Famous Bodybuilders Who Use High Volume Training
High volume training has been used successfully by a multitude of powerlifters and bodybuilders. It tends to be more popular among bodybuilders. Some of the best have used it to not only become big, but to become tremendously strong. A few of these bodybuilders include: Franco Columbu, Bill Pearl, Sergio Oliva, Serge Nubret, Jay Cutler, and Ronnie Coleman. While powerlifters tend to emphasize load and intensity, some of the elite Russian powerlifters who are trained by Boris Sheiko include high volume training to achieve their unusual strength.
Calculating Training Volume
Training volume consists of the total of weight lifted from all reps of all sets for an exercise or muscle group. For example if you did 4 sets of 10 reps with 200 pounds for an exercise, the total workload would be 4 x 10 = 40 total reps times 200 pounds = 8000 pounds. If twice as many total reps were done with the same weight, the total workload or training volume would increase by twice as much. The basic idea is that more total reps with a given weight will yield a greater training volume (or total workload).
The More You Train –The More You Gain
When used correctly, high volume training can significantly contribute to strength gains.
The More You Train –The Less you Gain
When used incorrectly, high volume training is a perfect formula for disaster, and a great way to do a ton of training with little in return. Phrases such as “the more you train the less you gain,” and “all pain no gain,” are appropriate when describing the misuse of high volume training that is applied without discretion.
In my early years of weight training, both high volume and high intensity training were often emphasized. There were bodybuilders who claimed that a lot of sets were needed and that you should push hard on every set. There are very few people who can benefit from high intensity training on every set of a high volume workout, it’s just over kill. High volume training can be effective, but it must be used wisely to work.
How Champions Accumulate Training Volume
Ronnie Colman’s bench press workout is a perfect example of how to accumulate training volume without burning out. His first set with 135 pounds for 20 reps is about one fourth of the amount of reps he could do if he were to push to failure. He only uses 25% of his single rep max for his first set. Ronnie then adds weight on each successive set, but his second set with 225 pounds for 16 reps is still only about one fourth of the maximum reps that he could do. His third set with 315 pounds for 12 reps is about half the amount of reps that he could if he pushed to failure. His fourth set with 405 pounds for 10 reps is probably about two reps short of failure, and he only goes for max reps to failure on his fifth and final set when doing a heavy set of 5 reps with about 500 pounds.
There are also powerlifters who accumulate tons of training volume when working up to a heavy poundage. Eric Spoto (a world class bench presser) commonly does 20 reps on some of his warm up sets for the bench press and accumulates a huge total workload in the process. Richard Hawthorne (an elite powerlifter) starts out with sets of 20 reps when working up to a heavy set for the squat and deadlift. The key is that both of these lifters use weights that are light in comparison to their single rep max when doing high reps, and they don’t come anywhere near to the point of pushing to failure on their high rep sets. They then add weight and reduce the reps across approximately ten sets to work up to a final heavy weight of high intensity. In the process of including high reps and plenty of sets, they accumulate a huge amount of training volume.
Serge Nubret and Bob Gajda’s High Volume Workouts
Serge Nubret was a 500 pound raw bench presser at a bodyweight of just over 200 pounds. Most of his training was done with weights that were less than 50% of his single rep max. Serge did not usually work up to a heavy weight during his workouts, he simply used a light weight and stuck with it for tons of sets (as in 30 to 50 sets). His goal was not to push hard on any given set, but to accumulate a high total workload without excessive strain. Occasionally he would do a workout that included a heavy single rep which he felt was necessary to maintain maximum strength. Bob Gajda was also famous for his high volume workouts. He was an advocate of training without straining and used circuit training with a given amount of weight for each exercise until he began to weaken, at which point he would reduce the weight to avoid straining to complete his sets.
The Right Way to Combine High Volume with High Intensity
The point I’m emphasizing in regard to the use of high volume training is to use moderately light weights and don’t push for max reps on your sets. If you want to incorporate high intensity training and high volume training in the same workout, I recommend doing like Ronnie Coleman, Richard Hawthorne, and Eric Spoto; start out with light weight and high reps to accumulate volume without excessive fatigue, then work your way up to heavier weights. Save the intensity for the final set or two.
Work Your Way Into High Volume Training Slowly
I must emphasize that it is important to still be at nearly full strength when you finish your workout; even when doing a high volume workout. Training yourself down to a low strength level by the end of a workout is not a good long term strength training strategy. High volume training is something that you must work into, so don’t immediately add five or ten sets to your workout and expect good results. Adding a moderate intensity set every two or three weeks is a much better strategy than to suddenly add on a bunch of high intensity sets. Too much too soon will burn you out and you’ll end up thinking that high volume training doesn’t work when the real problem was that it was misused.
More guidelines on high volume training in the next article. Best of Training to you.