Low Volume vs High Volume / Training Less vs Training More

Ali M

Very true, BW, i always do drop sets after hitting max set and i do this on every muscle group.

bulldozer

Ok how can i explain myself better.

We both agree that intensity IS KEY . But seem to disagree what intensity is !!?

I hate doing copy and paste jobs or single googling something but i feel it can explain it much better than me, so here you are. With my apologise's for being too lazy to try and explain my point myself

Bodybuilding.com - Clayton South - Intensity: Do You Have It?

Bodyworks

read that. don't agree with some of the points. i particularly like this part 'the shorter the workout the more intensity'.

i define intensity as how taxing a workout is on the muscle. if that takes 20 sets to achieve or 6 the end result is the same.

personally i do train with intense short workouts, but if you like, we can train together, we'll do 20 sets and you tell me afterwards if the workout was intense or not.

Bodyworks

i think what you meant to say was that a high volume training is executed in a different style to low volume training. the weights will probably be smaller with high volume training or the rest between sets longer, but saying you can't train high volume and still have an intense workout i just don't agree with sorry.

as a side note, i'll say that 99.9% of people who claim to train with high intensity are full of sh*t.

Tall

PMSL.

Fairly sweeping statement there captain.

bulldozer

Your obviously feel wiped out after doing a high volume workout still, but being wiped out doesnt make a workout intense, sorry mate. Thats not what intensity means.

Whats more intense?? A 100m sprint or a 26 mile Marathon ??

The answer is a 100m sprint. Its 10 seconds (or whatever) of absolute flat out effort, they dont hold back one bit.

A marathon is obviously paced out, as is a volume workout. i.e , why dont a marathon runner just run flat out for 26 miles. ?? Cos thats not possible. The same applies to a volume workout, they are done with lighter weights and not to 100% failure on each set, if they were you would hardly be able to do another set. Enter HIT .... high intensity training.

Even a 400m runner doesnt run flat out for the whole 400 m, they hold back a little and sprint the last part with 100 % effort.

Using the runners as an example was the best way i could try and explain my point. Im not saying after a high volume workout isnt taxing on the body/muscles. But you cant train with a high intensity (read that 100% effort) for a long period of time, it defies logic. (see my marathon/runners example)

Thats the best i can describe it mate.

bad old man

I'm no expert on the subject but, I just switched from a very high volume workout to to a much shorter much more intense one and the growth has been great. Not that that proves either point.

What I can say is with the high volume workout I would lift hard for an hour, lighter weights lots of sets and be feeling tired but good when I left the gym. With the new workout Very heavy weight with low reps I'm done in about 30 minutes and have to keep a trash can close to me because sometimes I feel the need to puke and usually have to sit down for a few minutes because I'm totaly gased to the point of passing out.
The first worlout I call high volume
The second I call high intensity

Neil R

Can't believe I've only just caught this thread!!

Yup. I'm still training 2 times a week, for 45-55mins per session.
Its doing good for me. Before this though I spent the previous 18 months utilising higher volume. ie. - 4 days a week for 90mins a session.

As has been said, its about what works best for you, as an individual.

Bodyworks

there seems to be a concensus that high volume training means holding something back for later. why should it ? my point of view in this arguement is kinda ironic as i am a huge advocate of low volume training but i concede that high volume can be just as taxing on the muscles. it's all dependent on how much effort is put into the training, like i said initially intensity is the key. if you can fatigue the muscle in 2 sets then do only 2 sets, if it takes 5 do 5. is anyone seriously telling me that after 6 sets on any bodypart it would be impossible to do any more ? i simply don't believe anyone trains that hard. neil is correct, do whatever works for you.

the most 'intense' training pro i've ever seen on video albeit, is definately tom platz. without a doubt. he was nuts. here's a typical leg workout of his. you decide, high intensity (believe me it is) or high volume, or maybe both ??

Tom Platz and his Leg Workout!!! - IronMagazine.com

Pikey

I agree with bodyworks here 100% most people who think they train intense don’t, heavy weight low reps doesn’t necessarily mean high intensity, and it tends to be a matter of perceived effort from a body building perspective.

Look at it like this what is more intense 1 set of 20 reps with 200K on the squat or 4 sets of 5 with 200K, the answer if you are able to both is the higher rep set as you don’t have the rest periods.

From my weightlifting days we used to consider Power, intensity, volume, weight and speed. Power is a product of weight and speed and intensity is considered a product of weight and volume measured as tonnage divided by time period. We'd measure tonnage lifted in any one workout and macro cycle (training period) the tonnage lifted in a time period would be the intensity of the period as such heavy weights for low reps is only more intense if you have actually shifted more tonnage in total in the same time frame.

So jumping back to the squatting example both 200x4x5 and 200x20 have the same tonnage 4000Kg the high reps are more intense as it may take 10 minutes to perform the four sets and maybe 1.5 to 2 minutes to perform the latter.

The Eastern European Governments put a lot of effort into producing the worlds best strength athletes the books on such things as volume and intensity are amazingly detailed as there are complex algorithmic calculations to work optimum intensity, the idea being the closer to a meet you’d decrease intensity to allow greater weights to be lifted but I won’t get into all that as it isn’t relevant here…

Loads of people make the mistake that low reps and heavy weight means greater intensity, it doesn’t its more complex than that.


For me fast paced workouts with slow cadence reps for a highish rep range work best although I will shift the weight faster to get a couple more reps etc… But you have to mix it up else go stale...