You think I can make gains lifting lighter with more reps. More to tone and build muscle not to be huge.
Muscle bulk has more to do with ones genetics and of course diet and last but not least HEALTHY testosterone levels!
In basic terms muscle fibers (actin/myosin) are composed of fast (strength type fibers) and slow twitch (endurance type fibers) and everyone has a mixture of both but some naturally posess more of one than the other due to genetics.
Men with a higher percentage of the fast twitch fibers tend to build size easier as the fast twitch fibers are more prone to growth than the slow twitch.
Training with heavier weights/lower reps closer to 1 RM stimulates the growth of the fast twitch fibers as oppose to training with lighter weights/higher reps which stimulates growth of the slow twitch fibers.
Whether one chooses to train with heavier weights/lower reps or lighter weights/higher reps they will still be breaking down/stimulating muscle proteins and as long a diet is in check - meeting the minimum requirements for protein along with a slight calorie surplus if trying to gain muscle or a slight calorie deficit when trying to loose excess body fat while retaining muscle.
Sure if one naturally possess more fast twitch fibers than training with heavier weights/lower reps would be more beneficial in stimulating the growth of the fast twitch fibers but you will find that many people implement a mixture of heavier weight/lower rep and lighter weight/higher rep training in their protocols to stimulate overall muscle growth.
I would say in a calorie deficit one will have a harder time adding muscle as the metabolic cost of building new muscle proteins requires more energy than maintaining it.
Regarding diet depending on one genetics/insulin sensitivity whether one follows a low carb/moderate protein/higher fat diet or a moderate-high carb/moderate protein/lower fat diet both ways of eating will contribute to muscular gains/fat loss.
In the end though aside from ones genetics it really comes down to calorie surplus when looking to add muscle bulk and calorie deficit when trying to lose fat/maintain muscle.
I also feel that low carb diets are better for getting the lean/muscular look and moderate-high carb diets are better for increasing muscular size/bulk as eating more complex carbohydrates will allow ones to train longer/harder,recover better,increase strength and muscle size easier and allow the muscles to look bigger/fuller (due to increased glycogen storage in the muscle cell) which increases intra-cellular water.
If ones goal was to gain the most muscle/strength than higher carb diets would win every time.
Do not take this the wrong way as low carb diets are great for many especially if one naturally tends to put on fat easily/has hard time loosing fat and has poor insulin sensitivity due to genetics and of course there are many health benefits if ones body type suites lower carb diets.
I have never seen some one build a significant amount of muscle bulk on a low carb diet even in a calorie surplus. Most men following low carb that train with weights and have their diet/training in check look lean/fit and muscular but definitely not big and muscular.
Vince is a big proponent of following a low carb lifestyle and his physique looks amazing!
.
