Volume or Intensity. How do you choose and why?
Volume or Intensity. How do you choose and why?
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I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best trainers that the iron has had to offer, Trevor Smith for example. You have a lot of volume programs out there that are being used by the likes of Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren, Jay Cutler, and the like, which have got tremendous results from those programs. On the flip side you have HIT. A low volume, high intensity program that was masterminded by Mike Mentzer, and brought to the forefront by Dorian Yates in the 90’s. But which style of training is better?
Honestly, I’m torn because they’ve both aided me in widdling 275lbs onto my 5'8" and created an 800+ squat with a waist that still lurks around 32" (yes I know, shameless self promotion.. LOL) But how can I argue with the results? Because I believe you can never be good enough and I also believe that your training should mirror your supplementation, something we’ll touch upon later. Here’s my idea that I think takes the best of both worlds, and I think will be able to push me into the next level of size AND strength. So to answer the original question, “Which style of training is better?” In my opinion, a hybrid.
Out of all the bbers in recent history, I believe Yates has been able to do the most with his god given genes. Yes, he has exceptional genetics, but when he’s compared to other IFBB pros, his genetics are good at best, yet he DOMINATED the 90's. Why? I believe it was a perfect mixture of intensity and volume that mirrored his nutrition and supplementation so all three worked in harmony.
Did he deadlift, yes, but not all that much. There’s something to that. I believe rows are THE most important exercise for your back as far as adding mass. The combo of bent rows, T-bar rows, one arm hammer rows, one arm DB rows, with deads thrown in every several weeks will build the biggest back your genetics will allow. I feel pulldowns and that type of movement are great for warm-ups, but that’s it. And to toast off the back workout, I think bent laterals should be performed to add depth and perceived width to your lat spread.
Here's what I think is an ideal split and volume combo. The tradional 4-1 split (ala Yates)..
Major Bodyparts - 3 exercises, 2 work sets each exercise
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. chest, shoulders, quads, hams)
Minor bodyparts - 2 exercise, 2 work sets
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. bis, tris, calves)
Back - 3 exercises, 2 work sets each
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
**In addition to the 3 sets, add bent laterals to fry off the rear delts with a 10-12 rep straight set
This is my outlook of optimal training. A lot of my theories are based on Dorian's training and Trevor Smith's BFT. In my opinion, the best two systems out there for advanced guys, but here's where I differ from the other two. The split will actually change throughout the time you’re training up until you need a complete break away from the gym, which should be around 8-12 weeks. Here's an example of what has worked best for me in terms of the split morphing through the weeks of training:
Week 1 - 4 (Typical 4-1 split with the second set being a tortured drop set for each exercise)
Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms
Day 2 - Legs
Day 3 - Shoulders, tris, forearms
Day 4 - Back, rear delts, calves
Day 5 - Rest
Day 6 - Repeat
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Week 5 - 8 (Add an extra day of rest, making it a 2-1 split, Drop sets still employed)
Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms
Day 2 - Legs
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms
Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - Repeat
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Week 9 - 12 (Drop the drop set in favor for a single high rep set (20-30 reps))
Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms
Day 2 - Legs
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms
Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - Repeat
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I feel the split is best used this way because through the first 4 weeks, you’ll be CRUSHING your CNS, but will still not be over-trained. At the 5 week mark, you add in another day of rest so your CNS can recuperate a bit. In essence, giving you more time before you have to take time off. The last phase of the split is dropping the drop sets and employing high-rep straight sets. So as this split progresses through time, you’re constantly adapting the split to your weakening CNS before you finally have to rest. Usually one week COMPLETELY away from the gym, and the next week going very light and rolling “through the motions” so to speak is all you’ll need before you start smoldering the iron again.
You may ask yourself, that makes sense but why train so hard to make yourself over-train in 10 weeks or so? The answer goes back to why I believe Dorian surpassed all his peers during his reign in the bodybuilding world. Harmony of training, nutrition, and supplementation. If you can get all three working simultaneously together, you will make the most out what you are able to achieve. I believe that our bodies work at peak efficiency for 8-12 weeks effectiveness, then tends to fade a bit. Because of this, my training mirrors my supplementation, and my diet mirrors my training. In essence, they are all working together and have the same beginning and end points.
Before every cycle, I will sit down and look at several factors of my upcoming cycle. I’ll look at the length of the ester, the type of supplement, and what my goal is. From there I will formulate how long my body will be able to efficiently utilize those specific supplements and set a number of weeks I’ll run them. That number will also be the length of my training program. I will put in the necessary volume and intensity techniques to make sure my CNS is completely fried by the end of that program so that I’m on the verge of being over-trained. That program is laid out above.
From there, I construct my diet making sure I will get enough nutrients to sufficiently recover and also supply my body with enough material to produce more muscle. The majority of that “material” is beef, wheat pasta, and shredded potatoes. This diet will also run the set amount of weeks as my supplementation and my training program.
When it comes time to rest, I take a break away from eating, training, and supplementation. Giving yourself a mental break is just as important as giving yourself time to physically recover from the pounding the prior 8-12 weeks just gave you.
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