The RIGHT Way to Do Low Volume Training (If You Must)

Summary

In this engaging video, Dr. Mike from RP Strength collaborates with Dr. Pack, an expert in sports and exercise science, to explore the concept of low volume training—a trend in the fitness world suggesting significant muscle gains with minimal workout sets. They delve into the pros and cons of this training style, underline the importance of reaching near-failure in each set, and discuss common pitfalls such as inadequate intensity, exercise selection, and unrealistic expectations. Moreover, they argue that while low volume can be beneficial for time-limited fitness enthusiasts aiming for moderate results, achieving superior gains likely requires embracing more extensive workout volumes.

Highlights

• Low volume training isn't all the rage—it's nuanced and requires real effort! ⚡️
• Dr. Mike and Dr. Pack unpack myths surrounding low volume workouts. 🎤
• Failing to near-muscle failure in low volume workouts can stunt growth. 📉
• Exercise variety matters; just rows or just pull-downs won't build a complete physique. 📚
• Your muscle growth might be limited if you're not genetically blessed and sticking to low volume routines! 🧬

Key Takeaways

• Low volume training can produce gains but requires pushing each set close to failure to be effective. 🔥
• Common mistakes: too low volume, not enough workout intensity, poor exercise choice, and expecting high results. 🚫
• Low volume programs might suit those aiming for modest improvements, but extensive gains need higher volumes. ⚖️
• Proper exercise selection is crucial in minimalistic routines to avoid "leaving gains on the table." 🏋️‍♂️
• Genetics play a role in the effectiveness of low volume training; hard gainers may need higher volumes for better results. 🧬

Overview

In this video, hosted by Dr. Mike of RP Strength alongside Dr. Pack, an authority in sports and exercise science, the focus is on understanding the merit and pitfalls of low volume training. This approach to fitness—where fewer sets are performed for each muscle group—has gained popularity, suggesting that significant strength and size can still be achieved without extensive workouts. However, Dr. Pack emphasizes that achieving muscle-growth benefits under such programs requires exceptional commitment, chiefly the need to push each exercise set close to the point of failure.

The duo navigates the spectrum of training volumes, identifying typical mistakes like adopting extremely low exercise volumes, lacking workout intensity, failing to choose a diverse range of exercises, and maintaining overly optimistic expectations about outcomes. They caution that misconceptions could lead to stunted progress in muscle development, and stress the importance of tailoring exercise selections carefully to cover all muscle groups effectively within a minimalistic framework.

Ultimately, for those constrained by time, low volume training offers a moderate path to fitness. Yet, Dr. Pack and Dr. Mike advise that in pursuit of superior and more profound muscle gains, fitness enthusiasts must not shy away from higher volumetric workouts. They also explore genetic factors, acknowledging that while some might thrive on lower volumes, those struggling for muscle build-up should consider increasing their set range for improved results. It's a call to balance realistic expectations with well-targeted effort in personalized training journeys.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Low Volume Training This chapter introduces the concept of low volume training, emphasizing the importance of pushing each set close to muscle failure. Dr. Mike, along with Dr. Pack, an expert in sport and exercise science, will delve into techniques for effectively stimulating muscle growth with limited sets.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Discussing the Misconceptions The chapter titled 'Discussing the Misconceptions' delves into the topic of low volume training, which has become increasingly popular. It explores the misconception that one cannot achieve significant physical development through low volume training. The discussion suggests that with the correct approach, individuals can indeed get impressive results, hinting at errors in people's method or understanding of this type of training.
• 01:00 - 02:30: Understanding Set Recommendations The chapter titled 'Understanding Set Recommendations' explores the concept of minimal dose strength training. It discusses the principle that one can still achieve significant strength gains through low volume training. Despite the trend of low volume training gaining popularity, the chapter highlights the effectiveness and benefits of doing less to achieve more in strength development.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Effort and Intensity in Low Volume Training The chapter discusses the current hype around low volume training, largely influenced by figures like Mike Mentzer. The popularity is based on claims that this method optimizes gains by not overtraining, though it often lacks strong evidence. New research is emerging that may clarify these claims further.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Exercise Selection Importance The chapter discusses the importance of exercise selection in the context of training volume and hypertrophy. It highlights the evidence suggesting a dose-response relationship, meaning that increasing training volume can lead to increased hypertrophy to a certain extent. However, it cautions against the mistake of performing too little volume, noting that gains can still be significant even with lower volumes, but warns against excessively low volumes like two to four sets.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Expectation and Reality of Low Volume Training The chapter discusses the concept of low volume training and its appeal for those who want to achieve significant muscle gains without dedicating extensive years to workouts. It highlights that while lower volume training can be effective, it's essential to manage expectations realistically. The approach is particularly suited for individuals who are looking for efficient methods to build muscle within a limited timeframe without compromising on results.
• 05:30 - 06:30: For Whom Low Volume Works The chapter discusses the concept of low volume training and its effectiveness across different muscle groups. It is pointed out that not all muscles respond equally to low volume workouts, and minimizing training volume to an extreme based on the advice of strength athletes like Mike Menor or Dorian Yates can be a mistake. There's a mention of varying optimal sets, with a reference to the inefficacy of performing as few as three sets or even just one set to failure for all muscles. The chapter critiques the one-size-fits-all approach and highlights the need for tailored training volume for different muscle groups.
• 06:30 - 07:30: Conclusion and Final Thoughts This chapter discusses the conclusion and final thoughts on training strategies, specifically focusing on the efficiency of various methods. The author argues that counting fractional sets per muscle group per week is less effective, and highlights the benefits of super sets for saving time without compromising growth. Recent data, especially on agonist antagonist super sets in trained individuals, suggests no differences in muscle growth over eight weeks, yet these super sets can save up to 56% of time. This allows for more volume to be completed in less time, making the training more efficient. The focus is on optimizing workout time while still achieving desired results.

The RIGHT Way to Do Low Volume Training (If You Must) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 when you're only doing a few sets per muscle group a week taking those sets to the point where you are for sure extremely close to failure is extremely important because you only have a few chances to actually meaningfully stimulate muscle growth hey folks Dr Mike here for RP strength and today we have Dr pack he is an expert in sport Science and exercise science and in getting you jacked and today welcome pack hello he's going to
• 00:30 - 01:00 talk some smack hey oo but on the turntables he's going to attack I'm done I swear he was a disc jockey back in the early 80s um we're going to talk about low volume training because it's been all the rage it turns out you can get pretty jacked without low volume training but some people seem to think they can't do it or have problems doing it and you're going to tell me that they're not approaching it correctly you're going to
• 01:00 - 01:30 tell me how to do it yeah for sure pH so just some background PhD and the minimum dose of uh for strength espe essentially what's the least you can do to get stronger and through that Avenue I essentially dabble in a lot of things low volume and a big proponent of hey you can still make gains and really good gains by not doing as much however when it comes to low volume training and the promotion of low volume training in the current days we often
• 01:30 - 02:00 hear a lot of people quoting um what's his name Mike mener we see low volume training being all the hype claims around doing too much can insert random mechanism that is not actually supported by a ton of evidence and in general we see a lot of hype around low volume training for potentially maximizing gains first things first as it stands and there is more evidence coming out in
• 02:00 - 02:30 the next few months maybe that evidence will be out by the time the video is out essentially further establishing the idea that there's a dose response relationship between um training volume and hypertrophy turns out the more you do the more you get up to an extent without that meaning you cannot make amazing gains just by doing a little however some common mistakes when people approach low volume training are number one doing way too little volume what is that so doing as low as like two to four
• 02:30 - 03:00 sets per muscle group per week when the and I'll set the context when the individuals that follow these routines want to get pretty jacked and in a relatively not short period of time but they don't want to spend years and years and years so the idea that low volume training or lower volume training can be great totally good but if you're somebody watching renal periodization and you want to be jacked and you want
• 03:00 - 03:30 to grow all the muscles on your body and some muscles respond respond less to low volume training than others going for the absolute lowest possible training volume that you can just because you saw it on a Mike Menor real and because some Ultra jacked freak told you that hey all I do is three sets for my biceps per week or even one set to all failure brother Dorian Yates that does that just doesn't make sense that's a number one mistake doing 10 sets 10 direct sets so
• 03:30 - 04:00 we're not even going to count fractional sets per muscle group per week in my opinion that's still pretty low volume as far as making things work goes and espe especially with more data coming out on time efficient strategies like super sets where we recently saw in trained individuals Agonist antagonist super sets not no differences in growth over eight weeks but the superet saved time they saved 56% of time so you end up being able to smash more volume in if
• 04:00 - 04:30 you just take slightly less breaks and still benefit from not having to do ultra low volume yes so ultra low volume two to four sets per muscle per week maybe is a little low for most people what about four to eight sets per muscle per week is that reliably going to grow most people but obviously not as fast as more could yeah in terms of direct sets so like the the reason I'm saying direct sets is we should also like for your biceps we'd count um a set of lat pool down just let's say half a set so if
• 04:30 - 05:00 you're looking at 4 to eight sets I'd say 6 to8 I think that's much safer of direct sets much safer bet to make if you want to start to experiment with low volume training and muscle growth specifically but still want to get really jacked yes got it ideally I'd be somewhere close to 10 direct sets per muscle group per week which in my opinion is pretty is relatively low volume relatively low volume but still meat and potatoes enough to like do something yes for sure the number two
• 05:00 - 05:30 mistake I often see when people try the low volume routines and go even lower than we just the that we just said is not having enough intensity of effort so when you're only doing a few sets per muscle group a week taking those sets to the point where you are for sure extremely close to failure is extremely important because you only have a few chances to actually meaningfully stimulate stimulate muscle
• 05:30 - 06:00 growth and if you are just feeling the burn and feeling like you're close to failure but you're not really there that can make a huge difference um in that context higher volume programs you can kind of make up for it just by doing more sets but for lower volume programs if you don't go pretty hard within the sets you're doing you're going to see some maybe not as impressive gains as what you're saying yes and although the current literature shows that in lab settings most people are pretty good at
• 06:00 - 06:30 engaging proximity to failure as a coach and obviously here this is where being evidence-based comes in place uh anecdotally having worked with with hundreds of individuals of all levels um you often see people still leaving reps in reserve uh and in the context of low volume training as said at RP 7 or like R3 where you have three rips in Reserve versus I said where you have one rip in reserve
• 06:30 - 07:00 again in the context of Maxim or making like a ton of gains can make a big difference so you have to take those sets there it doesn't matter if it's legs if it's arms like you got to train very very hard those sets are not going to be fun sets yeah that makes sense luckily the high-intensity training um Mike mener people they seem to say like they pay really good lip service to that at the very least and they really do believe it so that that they do have mhm what else you got so the other thing is exercise selection
• 07:00 - 07:30 if you are only doing a handful of sets and or slightly more than that and in a previous renissance periodization RP strength video we went over the squad and why that is indeed the barble squad not King of exercises if let's say for your quads you're only doing squats or leg presses or hack squats and you're not adding an exercise like the leg extensions in to fully Target all the quad musculature then again you're leaving gains on the table same goes with other muscle groups if all you're
• 07:30 - 08:00 doing is eight sets of lat pull Downs per week and you're not doing some form of row you're again leaving gains on the table I get this question really often can I just get a big back by rowing or can I just get a big back by pull Downs or pullups and a part of me gives I want at the end I give a good technical answer but a part of me sarcastically just for fun just for the jokes he's like you lazy I should stop swearing too much on Channel you know what I mean yes what
• 08:00 - 08:30 are you talking about go to the gym you can look at the muscles and how they're designed you're not going to be getting full back hypertrophy from just row or pull Downs you got to do some kind of horizontal some kind of vertical and some kind of leg extension some kind of press for the quads so on and so forth It's not that much stuff it's not and I think there's another group of people who seem to Pride themselves in the simplicity of their program what does it
• 08:30 - 09:00 uh make things as simple make an explanation as simple as you can but no simpler I think some people go into that no simpler thing were they like real proud of it like yeah man only squats for these legs like you see a guy with a decent chest like just push-ups like you don't do any incline presses like nope just push-ups like wow you have a mediocre chest just doing push-ups imagine how okay it could be if you did incline presses too so a lot of people have you found that to be the case they kind of stick to they're like well I
• 09:00 - 09:30 don't want to do like 50 different movements I just want one and it's like all right yeah it's it's a it's a case where people say something they hear it they repeat it to other people that don't really have a horse in the race people agree and then they establish that as common wisdom so they say I don't want to do a bunch of shit at the gym and it's like bro is two exercises really that like we've you've worked with plenty of people I've worked with busy people the people that don't have time it's not that deep to an extra
• 09:30 - 10:00 exercise or even two especially if you're only doing a handful of sets per muscle group per week just spend the extra minute for sure you know for sure for sure what else we got so now we're getting a bit more meta and the the next mistake is the expectations that people have when it comes to low volume training and that's a big mistake in my opinion so it's like you're already you're accepting that you're doing something suboptimal but you're going
• 10:00 - 10:30 into it expecting optimal results based off I don't know some observation survivorship bias as well you only hear the freaks that made it with low volume you don't see the 100 non-responders that did eight sets per week and didn't see that many gains but going into low volume trading and be like okay we're about to blow up is likely going to leave you disappointed might lead to a bit of a nobo effect and then that can just result in a a vicious in in a bad sidey of emotions and gains missed yeah
• 10:30 - 11:00 that definitely is a thing that happens let's see if we can trace the meme logic I already like to train with low volume and then I see some Menor Tik toks now I'm really bought in and then I see some kind of video by meno hlan about some study and it's like actually more volume leads to more game
• 11:00 - 11:30 and like it upsets you like man stupid fucking science but then you see a study you don't see the study you see 30 seconds of a one minute full Tik Tock reel by you that shows us that you can make some gains with low volumes much more than we expected and then through some kind of mystery diffusion some gains disappears science officially said you
• 11:30 - 12:00 can make gains with low volume mener said it was great gains so I'm taking the great from mener and the permission to have gains from science I've divided meno entirely out of the equation by this point so now I'm back to expecting that low volumes are going to give me great gains science said so yep there was a uh one of the funniest comments uh there's many different version of this is a new study comes out saying High volumes are good for muscle growth or new one says low volumes can also work
• 12:00 - 12:30 and there's at least one person in the in any any media who has a comment it's like man this science shit is all wacky man one day they'll tell you you have to train with high volumes the next day you have to train with low volumes like nobody said have to they didn't even say they were the same you just have a very small amount of thoughts that can go through the pinhole of light that is your brain and you got to slow them down one at a time all jokes aside that is a thing that people get into the mix and so what you're saying is for some people
• 12:30 - 13:00 low volume can be better than high volume for their gains for many people low volume and high volume is relatively equivalent for most people high volume is better but almost everyone can get some kind of gains with low volume but notice the last two things I said for most people high volume is better and those same people can still get some gains from low volume that's more or less correct yeah more or
• 13:00 - 13:30 less so we don't want to like flip those two on each other because then we get just to Pure nonsense oh for most people high volume doesn't work and for almost everyone low volume is the best it's the opposite of that it doesn't mean low volume is bad it just means minimalist routines lead to drum roll minimalist results that's how it works yes and it's important to also understand that what meaningful how you define meaningful is important in this discussion so yes
• 13:30 - 14:00 your average whatever insert fancy job here person who wants to feel strong have above average person keep in mind people out in the real world are not jacked monsters above average muscularity means at the pool party your friend looks at you and says oh yeah you look better H yeah yeah yeah or you're like out at a camping site and you're pumping the well thing at camping sites with your daughter and she's three and you had to take a shirt off cuz things
• 14:00 - 14:30 are getting wet and all of a sudden people are like that guy looks great for 44 exactly that that not like oh when is he stepping on stage like there's a different level of input that's going to have to happen to get you do that so for the guy that's looking great for 44 years old volume amazing but expect to look like a guy who looked great for 44 yes not people come up to you trying to get autographs in the middle of the street not you show up to the Mr Olympia and shock the crowd like you tend to do every couple of years you come in and
• 14:30 - 15:00 just oh look at this guy throw stuff at in he looks disg throwing Mr Olympia trophies at you if you even paid attention you would know that look at that see an he does the fucking oh my God but it's important to also remind people that as far as the science goes and more science is coming out I I'm not able to say what exactly oh shit history preview science the totality of current evidence does not support that less is
• 15:00 - 15:30 more supports that less can be enough and even somewhat Chang the percentage of gains you can make with less so that has gone down as more Studies have come out we've talked about some of the super high volume studies and as far as high volume goes and take it from the low volume guy we haven't found that ceiling yet we haven't found the inverted Ur relationship at least in the span of 12 to 16 weeks so if somebody tells you that the science supports the idea that low is
• 15:30 - 16:00 more be a bit skeptical and to tie sorry to tie it all in um common issue with people is that there are a lot of folks out there that consume this information that are not blessed genetically and in those cases if you want to go for the impressive physique for the I am jacked among jacked people physique no even jacked among non- jacked people is pretty impressive yeah but I'm saying all yeah
• 16:00 - 16:30 for our standards of jackness okay well tell you right now if you don't have great genetics you're just never going to get to our standards of jackness but I didn't cut you off fair enough fair enough but your best bet at making at getting as close as possible is not going to be low volume no almost never yes and that's been based on a couple of other older studies and that's basically like if you are an easy Gainer much more volume may not help you much more if you're a hard Gainer there are two great hyp hypothesis from back in the day one
• 16:30 - 17:00 was if you're a hard Gainer recovery is a problem for you don't train anymore you need just more sleep and more food the other hypothesis was you need to train more that one won so for most people who are hard gainers on 10 sets a week 20 sets a week is going to be better very few of them hard gainers on 10 sets will get better gains on five sets yes for sure and that's something that needs to be hammered hammered down that if you've done it for a year and
• 17:00 - 17:30 you're eating well and you're sleeping relatively well because when we look at sleep and the relationship with gains look as long as you're not a a shift worker who sleeps three hours a day it's likely that you're you're okay sleep on if you're not seeing that things are progressing and you're like no no no 10 sets per week per muscle group I'm not going higher because one crazy guy on YouTube said that the we're getting paid by big volume or whatever hey you doing a disservice to your gains going higher
• 17:30 - 18:00 is likely again maybe you're the one person with the worst genetics ever and nothing will ever work but you're likely going to see much better gains from just doing more so accept that reality if uh you're a low volume fan at some point it may be that you need to make the switch if you want more Gams if you just want to maintain and be more or less the same cool stay low stay low is good life advice you got anything else for us is out about it that's about it folks Dr
• 18:00 - 18:30 pack always a great installment on this channel go do more volume if you want to get jacked come back as more Jack next week we'll see more videos we'll see more of us we'll see more of everything love you mean it nope sorry different person see you guys next time and Ronnie Coleman would have had bigger legs if he did a Squad Deeper cosigned damn come at me