driving adaptation thru more reps vs. more weight

[littrell1981]

Is it possible to overload and to drive an adaptation thru the use of more reps in sets rather than an incremental increase in weight? For instance, using dumbells on a benching program say the 100lb dumbells are the heaviest I have access to and that is my 10 RM. Using the program like the Texas Method, for my volume day could I do 5 x 6 and push for a new rep max on my intensity day? For the next volume day, could I just try to shoot for 1x7 and then 4x6? And maybe shoot for an 11RM on my next intensity day? Is it possible to periodize a bench program using dumbells exclusively?

[Brodie Butland]

This is all in the book. The short answer is that high-rep dumbbell periodization has a lower ceiling because (1) dumbbells cannot be incrementally loaded like a barbell, and (2) it's much harder to add weight to high-rep sets than low-rep sets. I'll add a third...it's not easy to get heavy dumbbells into position...it's fairly easy to unrack a heavy barbell.

So will your programming work? Sure...but not for very long, and it won't be very effective for strength development.