Does More Volume Equal More Gains?

On Nov. 2, 2023, natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, and coach Dr. Layne Norton published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he broke down the findings of an October 2023 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, comparing the effects of progressively increasing training volume on strength and muscle gains compared to consistent training volume.

The research titled “Effects of Different Weekly Set Progressions on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Males: Is There a Dose-Response Effect?” by Enes et al. found that “progressively adding four or six sets per week every two weeks elicited greater lower-limb strength in resistance-trained individuals over a 12-week training period.” (1)

Check out how Norton broke it down in the video below:

Dr. Norton began the analysis by highlighting his biases. In his 25-year lifting career, Norton achieved the best strength and hypertrophy results through high-volume training. He underscored that he successfully transformed his legs through high-volume training to a point where they were no longer a weakness. 

Norton’s high-volume hypertrophy-focused leg workouts comprised 30 sets for quadriceps, 15 to 20 sets for hamstrings, and 30 sets for calves. He performed more than 25 sets of squats each week while competing as a professional powerlifter between 2014 and 2015. 

How To Measure Training Volume?

There are two main ways to determine training volume:

1. Volume Load — Weight x Reps x Sets
2. Weekly Number of Hard Sets — Number of sets that get within a few reps of failure on a weekly basis

Although the volume load method is a more traditional way of measuring volume, much of the research suggests shifting to a weekly number of hard sets, as the former doesn’t incentivize training intensity. 

Research Findings

The previously mentioned Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study divided 31 trained males into three groups for a 12-week resistance training program. The first group performed 10 sets per week for the entire duration of the training program. For the other two groups, the total volume was increased by either four or six sets six times every two weeks. The peak volume for the high-volume group reached up to 52 sets at the end of the 12 weeks.

Each set was done until the exerciser was two reps shy of mechanical failure. After two minutes of rest between each set, the subjects took the last set to muscle failure. 

At the end of the study, the most strength gains were observed in the group with the highest volume, followed by the group with the second-highest volume, and lastly, the group with consistent volume. This study has gained considerable attention on social media as it didn’t find any statistically significant differences between the three groups in terms of hypertrophy. 

Addressing the suboptimal hypertrophic results, Norton mentioned that the subjects in the high-volume group did 52 weekly sets toward the end of the 12-week study but had started with just 10 sets per week. The participants trained to muscle failure in just one set per exercise. 

Although the first two sets of each exercise were supposed to be taken to two reps in reserve (RIR), “people can be notoriously bad at estimating their RIR,” said Norton. He added that the two-minute rest was inadequate for recovery between sets that were intended to be performed to failure.

Compared to Other Research

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences concluded that “increases in resistance training volume produce greater gains in muscle hypertrophy.” (2) “When you go from an already high number of weekly sets to a higher number of weekly sets, it appears to still have a growth effect,” said Norton. 

Research has shown that resting less than two minutes between sets increases muscle protein synthesis, resulting in better hypertrophy results. (3) “What appears to be the case if we take this all together is that very rarely is higher volume worse for muscle or strength gains,” continued Norton Norton. 

Although high-volume training is generally better than lower-volume for strength gains and hypertrophy, Norton advised against increasing training volume exponentially overnight. Increasing training volume is an effective way of breaking through strength and muscle gain plateaus should typically be done progressively so the body can adapt to gradually increased load.

References

1. Enes A, De Souza EO, Souza-Junior TP. Effects of Different Weekly Set Progressions on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Males: Is there a Dose-Response Effect? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Oct 6. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003317. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37796222.
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and 
3. Brigatto FA, Lima LEM, Germano MD, Aoki MS, Braz TV, Lopes CR. High Resistance-Training Volume Enhances Muscle Thickness in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Jan 1;36(1):22-30. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003413. PMID: 31868813.meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017 Jun;35(11):1073-1082. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197. Epub 2016 Jul 19. PMID: 27433992.

Featured image via Shutterstock/Gorodenkoff.

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