Volume Training, Old Method New Age

It’s undeniable. Whether fortifed with solid research or enshrined in the practice of the giants, the more you do, the bigger you get. Some 40 years ago, volume training was common practice among the best of the best. Seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, who epitomized the perfect physique and brought the sport to its rightful place, did it. Tom Platz, who still holds legendary acclaim for the most massive thighs to step onstage, did it as well. Scores of other greats, like eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney followed, until a new breed of bodybuilders came along touting the benefts of far less volume. Under
the guise of training regimes from the fIles of Nautilus pioneer Arthur Jones came successful competitors like Mike Mentzer. And there’s no denying the incredibly V-winged back of six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. Others ensued with equally impressive results using both methods, and the debate of set superiority began. Sure, there have been modifcations to both the low-and high-volume training programs of yesteryear, but while the battle on the iron playing feld continues, overwhelming support suggests that to hang amongst the superthick, a volume-oriented approach is a must-try. And thus, this program is set.

THE SECRET TO THE SUCCESS OF VOLUME

The fIrst secret is that there really are no secrets. In fact, since volume training has been around for decades, if anything, the folks who walk the walk should provide all the testimonial needed. But for those of you who need a little more convincing, here are a few things that point to volume training as being superior for increasing true muscle size.

■ In a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, investigators found that a multi-set training protocol increased both muscle crosssectional area (the size of the muscle) and overall strength when compared to that of a lower volume protocol.

■ Several other studies, both newer and older, have confrmed that volume, whether by increased set number or total time under tension, has produced superior strength and size gains to that of either traditional or reduced volume training.

But, before we just push the volume button and go to work, a shout-out for the low-volume, accentuated eccentric method and the going-to-failure method is deserved. Of course, as prudent scientists of the iron game, we can conclude that increasing volume, emphasizing negatives, and taking sets deeper and further into exhaustion, combined with a higher volume protocol, should take muscle size to a new level. So our secret to this program is to steal from the weak and add to the strong. We will do it all.

VOLUME METHODS

VOLUME METHODS
You’ve probably heard of German Volume Training, or GVT. It originated in Germany (hence the name) in the ’70s and has had an application to various sports over the years. It’s spawned other variations of volume training, all serving its useful purpose. Some have considered Volume Training as a way to break through plateaus, others have suggested it helps with increasing strength and size. One thing that is synonymous with all volume training is that it’s deceptively challenging, and by the time you’re done, you’re generally burnt, not just fried, but thoroughly scorched. The original volume training methods were based on 10 sets of 10 reps (called 10x10s) of single exercises, generally two per workout with antagonistic muscle groups. For example, a common training program was to do chest and back together, either alternating between sets or completing one full 10x10 then following it with the next exercise. From that came 8x8s. While this kind of method may work well for those specific lifts, if you want to get your entire muscle to grow, you need to make sure that you’ve covered all the movement patterns they’re involved in. Our program puts a slightly different angle on the traditional approach to volume training.


A NEW ANGLE

Angles are the name of the game for attacking and building a muscle completely. Even those muscles with seemingly perfect straight lines from end to end can use a little rotation here and there. Some muscles, like your pecs, lats, and glutes, due to muscle fiber orientation, lend themselves to the need for differentiation simply because of their overall structure. For others with a more parallel-running fiber distribution, if they have multiple heads with different attachment points, which most do, a new angle may be just what those stubborn peaks are calling for. As you work through this program, the exercises are specifcally designed to hit every possible line of pull that your muscles could perform, leaving no possibility of unevenness! So the volume equation is balanced with multiple sets with different hand, foot, and body positions.




NO EASY WAY OUT...NO SHORTCUT HOME

Sounds like something from an old Rocky movie. It is. Those song lyrics suggest that hard work is the only way to combat your issues. Avoidance doesn’t work. One of the key things that’ll help your physique is to move the exercises, or even the workouts themselves, around to target your weakest areas. By now you know that big arms alone won’t cut it onstage or on the beach, so if your calves are lagging, move them up front. Do them first, not last, when you’re full of energy, and rather than dread getting to them, they’ll be behind you and you’ll be moving on to exercises you like better. The other piece to working hard is to keep the emphasis on the muscle being trained. Sure, cheat reps are fine and, in fact, I’m a big advocate of them—when they’re the last few in a set. Swinging, launching, and short-changing your reps reduces the chance for those muscles to get beaten up, and thus you’ll fnd that your weak spots are still weak. But no matter how you choose to complete these workouts, if you don’t leave the playing feld completely swollen with a range of motion half what you came in with, chances are, you didn’t work hard enough. Notice, I didn’t say that you had to be exhausted, nor did I suggest that a few gallons of water should have poured of your body. For true hypertrophy training, use your pump-factor to determine your workout’s effectiveness.


