Hypertrophy/strength gains with high rep work

Anybody have any experience of building some mass with some high rep sets?

I just absolutely cannot stand 5x5 any longer. It's so boring and I end up on the equipment for longer and because I feel bad, end up sharing the equipment with others which just adds to frustration taking plates off and on, lowering power rack safety pins for each set etc etc.

But I digress, I'm experimenting with some higher rep work. Implementing some AMAP (as many as possible) sets for some exercises, and rather than fixating on achieving a set number each time, mixing it up a bit. So far, I'm finding it helps to have a nice mix of rep ranges. I could handle a real heavy 3x5, or a less heavy 5x5, but a 3x10 would absolutely kill me. So yeah, I'm having fun which is what keeps me coming back to the gym.

But in terms of actual progress, you guys use it? (Not really talking about isolation work that's all high rep for me)

You can still build muscle mass in the 'higher' rep range as long as you fully contract the muscle. Switch up your routine and perhaps focus more on more volume and hypertrophy ie rep range from 8-12.

The issue I have with Starting Strength or low rep programs is that no work capacity is built. This is why when you swap to a new rep range it feels terrible and you can end up throwing up. I'm great at low rep, heavy stuff. I can happily smash out triples or singles at 90% + of my 1RM. Maybe it's a psychological thing though. But when I know I have a 12 rep set ahead of me, it's just awful. I struggle because I haven't worked on an often overlooked aspect of training; work capacity.

That's definitely a psychological thing. You'll feel just as **** going from 3x10 @70% 1RM to 3x5 90% 1RM if you've never trained it.

You can't move from 3x5 50kg squat to 3x5 115kg squat without improving your work capacity. That's 750kg vs 1750kg total volume.

I've moved between rep ranges and it's the switch which is the problem, not which one you come from because of specificity.

That's different.

3x5 at 115kg is much easier if that is what you are used to, than 3x10 of 100kg imo.

I went from 50-120kg squats and I still struggle with higher rep at lower weight. Anecdotal but I believe it is because I haven't built up a good work capacity.

You've said it yourself in your second line - It's just because of what you are used to, not because of your physical work capacity. Work capacity is not really specific to rep ranges.

If you take somebody and get them to do 3x10 and you get another person to do 3x5 using the principles of progressive overload, you'll improve both of their work capacity but there will be a trend towards whichever they are used to because of the principles of specificity. These are two seperate theories.

Work capacity increases by doing more work, in any form. Specificity is the principle of getting better at something by doing it over and over again.

Read this http://www.strengtheory.com/increasing-work-capacity/. Good ol' Greg Nuckols.