my bf%.

So 3x12 or 5x5? thanks
 
Well, technically, the "huge" part is all about what you eat.

But in terms of size, higher reps, as in the 12 that you have been doing is more for mass/size gains.

5 x 5 is good for strength and definition. I am just referring to sets and reps here, not a starr 5 x 5 which is a whole different topic.

BUT, the difference between going from 3 X 12 to a 5 x 5 is pretty extreme. Instead, I would phase in lower reps. Starting with a light weight, a warm-up that you can easily do 12 times, and from there, increase the weight and lower the reps to 10, 8, 6, etc.

Note that you should not be going to failure every set either, your central nervous system and muscle fibers in general won't respond so well to that. Going to failure occassionally is fine, but not all of the time. So the work sets of 10, 8, and 6, you should have one more in the tank, as in you should BE ABLE to do one more, so try to find that weight.
 
ok so lets say that i want to "define" my body. Is that not the same as losing body fat?

I thought that doing 3 sets of 12 reps would actually be better for losing the body fat and really defining the body like brad pitts. Also I actually thought doing 5 sets of 5 reps was purley for gaining muscle mass. Is that not the case?
 
n_soufiani said:
ok so lets say that i want to "define" my body. Is that not the same as losing body fat?

I thought that doing 3 sets of 12 reps would actually be better for losing the body fat and really defining the body like brad pitts. Also I actually thought doing 5 sets of 5 reps was purley for gaining muscle mass. Is that not the case?
Click to expand...

Nope, you have it wrong, sorry to be so blunt. 5 x 5 is not purely for muscle mass, in fact it's the opposite. You'll be working harder, putting up heavier weight and increasing your metabolism (because it's heavier). With a 5 x 5 you technically CAN put on good muscle mass, put like I said it's all about what you eat.

I had put "weight" instead of "eat" in that last sentence for some reason, what the..i don't know, I was probably typing too fast.

I would do the reps like I said in my other post still.
 
Have a look at for muscle building. If you want you can bulk up with muscle first (you dont have to get huge) and then deal with cutting afterwards (losing the excess fat).
 
You could always compromise and do 5X5 for compound movements and 3X12 for isolation or just alternate 5X5 and 3X12. See all the the fun with math!
 
Soufiani can u tell me what kind of diet and cardio are u following in order to achieve that good definition? Do u still eat egg whites tuna and stuff like that?

Plus many people say that is quite tough to gain mass and in the meantime cut and define?

How are u goin through this?
 
I would do both. Since my workout is a four day split, one day would be for 5x5 and the other 3x12.
 
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