Workout Volume is Killing Your Gains! – ATHLEAN-X™

by YouTube Team

If you’ve been around any gym or online forum these days you’ve likely heard that training volume is the key to all muscle growth and gains. In fact, of every other element of your workouts, the amount of training volume you accrue over a single workout or multiple workouts is supposed to be the main driver of muscle growth and size. In this video, I’m going to debunk the value of volume. In fact, I’m going to show you how volume can be almost entirely negated in the absence of something far more important – training intensity.

Much like functional training was the buzz word of the early 2000’s, volume has become the equivalent for 2019. We have been led to believe that simply adding more sets and time to our workouts is going to equate to faster and more significant muscle growth. This has led to an epidemic of people spending more time than ever in the gym, getting far less results than ever before.

Not to mention, with all the additional volume being misdirected towards their joints and tendons there are more people gaining aches and pains from their training than they are hypertrophy. Why is this? Because accruing volume for the sake of volume is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your workouts. The best thing you can do is trade in some of that volume for intensity if you really want to see increased muscle mass and development.

As it is, I believe that many people in the gym simply don’t train hard enough. The adoption of volume as the driver of gains and the focus of many people’s workouts is something that easily fits that narrative. Rather than work harder with less, all that is required to obtain more volume is time. If you have additional time to spare, you can add more sets to your workouts. That said, the only way you are going to add more intensity is with more effort.

Effort is something that will not come easy. Effort is going to demand that you look for ways to intensify the state of your workouts. Adding paused repetitions, reducing rest time between sets, pushing to actual failure at least a few times during your workouts are all things that are going to require a higher level of output and effort than simply adding more time.

If you want to see greater muscle growth from your workouts you are going to have to be willing to push harder. What winds up happening when you trade in workout length for intensity is that you see what science has shown and that is, even as little as 4-10 productive high effort sets is all it takes to elicit a muscle hypertrophy response from your training. There is no need to spend hours and hours in a gym trying to get results when far less time is capable of doing the same.

If you are looking for a program that shows you how to train hard and not have to train long, then click on the link below and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System that best matches your goals. Start training like an athlete and get more out of your workouts every time you step into the gym.

For more videos on how to build muscle fast and the right way to split your workouts for maximum muscle gains, be sure to subscribe to our channel at the link below and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

Build Muscle in 90 Days –
Subscribe to this channel here –

source

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

37 comments

ATHLEAN-X™ May 9, 2019 - 4:14 pm

NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY – Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected WITHIN the first hour the video is published. So don't b*tch if you're not one of them 🙂 Just try next time. Click the link to see if you’ve won. Good luck! 
https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/ruth-about-volume

If you don’t win, no worries. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

Reply
Victor Grigorita August 10, 2021 - 10:14 am

No. Not working out is killing your gains. If you work consistently everything works

Reply
William Andrade August 10, 2021 - 1:28 pm

Not knowing how to draw graphs is killing your gains

Reply
Von Kiddo August 11, 2021 - 11:43 am

As an ectomorph, I seem to gain more muscle through endurance exercises and activities. Or (higher volume with lower intensity.) I don't know if you're talking from a textbook or from experience but personally intensity has killed my gains as an ectomorph. My greatest gains I've seen from 4 sets, 8 to 12 reps with about 75% of my 1 rep max.

So if I have a problem developing fast twitch muscle fibers than what should I do. Because intensity don't seem to be helping me personally at all lol

Reply
evolgenius August 11, 2021 - 7:18 pm

So what about the single set to fail excersizes. Super high intensity, one set to momentary muscular failure… how many excersizes is right? I dont wanna do too few, or too many. 4 to 10?

Reply
Dismoe August 14, 2021 - 7:51 pm

Look at this graAaAph…

Reply
James Ang August 17, 2021 - 12:17 am

Junk volume : )

Reply
A.R.C vrs N.A.R.C August 29, 2021 - 2:28 am

I like working out (without weights) in pretty much a slow motion and when I am really in a good mental state of trying past my comfort boundary. I use variations in the exercise to keep me sane and maneuvering like a squirrel lol onto a branch of muscle that I was not just stressing. and go much longer and further using a slight variation as a break before I get back to what started hurting. Other wise my break takes me out of position.

Reply
Steven Windmeijer August 31, 2021 - 3:26 pm

Thanks Jeff i needed to see this

Reply
Noor-ul-Islam Kashif September 11, 2021 - 7:42 am

"Supply and Demand" lol Jeff knows Econ 101

Reply
Bronea September 11, 2021 - 1:35 pm

What also can kill my gains 🤔

Reply
Julio Montañez September 11, 2021 - 2:29 pm

You are right. Too much pages and comments are all around the internet about volume, even supported by papers. And it is attractive to think volume as the key of hypertrophy because is easy, instead intensity as harder than the other. Good video ans message.

