Today we will be covering volume, this is the second main component to progression in training. In particular we will be looking at:
. What is volume?
. How to increase it
. How to regress it
. Why to regress it?
. Considerations
What is volume?
In weight training, volume is the term used to describe how much work you do, such as the number of repetitions (reps) you perform of an exercise. If you do five reps with a 100kg barbell and increase to 10 reps with the same barbell, you have increased the volume.
How to increase volume
There are several ways you can increase volume in training:
. Increase repetitions per set
. Increase sets of an exercise
. Increase amount of exercises
. Increase the amount of training sessions
. Increase length of time or active training in CVT
How to regress volume
Simply, you do the opposite to above.
Why to regress it?
Possible reasons for regressing volume would be:
. Increasing intensity so volume needs to reduce
. Number of repetitions have exceeded desired amount
. Length of training too long
. Fatigue from training for a longer period
. Exercise is no longer challenging
. Loss of form due to too many repetitions
Considerations
. Volume should always stay the same or reduce when intensity is increased
. Volume increase is easier than intensity increase so it's a safer progression
. Increase volume generally increases training time so be careful to plan training time
. Increased volume doesn't always included longer rest periods so fatigue may be quicker
Be your best!