FUEL YOUR SIZE

You’ve heard before that you need to fuel workouts and give your muscles some protein to build on. So that is not new, but let me share one other thing that you may not have known. Part of fueling your system is more about recovery than it is about getting pumped for the workout. No doubt some big vascularity is great during a workout. Equally nice is being so amped up that nothing will stop you from terrorizing the weights. While both are important, neither of those will give you the post-size development you’re trying to build. My guess is that what’s most important to you is the size you build from that workout, and that comes from improving your ability to synthesize proteins and packing them in to place to build bigger muscle. Now I’m not here to give you a lesson in protein timing, but I can say, with solid proof both in the lab and on the gym foor, that having protein before, during, and after your workout is a must. The more refined the protein, the more bioactive (readily available) the constituents, the greater chance you stand to build muscle. Recovery starts from Rep 1. What that means is that the moment you begin that first rep, you begin to degrade the protein strands that form your muscle. If you’re breaking them down immediately, then why not repair immediately? A pre-workout concoction that has some vital amino acids will certainly help your cause. But as the workout continues and muscles continue to take a beating, protein synthesis (the rebuilding) is imminent and will only occur if protein is available.


TRAINING SPLIT FOR MAXIMIZING MUSCLE DENSITY

Probably the most common question asked is, “How do we split workouts to get maximal results?” The perfect answer would be to create an eighth day of the week. No matter how you cut it, if you want to hit your body parts more than once a week, complete recovery may not be possible. Common volume splits work a single muscle each day and only once a week. Other splits combine all the muscles that contribute to a specifc lift such as pecs, shoulders, and triceps, which are all pushing muscles. Intuitively, that is a great way to train, one I most often recommend, but also because of the number of exercises you’d have to perform that have the same pattern of movement, your smaller muscles inevitably don’t get the true push you’re looking for. Every once in a while it’s good to mix it up, target some smaller muscles separately from their bigger multijoint movement exercises, and hit them twice a week with solid volume. This is the nature of this program. I won’t lie though: After 4–6 weeks (maybe eight for those of you who are fortunate), your body will be begging for a break and a chance to reset. The following split will work great when it’s cycled properly.

As volume is the name of the game, each training day will mark 12–16 sets per body part. Exercises are grouped together so that the order is designed to target a specifc muscle at its various angles and finish with overlapping exercises for the next muscle group in the lift. For example, your back will start with heavy lat work and move up to the traps for the final exercises. The trap-training segment will finish with some wide-grip movements that accentuate posterior deltoid activation and thus the entire back, traps, and posterior delts get their full complement of exercises. So for this program, order is very important. For maximal growth, reps of 10–12 will be the design with a full 90 seconds rest between sets but not more than 120 seconds (two minutes). Rest is critical so that all the muscle fibers get an equal distribution of wear and tear as your load can stay heavier longer. Additionally, the first workout of the week per each body part will be either a barbell or machine where the arms or legs are fixed to work together. The second workout of the week will feature dumbbells and single-limb movement patterns where both range of motion and control of weights can be accentuated. Again, since we’re trying to hit every fiber of every muscle, we need a varied approach to our training. And finally, if time is a concern as these could be long workouts, you can certainly alternate exercises between lower and upper body (do your calves in between your pecs or shoulders exercises) to get things done a little quicker.

Whether you choose to start your week with your back or not is your call, but the overall order for this program is important to maximize recovery. If your gym’s busy, you’ll be glad that you’re not training chest on International Chest-training Monday if you follow the plan as we’ve laid it out.


































WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

This program will push your limits of size, making you feel like you’ve maxed your skin’s ability to stretch. Unless you’re superhuman, you’ll need a break after 6–8 weeks. If you can keep it up longer, great, but at some point, you need to cut back, add some strength training, or some good solid endurance, before you hop back again. Over time, with this volume-oriented approach, even with good recovery tactics, your body will require more time to recover than you can give it with this type of program. Call it a plateau, call it a mental block, but don’t call it quits, just make some changes, and keep this routine in your arsenal—you’ll use it again. - FLEX