JFallon

Hello, I've been weight training for three months and so far I have tried two different workout routines and I have made decent progress.
I have been reading a lot about different routines and it is said that to build mass you need about 80 reps per muscle group every week and this can be split into two 40 rep workouts or one 80 rep workout. Most of you guys favour working each muscle one a week and doing high volume but a lot of the sites I've visited give conflicting advice and say that 3-4 sets is the optimum for each muscle in a single workout. I must admit I'm a little confused by this and I know that things are different for every individual, but generally speaking which way will give me the most gains - high volume once a week, or half the volume twice a week?
Also, if I do opt for high volume once a week (per muscle group) how many sets should I aim for with big and small muscle groups? And do shoulders and pecs count as big or small muscles?
I guess what I'm looking for is if you can tell me how much volume you did when you were novices.
Thanks

Carnivore

the problem is theirs no one answer to what is best for an individual, i think as you progress you should try both types (ALL types infact) and see which forces your body to respond most.

personally, i dont think a few sets per muscle group a week is anywhere near enough for OPTIMAL growth.

shoulders and pecs are both big, the only 2 ppl usually refer to as 'small' are the arm muscles as they get hit on while doing back and chest movements as well as isolation movements

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JFallon

THanks for the help. BTW have you read any of the scientific studies about how many sets are best for muscle gains? Some university studies have been done with controled groups, one group doing only one set of each excercise and the other group doing three sets, and they say that the three set group show greater gains. But there's so much conflicting advice about routines, volume, how much protein is needed daily etc etc, I guess it comes down to experimenting to find out what works for you personally.

hackskii

70% of your 1 rep max will work 90% of both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers.

8-12 rep range is where I try and keep my range.
I do go to failure on one set at the end where I am good and warmed up.
I hit each muscle group once a week.
With the exception of yesterday I did leg extensions, but squats last wednesday, just felt like doing it.

Id just keep it simple with basic compound exercises, keeping a ballance between all muscle groups.
Dont neglect legs.
Dont concintrate on arms like most idiots do (I dont know why this is so common).

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Scott


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wiseguy83

i do 15 to 20 sets for every muscle group biceps tris calfs the lot 5 sets per exercise.sometimes i hit a muscle twice a week.i train six days a week and do cardio 2 to 3 times aswell.i dont beleave in over training that much if your training high volume you need to be eating plenty and when your rest day comes do nothing but rest.i love the old school way but thats what works for me.like hacks said keep it simple do your compound movements and you will grow best of luck mate.

hackskii

I hit most of my body with just 2 exercises, sometimes more but not much.

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Aris Mesh

That's exactly what I did! I love doing arm exercises more than anything else, another reason though is because I think it's what people notice most when they see you maybe. Since I've been checking this forum out though I have pretty much jacked in my arm exercises and have been doing a lot more on chest, shoulders and legs.

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Ironman

Im a firm believer in less is better - You dont need to keep hitting the muscle over and over again to stimulate growth.
I never do any more than 3 exersises per body part and 2 sets per exersise - one working max set and one lighter pump set.

Im a firm disbeliever in volume training unless your genetically gifted or on an awful lot of gear.

Just my opinion though.

BL1

.............Agree with you there mate, from personal experience - volume training usually leads me to overtraining !!

Iron ...............could you post up your typical workout fella ?? Do you pre-exhaust with your warm-up set? Is your second set a drop set or do you have a break and then use a lighter weight to rep out.

Cheers

Ironman

Sure mate -

If its my first exersise, I'll do a couple of good warm up sets to get a good pump but I dont pre exhaust - then I'll go into my all out main set. I'll get a spotter to assist for a few forced reps at the end.

Then i'll wait a few minutes - I'll drop the weight to a weight I know I can get about 10-15 reps then I'll rep out with this.

I use this principal for pretty much every exercise.

If its not my first exercise then I'll just do a medium weight warm up set to get a feel for the weight and the groove of that particular exercise, then into my 2 working sets.

Ive tried doing more than 3 exercises for chest etc but I really am fuked after 3, and I feel im wasting my time trying anymore.

big

Ok, firstly let's get things straight - high volume training works AND low volume training works AS LONG AS YOU MATCH THE INTENSITY TO THE VOLUME.

Let's assume you're working with a training weight of 80% of your max (which is most definitely suitable - maybe even perfect - for both strength and hypertrophy given the correct diet and loading parameters). If you're planning on just doing one or two sets, it's quite likely you will need to go all out, with the last set being at least (close to) failure. If for example you're planning on doing 5 sets, you'd best be doing less reps than if you were doing 2 sets and you'd best only be flirting with failure on the last rep of the last set (if at all):

2x8
5x5
4x6
10x3

All of these work well for loading and will give VERY similar results given the same overall intensity (80% of your max) - it's just the per-set intensity which varies.

In essence, if you are on a routine that is allowing you to increase the weights each session, then it is working. If not, in general you need to either decrease the volume, decrease the intensity or increase your calories. VERY rarely are people not doing enough in the gym. It's usually the other way round.

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BL1

Nice post BIG.

Iron - cheers mate, its nice to get a feel of what routines people are trying and the results they're getting.

This is so true, I've recently swapped to a full body workout 3 times a week as opposed to
a body part per day. Obviously the intensity is not the same but I'm doing more volume and the weight is still creeping up. Its taken me a while to find the right balance for me but I think a complete change in my routine has helped beat the 'plateau'.

Ironman

Nice post BIG

Ironman

Ive recently swapped to a 3 day split as well - how you finding it? I find the workouts alot tougher just because im doing more. But im liking the fact that im only in the gym 3 days per week. Im still gaining well though and im a firm believer in rest :-)

BL1

Much prefer the 3 day split. Got a shedload more energy and like you say, its nice to have that extra day off.............or two !!! Going to stick with it for the next couple of months and see what happens.