Reply
atticus finch September 16, 2021 - 6:34 pm

Vidya gains

Reply
atticus finch September 16, 2021 - 6:36 pm

Farming is tilling your grains

Reply
atticus finch September 16, 2021 - 6:37 pm

Slurpees are chilling your brains

Reply
atticus finch September 16, 2021 - 6:38 pm

Traffic is filling your lanes

Reply
mosashafaga September 23, 2021 - 8:26 pm

i think the volume is more important than intensity for hypertrophy , if you increase your training frequency for any muscle group you will see some results in size without any increase in strength 👎🏻👎🏻

Reply
AveG October 4, 2021 - 4:43 am

Nutrition is not important, I respectfully disagree. Hence people in prison only get a bologna sandwich 🥪 worth of protein a day and they are huge. On the flip side I know people who have worked out for 5 years and drink protein shakes religiously, and are still small.

Reply
Jimmy Joe October 12, 2021 - 11:16 pm

This is why I never count sets or reps. I go until I feel that my workout it complete, regardless of how many sets or reps. I always, without exception (besides warmup), take every set to failure.

Reply
Dirk K. October 17, 2021 - 3:21 pm

To sum up: Do 4 Sets per muscle 3 times a week, but make sure you will distort your face because it hurts so much the last 3 lifts.

Reply
Torrent79 October 19, 2021 - 5:11 pm

Regardless how intense your workout is, if you only do it once a week……you're wasting your time

Reply
Fiddlebender October 23, 2021 - 5:04 pm

What I have learned to do is emphasize effort and intensity, however, my body makes the rules. So, if I have an injury or some exercise feels awkward in a bad way (for examply my back hurts) then I cut down on intensity but I replace it with volume. However, even with high volume I focus on form so that I can bounce back and recover from it. Next time I perform the exercise it might feel better, and if so, I can attack the exercise again with higher intensity.

Reply
Sean Omight October 24, 2021 - 1:39 am

3 sets of 12 killing the gains, why? bc of quality? I've been doing 3 sets of whatever I can do. Usually 1 set of 10, 1 of 8, and one of 6, and 8 and 6, are really to failure. Once the weight starts getting lighter, I amp up the weight.

Reply
Sean Omight October 24, 2021 - 1:43 am

I wish I could have you as a personal trainer.

Reply
Nathan Zimcosky October 29, 2021 - 11:58 pm

Replace intensity with weight on that graph and you’ve hit the nail on the head

Reply
Ant Stock November 3, 2021 - 7:47 am

I concur

Reply
Meyyappan Muthuraman November 5, 2021 - 1:05 pm

I never go wrong liking your videos before watching. They are pure gold and thanks for making them.

Reply
Derek Bean November 22, 2021 - 2:12 am

When i see brothers doing high intensity and reps, their bodies look good. Maybe its a race thing and genetics… But young and older brothers go it snd look good… And no drugs

Reply
Star Gazer December 1, 2021 - 8:27 pm

He makes a good point that people can incorrectly think they are 3 reps from failure.
There are cues though, such as burn and reduced speed and greater concentration needed that assure you are pretty close.

Reply
Star Gazer December 1, 2021 - 8:35 pm

The junk volume is just a theory backed up by several indivudual acounts. No studies. Also, the study that found a volume dose dependent in growth only tested up to 10 or so sets. What comes after that is speculation.

Reply
Andrey Krasnokutsky December 11, 2021 - 8:02 am

I don't understand why horizontal axis is called "low", and vertical one is "high".

Reply
Aquele Que Não Deve Ser Mencionado December 15, 2021 - 3:52 pm

I thought he was going to criticize programs like 10×10. But damn 20 sets is definitely too much lol. I'm already dead after 10 sets of 10 for push ups, how people go for 20 freaking sets i do not understand.

Reply
Daivat December 18, 2021 - 5:28 pm

The fuck is this retard tier graph? High and low on the x and y axis?

Reply
Bala Saravanan December 20, 2021 - 6:50 am

This is True AF 💯💯

Reply
CobraGT January 4, 2022 - 11:34 pm

Someone help me i am new to the gym is 1 set like 3×8 is that one set ? Or is 1×8 one set

Reply
CobraGT January 4, 2022 - 11:38 pm

What is a set is it 1 set 4×8 or is it just 1 ×8

Reply
CobraGT January 4, 2022 - 11:39 pm

Is 1 set 4× to failure or is 1 set 1×to failure

Reply