How to Properly Control Volume and Intensity in the Gym: The Science and Protocol

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Dr Mike Israetel, leading sports physiologist and former professor of nutrition and sports science, is the gold standard voice in hypertrophy (gains in muscle mass) optimisation within gym training. His paper discussing the relationship between volume and intensity with working out is important in showing how each factor can be leveraged within the gym. These factors and their relationship are discussed and condensed in this article.

Volume:

Research has shown that an increase in volume (amount of the exercise performed) generally results in an increase in hypertrophy. This is evident in the 0-5 set (group of repetitions) ranges up to 10 plus sets per muscle group. This, however, would lead to the conclusion that “more volume is better,” which is not true at all. In fact, recent studies have shown that volumes much higher than 10 sets (per session/ muscle group) would lead to suboptimal hypertrophy. It is clear from Israetel’s research that while there is evidence that higher volumes will cause for more muscle, there is a limit to this, which can be well controlled by intensity.

Intensity:

This metric is much harder to measure, and thus complicates the comparison between volume and intensity. However, it can be broken down to show the importance of intensity and its place in working out for hypertrophy. Intensity can be well-measured by the increases of weight week-on-week in the gym. If the rep ranges you are performing, say sets of 10 reps (to muscular failure), stay the same each week while the weight increases, it is clear that increases in intensity are indicative of improved strength. This is approved by Israetel as a viable strategy for progression of hypertrophy. Despite this, the science does show that it is not clear that higher intensities cause more creation of muscle mass in the body. So why is intensity so important?

Ignore the Science?

While the science shows that higher volume in training frequency equates to more growth than lower training frequencies, this could be a less effective method of training for optimised muscle growth. This research also shows that while increasing training frequency may appear effective, it is often not worth adding additional days to a training plan. This is shown in the difference between training 1 day and 2 days per week (per muscle group) being huge, but the difference of hypertrophy is smaller between 2 and 3 days, even smaller between 3 and 4, and almost undetectable past this.

Furthermore, increases in training frequency per week would force you to take more regular de-load weeks, thus the increase in frequency is much smaller than it first appears.

In the scientific studies regarding hypertrophy, research is focused on subjects training for 0-3 years total. For those who have been training much longer, higher frequencies are proven to be less sustainable as more experienced trainees have generally weaker joints. The research also prescribes 3 to 4 times per week for a single muscle group, thus the entire fatigue of subjects is low compared to someone training most of the muscles in their body. While training the entire body, it is much harder to train each muscle group to a high intensity without causing too much fatigue (burning out).

Anabolic resistance effects those who have been training for longer, this means that those who are more experienced in training for hypertrophy will gain a comparable amount of muscle from less frequency due to the ability to for the muscle to rest between sessions.

For longevity, personal trainer Darren Keadin recommends hypertrophy training each week, with at least 150 minutes of high heart rate exercise.

Protocol:

Israetel recommends closer to training 2 times per week per muscle group, while increasing the frequency of training 1 particular muscle group to 3 or 4 times per week. He prescribes this so that your entire body is not majorly affected by the increase in muscle fatigue from increased frequency, but only 1 muscle group. He prefaces this by saying to be aware of fatigue in muscles, joints, and connective tissues due to the reduction of longevity this would cause. An example of this would be increasing training frequency of the leg muscles, which would likely eventually lead poorly functioning joints in the knees.

A routine which Keadin often prescribes for those wanting to maintain mobility, strength and longevity is a “3-day full body workout.” This would be performed every second day, containing “all the stable compounds that generate strength and mobility, such as deadlifts, squats and some variation of the bench press.” This is due to the compounding of muscle stimulation, which is achieved from such movements. Targeted movements, such as the bicep curl or tricep pushdown, would be implemented to fit the needs of a client on top of this. The reason for using compound exercises (on top of personally chosen targeted movements), is described by Keadin as “to reduce muscle decay as we age and develop, helping us to stay fit, healthy and mobile.”

For hypertrophy, Keadin uses a 10-15 rep-range in order to properly control intensity and progression for his clients and himself. “This stimulates the muscle effectively and efficiently while also creating micro tears,” he says, “this rep range stimulates the muscle for growth in size, as it must overcome the stimuli being presented, creating muscle endurance and strength.” By prescribing a rep-range of 10-15, his protocol is simple and easy to control for anyone in the gym. “Choose a weight (for each exercise) where you can do 10 reps and no more, continue doing this weight each week in your workout until you can effectively perform 15 reps. Once you can do this effectively, increase the weight by 2.5-5% and start at 10 reps again.”

This is a simple and sustainable practice that can be used in the gym, which can be controlled with de-load weeks, as described by Israetel, where the weights and repetitions are cut in half for a single week to allow the muscles to recover.

While Optimise approves the protocols mentioned, we understand that everyone is at a different stage of their fitness journey. So, if you are starting out in the gym, ensure to consult a medical professional or personal trainer.