In this Q&A Episode, Greg answers the questions you had about training volume, following up on our article on the topic.
In this Q&A Episode, Greg answers the questions you had about training volume, following up on our article on the topic.
You can find the article here: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/volume/
And here’s the Pelland meta-regression that’s referenced throughout: https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/460/967
TIME STAMPS
00:03:34 - How could you practically train most muscle groups with high volumes?
00:07:20 - Is it better to do more sets, even if that would require shorter rest intervals?
00:11:09 - Is it better to prioritize volume or lengthened-biased training?
00:17:57 - Do volume requirements vary for different muscles?
00:23:40 - How should you account for drop sets and rest-paused sets when calculating volume?
00:26:39 - How many reps per set should you aim for when training with higher volumes?
00:33:26 - How do you think about the limitations of the volume literature?
00:40:27 - Are volume requirements impacted by being in an energy deficit?
00:44:13 - How should you count your training volume?
00:57:52 - Is it bad to train again before you’re fully recovered?
01:06:25 - How are people able to recover when training with high volumes?
01:14:23 - Why doesn’t frequency seem to play as large of a role as one might expect?
SOURCES
Equating volume with shorter rest intervals:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35622106/
You probably don’t need to maximize ROM to benefit from “long muscle length” training:
See the section of this article with the header “Is it Always Preferable to Train at Longer Muscle Lengths?”: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/rom/. And this is the more recent study on the leg press: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40113586/
Type II fibers are generally more susceptible to muscle damage:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8549894/
Drop sets and rest-pause sets:
Recent drop-set meta-analysis: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10390395/. There’s less research on rest-pause sets, but see the effect estimates for Enes and Prestes here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11022786/.
Single study about training volume in a deficit discussed here:
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/research-spotlight-volume-muscle-dieting/
You probably don’t need to fully recover before training again:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29967584/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27682004/
Also, the Bjørnsen study discussed in the volume article is relevant: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30543499/ (All of the training was in the form of two 5-day blocks of training with 7 training sessions per block. Each session was 4 sets of low-load BFR knee extensions to failure. Subjects still made really solid gains, despite only being “recovered” for exactly two workouts)
Faster recovery rates with repeated exposures to the same stressor:
The section of the article about swelling also applies to general neuromuscular recovery: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/volume/#h-the-case-against-swelling
Grgic frequency meta: