Spartan Agoge
Level 6 Valued Member
It's time to complete the thread.
So, for several months I did an experiment. I had a total volume approach in training, without giving a sh*t about anything else, like rpe, training to failure, reps i reserve etc. My only goal was that my total reps are becoming more and more, progressively.
I started with straight sets. For deadlift for example i got my 6rm and started doing sets of 3 reps. Week 1 was 5x3, week 2 was 6x3 etc. Some weeks I wasn't raising the reps and I was doing the exactly same rep scheme as the previous week, in order to give my body some time to handle the volume and nit overtrain. But I was progressively doing more and more volume.
Later, I changed my approach and started doing a reverse pyramid scheme, with a top single and then more and more back off sets every week. Something like this:
Week 1: 1x1(top single), 4x2(90% of top single), 4x3(85%)
Week 2: 1x1, 5x2(90%), 4x3(85%)
Week 3: 1x1, 5x2(90%), 5x3(85%)
Every week one back off set more. Recently I was at a point of doing 1x1, 10x2(90%), 10x3(85%). Progressively higher total volume is the goal.
When the top single becomes too easy, I raise the weight by 5%, lower the volume by doing 4-5 less back off sets, and slowly build it again, in order to do just a little more volume than with the previous weight.
And I now can say: yes, it worked. I saw positive changes in muscle mass and strength. I believe (just my opinion) that the whole low volume approach (1 set to total failure etc) is again popular because people do not have the time, or the knowledge, or the mental capability to slowly increase their work capacity.
More volume does not mean more muscle mass. But, more volume, from which you can recover, does.
So, for several months I did an experiment. I had a total volume approach in training, without giving a sh*t about anything else, like rpe, training to failure, reps i reserve etc. My only goal was that my total reps are becoming more and more, progressively.
I started with straight sets. For deadlift for example i got my 6rm and started doing sets of 3 reps. Week 1 was 5x3, week 2 was 6x3 etc. Some weeks I wasn't raising the reps and I was doing the exactly same rep scheme as the previous week, in order to give my body some time to handle the volume and nit overtrain. But I was progressively doing more and more volume.
Later, I changed my approach and started doing a reverse pyramid scheme, with a top single and then more and more back off sets every week. Something like this:
Week 1: 1x1(top single), 4x2(90% of top single), 4x3(85%)
Week 2: 1x1, 5x2(90%), 4x3(85%)
Week 3: 1x1, 5x2(90%), 5x3(85%)
Every week one back off set more. Recently I was at a point of doing 1x1, 10x2(90%), 10x3(85%). Progressively higher total volume is the goal.
When the top single becomes too easy, I raise the weight by 5%, lower the volume by doing 4-5 less back off sets, and slowly build it again, in order to do just a little more volume than with the previous weight.
And I now can say: yes, it worked. I saw positive changes in muscle mass and strength. I believe (just my opinion) that the whole low volume approach (1 set to total failure etc) is again popular because people do not have the time, or the knowledge, or the mental capability to slowly increase their work capacity.
More volume does not mean more muscle mass. But, more volume, from which you can recover, does.
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